A new study has revealed that men who smoke before the conception could give asthma to their babies.

The results showed that non-allergic asthma (without hayfever) was significantly more common in children with a father who smoked prior to conception. This risk of asthma increased if a father smoked before the age of 15 and this risk grew the longer the duration of smoking. The researchers observed no link between the mother's smoking prior to conception and a child's asthma.

Dr Cecile Svanes, from the University of Bergen, Norway, said that this study was important as it was the first study looking at how a father's smoking habit pre-conception can affect the respiratory health of his children.

Given these results, it could be presumed that exposure to any type of air pollution, from occupational exposures to chemical exposures, could also have an effect, so it would be important for policymakers to focus on interventions targeting young men and warning them of the dangers of smoking and other exposures to their unborn children in the future.