Chronic exposure to second-hand smoke results in lower body weight and cognitive impairments that more profoundly affects males, according to new research in mice. The research examined daily exposure of 62 mice over a period of 10 months. Researchers used a specially designed ‘smoking robot’ that went through a pack of cigarettes a day in ventilated laboratory space. The longest previous study of this kind lasted three months.

The study published today in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

«The hope is that we can better understand these effects for policymakers and the next generation of smokers,» said lead author Jacob Raber, Ph.D., professor of behavioral neuroscience in the OHSU School of Medicine. «Many people still smoke, and these findings suggest that that the long-term health effects can be quite serious for people who are chronically exposed to second-hand smoke.»

The research examined daily exposure of 62 mice over a period of 10 months. Researchers used a specially designed «smoking robot» that went through a pack of cigarettes a day in ventilated laboratory space at OHSU. The longest previous study of this kind lasted three months.

«Nobody has done this, ever. This study is unique,» Raber said. «It really gives you the ability to look at long-term effects.»

«This study more accurately replicates the human experience by daily exposing mice to cigarette smoke,» added senior author Glen Kisby, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology at Western University of Health Sciences in Lebanon, Oregon.

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Materials provided by Oregon Health & Science University. Original written by Erik Robinson. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.