A Canadian study indicates some people who've never smoked in their lives can become addicted to nicotine.
The report, a collaborative effort between five Canadian universities and the Institut national de sant� publique du Qu�bec, found that exposure to secondhand smoke can make a small number people addicted.
Mathieu Belanger of the Universite de Moncton is the lead author of the report.
He said the three year study of 1,800 grade five students asked to complete questionnaires on their health and behaviours generated some unexpected results.
"We were surprised to find about five percent reported symptoms of nicotine dependence even though they'd never smoked in their lives," Belanger said.
The children had all been exposed to cigarette smoke at home or elsewhere and Belanger hopes the findings will cut down on this number.
"We're hoping that results like this will help governments put in place legislation that will prevent adults, or any smoker, to smoke in the presence of children."
Dr. Jennifer O'Loughlin, senior author of the study, said in a release that the findings "support the need for public health interventions that promote non-smoking in the presence of children, and uphold policies to restrict smoking in vehicles when children are present."
Steve Vasseur owns a Saint John, N.B. tobacco shop. He told CTV Atlantic that common sense dictates that no one should smoke indoors when children are around.
However, he said cigarettes are not the only pollutant to blame.
"We also have Saint John air and plenty of pollution that comes from pulp and paper mills 365 days a year, they have to breathe that, and no one's done anything to stop that," Vasseur said.
Belanger said that while the study makes it clear second-hand smoke can be addictive, he hopes funding will be made available so the children can be monitored throughout their lives to reveal the long-term consequences of their exposure.
With a report from CTV's Ron Shaw
