Third-Hand Smoke
Extensive research has proven that exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke is detrimental to one’s health. However, now researchers are warning that being exposed to third-hand smoke also poses danger to our health! Second-hand smoke is defined as tobacco smoke emitted from a lit cigarette, cigar, pipe, or hookah. On the other hand, “third hand-smoke is the stuff that remains, after visible or second-hand smoke has dissipated from the air” (Scientific American, 2009). The worry about exposure to third-hand smoke has existed for a while however; it has only been recognized and given a name in recent times.
Tarzana Treatment Centers is dedicated to projects that assist alcohol and drug treatment providers and primary clinics with tobacco education and smoking cessation programs. For more information, please call 888-777-8565 or contact us here.
Below is a portion of an article explaining third-hand smoke from Scientific American Online. The full article explains the dangers posed by third-hand smoke to adults and children.
— Begin external content —
How exactly do you distinguish between second- and third- hand smoke?
Third-hand smoke refers to the tobacco toxins that build up over time—one cigarette will coat the surface of a certain room [a second cigarette will add another coat, and so on]. The third-hand smoke is the stuff that remains [after visible or “second-hand smoke” has dissipated from the air]…. You can’t really quantify it, because it depends on the space…. In a tiny space like a car the deposition is really heavy…. Smokers [may] smoke in another room or turn on a fan. They don’t see the smoke going into a child’s nose; they think that if they cannot see it, it’s not affecting [their children].
— Source: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-is-third-hand-smoke –
Another article about third-hand smoke from the New York Times can be found at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/03/health/research/03smoke.html?_r=1
Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles makes a daily effort to find treatment news articles that we can share with our readers in the alcohol and drug treatment community. The external content was found among other articles of equal informational and educational quality.