The Dangers of Third Hand Smoke: Hazards of Third Hand Smoke
What is third hand smoke? First off, I am a self-confessed heavy smoker. I have also known of the hazards or dangers of smoking but I find it very difficult to stop smoking abruptly. First hand smoke and second hand smoke are common to most of us. If you are interested in the types of smokers (by cigarette consumption), please click on the link to the article to learn more about this topic.
Now let’s get to what third hand smoke is all about. Recent research on smoking found out another hazard of cigarette smoke which researchers call “third hand smoke”. If you are curious what third hand smoking is all about, read on:
Parents who smoke often open a window or turn on a fan to clear the air for their children, but experts now have identified a related threat to children’s health that isn’t as easy to get rid of: third-hand smoke.
That’s the term being used to describe the invisible yet toxic brew of gases and particles clinging to smokers’ hair and clothing, not to mention cushions and carpeting, that lingers long after second-hand smoke has cleared from a room. The residue includes heavy metals, carcinogens and even radioactive materials that young children can get on their hands and ingest, especially if they’re crawling or playing on the floor.
Doctors from MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston coined the term “third-hand smoke” to describe these chemicals in a new study that focused on the risks they pose to infants and children. The study was published in this month’s issue of the journal Pediatrics.
“Everyone knows that second-hand smoke is bad, but they don’t know about this,” said Dr. Jonathan P. Winickoff, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.
“When their kids are out of the house, they might smoke. Or they smoke in the car. Or they strap the kid in the car seat in the back and crack the window and smoke, and they think it’s okay because the second-hand smoke isn’t getting to their kids,” Dr. Winickoff continued. “We needed a term to describe these tobacco toxins that aren’t visible.”
Third-hand smoke is what one smells when a smoker gets in an elevator after going outside for a cigarette, he said, or in a hotel room where people were smoking. “Your nose isn’t lying,” he said. “The stuff is so toxic that your brain is telling you: ’Get away.’”
Now that’s a serious stuff. Third hand smoke is really a much worse type of cigarette smoke. Third hand smoke cannot be eliminated easily. The hazards posed by third hand smoke are more severe and its effects are long-term.
If you want to get updates on Nursing Researches, Nursing Board Exam Results, Nursing Articles, Nursing Education, Health and Health tips, and other informative articles in this site, please subscribe to my Free RSS feed. Thank you very much!
Tags: cigarette smoking, Dangers of Third Hand Smoke, Health and Wellness, How to quit smoking, Third Hand Smoke
This is dangerous! I suspected I got intoxicated by smoke when 3-4 years ago a neighbor below our apartment was smoking like crazy. I used to close the door in our “balkong” even in the summer cos I started coughing already. I was glad when they moved out. This is one problem when living in an apartment, we would never know who our neighbors would be.
Marlene’s last blog post..A Joyous Epiphany To All!
[Reply]
jessie Reply:
January 6th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
Yes, I admit third hand smoke is really dangerous, fren. I haven’t realized this until now. My wife even told me that if she ever gets pregnant, I have to completely stop smoking.
jessie’s last blog post..HP G60 230US Review Plus Full Specifications and Features
[Reply]