If you were looking for another reason to quit smoking for the New Year, knowing about the dangers of "third-hand smoke" to infants and children may just push you over the edge and into a smoke-free lifestyle once and for all.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School have recently coined a new term related to the dangers of tobacco smoke. The phenomenon known as "third-hand smoke" refers to the toxic, particulate matter that is left behind even after a cigarette is extinguished. This can mean on your hair, clothing, furniture or even in your car. Although many people smoke outside their home, or only in their homes when children are not around, the dangers of toxic exposure to carcinogens (cancer causing chemicals) from cigarettes still exist. Infants and small children are especially susceptible to these toxins because they can touch, crawl upon, or put their mouths on, contaminated surfaces, including you.
Most of us have been well-educated about the dangers of secondhand smoke and many smokers take measures to protect their loved ones from it. But secondhand smoke differs from third-hand smoke in that exposure from secondhand smoke occurs only while someone is smoking. But research has found that the dangers from cigarette toxins exist far beyond the point of active smoking. Toxic particulate matter from cigarette smoke is deposited in layers on all surfaces in the home, in loose household dust, and as research confirms as "volatile toxic compounds that off gas into the air over days, weeks, and months". The third-hand smoke phenomenon was the basis for the Harvard study which examined attitudes regarding the third-hand smoke concept and the development of home smoking bans.
The toxic effects of low levels of tobacco smoke have been proven. In fact, according to the National Toxicology Program, "these 250 poisonous gases, chemicals, and metals include hydrogen cyanide (used in chemical weapons), carbon monoxide (found in car exhaust), butane (used in lighter fluid), ammonia (used in household cleaners), toluene (found in paint thinners), arsenic (used in pesticides), lead (formerly found in paint), chromium (used to make steel), cadmium (used to make batteries), and polonium-210 (highly radioactive carcinogen). Eleven of these compounds are group 1 carcinogens (most carcinogenic designation). For some of these compounds, such as radioactive polonium-210, the cumulative dose is especially concerning, leading health professionals to call for immediate disclosure and warnings about exposure".
So, what can you do to protect your loved ones, especially your children and grandchildren, from the dangers of third-hand smoke? The best way is, of course, complete abstinence from cigarettes. Enforcing strict, no-smoking policies in the home may help to a certain degree, but toxins still remain on clothing. If you continue to smoke, the best thing to do is to smoke outside of your home (and not in your car), and, before coming in contact with infants or children, be sure to wash your hands and change your clothes. As inconvenient as this may sound, it is the best way to protect your loves ones from toxic chemicals, short of quitting smoking.
Read more about this interesting research study in the Journal of Pediatrics:
Beliefs About the Health Effects of "Third-hand" Smoke and Home Smoking Bans
Learn more about the health risks of secondhand smoke:
The Health Risks of Secondhand Smoke
How to Protect Yourself from Secondhand Smoke When Traveling
Learn some helpful quit smoking tips:
10 Tips to Help you Quit Smoking
Still not convinced to quit, read some personal quit smoking success stories from readers:
The Nicotine Patch: Lauren's Story
Need more support, visit About.com's Smoking Cessation Guide Site.
Join the forum discussion to learn how readers quit for good:
Share Your Personal Quit Smoking Success Stories
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Let’s face it smoking is a selfish habit that others should not have to deal with b/c of your lifestyle choices. It’s no worse when a mom chooses to not expose her children to third hand smoke than it is for a smoker to choose to not quit…it’s all about that person’s choices…why should the smoker get freedom of choice w/o persecution but an “over-protective” mother is deemed crazy and irrational?? So what if it’s what you call over-protective or fear mongering. In the wild, a momma bear would kill to protect her young…just be lucky we are civilized human beings and that most of us moms don’t bear arms. If a relative wants to be a part of a child’s life than they need to respect the parents’ wishes, but if they don’t than a parent shouldn’t compromise their own beliefs or child’s health to accommadate another’s bad habits…in the end it’s a person’s choice to continue smoking that will put a strain on a family…smoking is just a waste…a waste of money, a waste of oxygen, and is not a necessitiy to live…so don’t just care enough to see the baby whether you are exposing him/her to toxins but care enough to not expose him/her to toxins whether it may mean for you to quit or take extra precautuions if you choose to continue to smoke. Thank you.
I agree with you 100%. People who smoke, however, think that just because they don’t light up in front of the kids, they have nothing to worry about. This research proves them wrong. I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Thank you.
Being a smoker with breathing issues of my own I’ll be first to say that smoking is not healthy. But just how far are we going to go in the demonization of smokers? We live in a world full of “residues” that are not healthy ranging from automobile byproducts, numerous chemicals such as formaldehyde used in manufacturing, to insecticides and herbicides used practically erverywhere. I’m afraid I have to say the 3rd hand smoke hysteria is just another witch hunt.
Steve: this article was about infants and children who are at the mercy of us adults. They don’t have a voice but have to experience whatever they’re exposed to. If you smoke around infants and children, shame on you! Yes, there are bad “residues” found in many products on the market, but would you, for instance, take a piece of treated lumber (arsenic) and tell your small child to chew on it? I doubt it, so then why would you force your second hand smoke on a small child? Tell my 14 month old granddaughter (who was subject to constant 2nd hand smoke from her father from conception) with the rattle in her chest that it’s hysteria!