Toddler Placed For Adoption Partly Because Heavy-Smoking Parents Gave Him Breathing Difficulties
Toddler Put Up For Adoption Partly Because Of 'Thick Smoke' In Home
Amy Packham— The Huffington Post UK
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A two-year-old boy has been taken from his home and put up for adoption partly because of his parents' heavy smoking.
In a family court hearing, Judge Louise Pemberton said the boy was badly affected by the "visible cloud of smoke" in the house and needed an inhaler to help his breathing.
Pemberton said: "Ms Allen described the room as 'so smoke entrenched that I had difficulty breathing'."
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The boy was taken into foster care shortly after he was born, but was taken back into the care of his parents in January 2014 when he was nine months old.
The toddler was previously prescribed an inhaler to help with his breathing.
Social services had also raised other concerns about the toddler's care - his father had mental health problems and their home was described as "dirty, smelly and unhygenic".
It was revealed in court there was also evidence of drug paraphernalia, and the father tested positive for cocaine.
Appealing against the claims, the boy's mother disagreed that there was smoke in the house and opposed the adoption application.
In the ruling, Pemberton said all the evidence lead her to believe the risk of leaving the toddler in his parents' care is too high.
She said: "I want [the boy] to know that in my judgment his parents loved him very much and tried very hard but due to their own difficulties and difficult backgrounds, they were simply not able to meet his needs.
“Adoption really is the only option now available to [the boy], in my view, nothing else will do.”
In response to the ruling, Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of health charity Action on Smoking and Health said: “This is a very sad case.
"It should serve as a reminder to other parents or guardians who smoke that they should avoid smoking in the presence of their children because of the significant harm that can be caused by tobacco smoke.”
The family cannot be identified.
15 Undeniable Facts About Smoking
FACT 1(01 of15)
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Every cigarette you smoke reduces your expected life span by 11 minutes. (credit:Jasper White via Getty Images)
FACT 2(02 of15)
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There are roughly 10 million adults who smoke cigarettes in Great Britain. (credit:Bertrand Demee via Getty Images)
FACT 3(03 of15)
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Two-thirds of smokers start before the age 18. (credit:Flying Colours Ltd via Getty Images)
FACT 4(04 of15)
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The proportion of the population who are smokers has decreased since the 1970s. A sixth of the population smoke now, in comparison to nearly half of the adult population smoking in 1974. (credit:Dražen Lovrić via Getty Images)
FACT 5(05 of15)
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More men smoke than women.In Great Britain, 22% of adult men and 19% of adult women are smokers. (credit:ONOKY - Fabrice LEROUGE via Getty Images)
FACT 6(06 of15)
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More than half (59%) of all adults report that they have never smoked. (credit:Dimitri Otis via Getty Images)
FACT 7(07 of15)
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Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemical compounds including: carbon monoxide, arsenic, formaldehyde, cyanide, benzene, toluene and acrolein. (credit:murengstockphoto via Getty Images)
FACT 8(08 of15)
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Smoking poses a huge risk to your cardiovascular system.It also steals some of your good cholesterol, increases the risk of clotting and temporarily raises your blood pressure. (credit:Jeffrey Hamilton via Getty Images)
FACT 9(09 of15)
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Immediately after you quit smoking, your lungs and other smoke-damaged organs start to repair themselves. (credit:Oko_SwanOmurphy via Getty Images)
FACT 10(10 of15)
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Smoking is England’s biggest killer. Half of all regular cigarette smokers will eventually be killed by their addiction. (credit:Westend61 via Getty Images)
FACT 11(11 of15)
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100,000 smokers in the UK die every year from smoking related causes. (credit:Shui Ta Shan via Getty Images)
FACT 12(12 of15)
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In 2012-13 the Government earned £12.3 billion in revenue from tobacco tax. (credit:Jasper James via Getty Images)
FACT 13(13 of15)
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Usage of electronic cigarettes has tripled in the past two years. 2.1 million adults in Great Britain now use them. (credit:diego_cervo via Getty Images)
FACT 14(14 of15)
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A report by Dr Robert West of University College London found that e-cigarette use from popular brands is expected to be at least 20 times safer (and probably considerably more so) than smoking tobacco cigarettes. (credit:mangojuicy via Getty Images)
FACT 15(15 of15)
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7.9% of smokers have kicked the habit in the past year. (credit:AdamGregor via Getty Images)