According to a new medical study, it is advisable that parents should let their children to sit in the back of cars because modern airbags could cause their beloved child to suffer tinnitus and breathing problems if travelling in the front.

A research team led by Dr Manoj Mittal at the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania revealed that nowadays airbags are designed to react to an adult’s size and weight. Anyway, the noise, speed and tiny hot specks of dust from the bags pose a risk to youngsters up to the age of about 13. Airbags explode when a car collides, causing a 170-decibel bang as the bag inflates in a split second, sending a wave of pressure into the air.

Children sitting in the front when an airbag inflates are 14 times more likely to suffer from tinnitus, a condition which includes a ringing in the ears, sometimes permanently, the study warns.

The second danger comes when the bag deflates, sending out tiny but very hot particles from its membrane where it has been stretched out and back again. Because they are located in the dashboard at about chest height for most adults, the bags are more likely to injure someone sitting in the front at a lower height level.

Some modern cars have airbags that can be switched on or off, but most vehicles do not have this option and so children should always sit in the back. Parents and healthcare workers should be aware of this potential for both tinnitus and respiratory distress.