New Smoking Threat

You’ve heard about the dangers of smoking and the problems posed by second-hand smoke. If that wasn’t enough, experts are now warning about third-hand exposure.

What does that mean, you might ask. Smoking involves deliberately drawing tobacco smoke into the lungs, but second-handsmoking is inadvertently breathing in the smoke while not directly smoking. Third-hand smoke goes another step – it includes all the residue from tobacco smoke that lingers in homes and other places.

There are hundreds of constituents in tobacco smoke, including known carcinogens, heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, and cadmium, as well as chemicals like toluene and hydrogen cyanide. It is a pretty potent cocktail of nasty compounds. The risks to smokers are well-known, while 50,000 deaths in the US annually are linked to second-hand smoke. Third-hand smoke has been described recently and is yet another risk factor.

There’s nothing new about the fact that particles from smoke remain long after the smoke has dissipated. However, many people are not aware of the implications. A recent study in Pediatrics looked at parental attitudes toward forms of exposure. Overall, surveyed parents in the US were quite aware of second-hand risks but less informed about third-hand residues.

People often choose to smoke away from children – perhaps outside, in another room, or with the window open. However, these measures do not prevent toxic particles from sticking to hair, skin, clothing, furniture, carpets, and other surfaces. Contact with other people – hugging a grandchild, feeding a baby, cuddling with a girlfriend – shares the toxins with them. Even just entering the “smoking room” constitutes exposure, with no clear measures of how long the third-hand risks remain.

The present study was primarily concerned with risks for small children as they are likely to crawl around, encountering dust and other sources. Infants may breathe in twice as much dust compared to adults. Additionally, most objects are touched, tasted, or gummed by babies and toddlers, providing another route for exposure. Smaller size and more rapid breathing makes young children particularly sensitive.

For parents and grandparents who smoke, there are ways to reduce children’s exposure. Never smoke near children. Wear a designated jacket when smoking outside. Wash your hands afterwards. Keep all cigarettes and ashtrays away from children. Even better, try to cut down – or even stop – smoking.