So, what about Third hand smoke? Third hand smoke? What the heck is that? Is the even possible? So, wait, I'm breathing the remnants of someone's second hand smoke? Like, you smoke, Bob breathes that and I breath Bob's exhalation? Is that what we're talking about?
Sort of... but not quite. Third hand smoke is residual smoke. Researchers have found that this residual tobacco smoke, now being called "thirdhand smoke," is a combination of cigarette smoke and things like indoor pollutants like ozone and nitrous acid. When mixed with the cigarette smoke it creates a new compound. Thirdhand smoke also mixes and settles within the dust, it'll find it's way down to the carpet, the furniture, start hanging out of the curtains. Worst of all it gets into deep into porous material, think paneling and drywall. It also lingers on the hair, skin, clothing, and fingernails of smokers. Consider it this way, you don't want to smoke in front of your Grandkids, so you have smoke outside. You also smoke in the car. But, as soon as you pick that kid up or put your grandson in your car, you're exposing him to thirdhand smoke. These compounds created by the blending of cigarette smoke and other inhalants and particles in the air are not easy to clean up, they have a very long life of their own, and many may be carcinogenic. This is probably the real reason they tear down casinos in Vegas.
One of these new compounds is a tobacco-specific nitrosamine known as NNA. It actually damages DNA and has the potential to cause cancer. "Thirdhand smoke is harmful to our genetic material," Bo Hang, a scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, said at a news conference this week at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, where the research was presented. "And the contamination becomes more toxic with time."
Who's at risk? Hotel workers, restaurant and bar employees, AND the customers! Consider the house keeping lady. Imagine what their job entails and how their getting blasted with this stuff every day. Think about the auto detail guy and what he must get exposed to. This third hand smoke isn't just about cancer. This is more akin to asthma and allergic reactions.
Most importantly, since this material has matter and therefor subject to the laws of physics, it will settle in carpet and who is lowest to the ground? That's right kids and babies. Kids and babies that are trying to develop.
What this third hand smoke reminds me of is smog. As a kid, the smog in Southern California was nasty. I remember my lungs being sore after a day of playing outside or soccer practice getting cancelled due to a smog alert.
How dangerous is it ultimately? Who knows? How dangerous is asbestos? That crap looked real good on paper for 100's of years but... well, you know. Is it real? Yes. Is it dangerous? Isn't smog?
A study examining 806 women who had babies with birth defects between 1997 and 2006, and 849 women who had healthy babies, found that smog in the San Joaquin Valley area of California was linked to two types of neural tube defects: spina bifida (a condition involving, among other manifestations, certain malformations of the spinal column), and anencephaly (the underdevelopment or absence of part or all of the brain, which if not fatal usually results in profound impairment).
So yes. Thirdhand smoke has a high propensity to mess you and your kids up. Is it avoidable? Is smog?
So, what's the bottom line? Be aware. Make sure you limit your exposure and make sure you're keeping a healthy body with a strong immune system to fight off and protect yourself from this crap. Lastly, if you smoke, time to stop. I consider myself a smoker who doesn't smoke and I also am committed to not get all high and mighty judgmental about people who struggle with quitting. It's hard. I know. I did it. I wrote my book to help others like me, kick the habit once and for all. Just look at the evidence. This isn't a victim-less crime anymore. Think about it and consider the people you're effecting by succumbing to your addiction.
