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To learn more concerning the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on the respiratory system, 21 apparently healthy newborn infants whose mothers had used cocaine during pregnancy were studied. A control group of 10 newborns whose mothers had no histories of drug use were also examined. Healthy newborns temporarily stop breathing as a reflex when a stream of air is directed at their faces, whereas premature infants pause in their breathing more often after such stimulation. The cocaine-exposed infants (average age, between four and five days) were tested in this way while physiological variables were monitored. The number and length of breathing pauses elicited by the airstream were noted. The infants also breathed air containing higher concentrations of carbon dioxide than normal (4 percent carbon dioxide for a three to five minute period) while heart and breathing rates were measured. Results showed that respiratory pauses were much more common among cocaine-exposed babies than controls and that the pauses lasted longer among the former group. No differences were observed between the groups in their responses to the increased levels of carbon dioxide. The results show that respiratory instability, although not obvious, is present in infants exposed to cocaine in utero. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)