Say Goodbye to Third-hand Smoke

Do you remember the smell when a smoker gets in an elevator after enjoying a cigarette, or in a hotel room where people were smoking? Is what you smell bad for health? Scientists tell us “Yes”, for it is so toxic that even our nose is telling us to get away. 

    

This is the so-called “third-hand smoke”, invisible yet toxic brew of gases and particles clinging to smokers’ hair, skin, and cloth, or carpet, cushion, and furniture in a room, or seats in a car, or simply dust. Residue from tobacco smoke adsorbs to nearly all surfaces long after a cigarette has been quenched, and can persist there for days, weeks, or even months. Certain chemicals in the residue, for example the nicotine, can further react with ambient air pollutants to form potent carcinogens - chemicals that may lead to cancer, which makes the case even worse. 

Thus, staying in a room or car today where people smoked yesterday is not good for health. This is especially true for children and infants, as they can easily get the third-hand smoke on their hands and ingest it when they are crawling on the floor and tasting fingers, puppets, or cushions in an environment where people smoked. Simply avoiding smoking in front of children, say smoking in your house or car when children are out, can barely protect them from the harm. Smoking outside might be better, but residue smoke may still cling to your skin and cloth, and then get passed on to your children when you give them a big hug!

Sounds horrible, right? Then take some actions! 

1.     Don’t smoke inside your house or car. Simply closing the kitchen door, opening the window, or turning on the fans won’t protect your children from third-hand smoke!

2.     Replace nicotine-laden furnishings, carpets, and wallboard - this may reduce the exposures.

3.     If you do smoke outside, clean your face and hands and get changed before playing with kids. Don't give your kids a “smoky” hug!

4.     The easiest and hardest, and of course the ultimate way of getting rid of third-hand smoke is: QUIT SMOKING! Create a smoke-free environment for you and your beloved ones!

Dongni Ye is a first year Ph.D student in the Environmental Health Sciences program. She is crazy about looking for a way to travel without spending too much money.