On several occasions cigarette smokers and those around them have been cautioned about secondhand smoke, a combination of smoke from the burning end of a cigarette and the smoke breathed out by smokers. It contains more than 7,000 chemicals.
Hundreds are toxic and about 70 can cause cancer. It is actually scientifically proven that exposure to secondhand smoke has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and can cause coronary heart disease and stroke.
However, there’s a new baby in town called thirdhand smoke, which is residual nicotine and other chemicals left on indoor surfaces by tobacco smoke. People are exposed to these chemicals by touching contaminated surfaces or breathing in the gases from these surfaces.
This residue is thought to react with common indoor pollutants to create a toxic mix, including cancer-causing compounds, posing a potential health hazard to nonsmokers, especially children.
If your neighbour smokes, it can get into your apartment through the ventilation system. Third-hand smoke can be present in apartments even if they have been vacant for two months and are cleaned and prepared for new residents. Research demonstrates that tobacco smoke is a toxic substance with no safe level of exposure, and that the risks from exposure are largely dose related.
Thirdhand smoke clings to clothes, furniture, drapes, walls, bedding, carpets, dust, vehicles and other surfaces long after smoking has stopped. The residue from this smoke builds up on surfaces over time.
To remove the residue, hard surfaces, fabrics and upholstery need to be regularly cleaned or laundered. Thirdhand smoke cannot be eliminated by airing out rooms, opening windows, using fans or air conditioners, or confining smoking to only certain areas of a home.
Children and nonsmoking adults might be at risk of tobacco-related health problems when they inhale, swallow or touch substances containing thirdhand smoke. Infants and young children might have increased exposure to thirdhand smoke due to their tendency to mouth objects and touch affected surfaces.
Interestingly, although it’s a relatively new term, thirdhand smoke has been a research topic for decades. It was first discovered in 1953, when a scientist from the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis found that tobacco smoke condensate—or liquid from gas condensation—painted on mice caused cancer.
In a 1991 study, researchers found nicotine in the dust of smokers’ homes.
A later study, conducted in 2004, found that nicotine was still present in homes where smokers tried to limit exposure, such as smoking outdoors. A 2008 study comparing the cars of smokers to non-smokers’ vehicles showed similar results, even finding that the dashboards of cars driven by smokers who banned smoking in their vehicles had tobacco residue.
Researchers are still studying its possible dangers. In the meantime, the only way to protect nonsmokers from thirdhand smoke is to create a smoke-free environment.
Manager, Corporate Communications - Nacada
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