The Hazards of Third Hand Smoke to Little Children
There’s the first hand or direct cigarette smoke. Then there’s the second hand or passive smoke. Now comes a newly identified cigarette hazard – third hand cigarette smoke.
So what’s third hand smoke?
It’s the toxic substances that linger and persist for long periods of time, long after the act of smoking is finished, long after the cigarette has been extinguished and thrown away. The toxic substances are found in particles in the smoke and they stick to your clothes, your hair, the curtains, the furniture, the carpet. Opening a window or putting on a fan is not enough to get rid of these particles, according to this New York Times article.
Cigarette smoke contains more than 250 poisonous gases and other toxic chemicals — including hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, butane, ammonia, toluene, arsenic, lead, chromium, cadmium, and and the highly radioactive carcinogen polonium-210.
So hours after finishing your cigarette, you and the toxins attached to you still present a hazard to your baby the minute you pick him/her up.
At home, where most of the smoking occurs nowadays after anti-smoking laws in public places have been implemented, babies and toddlers are exposed to third hand smoke as they crawl and play on the carpet. Home has become a dangerous place when adults smoke there.
The same thing can also be said about the family car, where exposure is even worse due to restricted space.
A study published in the journal Pediatrics reported the results of a survey about people’s opinion on third hand smoke and home smoking bans. Expectantly, non-smokers are more aware of the hazards of third hand smoke and more amenable to home smoking bans compared to smokers.
I can sympathize with parents who really try to quit and can’t. After all, nicotine addiction is one of the hardest habits to break. I just hope that protecting their children’s health will become a strong incentive to help them quit.
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Dawn Allcot says...
Wow, a lot to think about here. Thanks for sharing this news, Science-mom.
I’m not a smoker, but we have relatives who are, and I always *suspected* that when people come in the house smelling like an ashtray 30 seconds after extinguishing a cigarette that it can’t be *good.*
I’m so glad we live in a non-smoking house and always will.
Concerned Mom-to-Be says...
As a Mom-To-Be, does anyone have suggestions for us on how to politely discourage relatives that smoke regularly that we are concerned about third hand smoke? Also, is there anything that we can do to decrease the effects? Our home is non-smoking and we don’t smoke. We just want our new one to be extra smoke free.
Thanks,
Concerned Mom-to-Be