[The significance of passive smoking in pregnancy].

It is unclear whether passive smoking has any deleterious effects on pregnancy. The few investigations performed up to date seem to imply that passively inhaled cigarette smoke has teratogenic potential. To examine the extent of passive smoking during pregnancy detailed smoking histories were obtained from 442 pregnant women. Whereas only one in five women smoked actively during pregnancy, one in three women had a history of passive smoking. In additional 101 pregnant women serum-cotinine levels were determined. With this additional parameter it was possible to make a much more detailed determination of actual exposure to tobacco smoke than by using history alone.