Fathers-to-be who smoke may increase the risk of congenital heart defects in their offspring, according to a study published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). For mothers-to-be, both smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke were detrimental. Fathers are a large source of secondhand smoke for pregnant women, which appears to be even more harmful to unborn children than women smoking themselves. Regarding specific types of congenital heart defects, the analysis showed that maternal smoking was significantly associated with a 27% greater risk of atrial septal defect and a 43% greater risk of right ventricular outflow tract obstruction compared to no smoking.
— source escardio.org | 24 Mar 2019