Third-Hand Smoke, One More Danger

Published on January 19, 2009 9:09 AM

Anti-smoking scientists found that third-hand smoke is dangerous as second-hand smoking is. Third-hand smoke it is a newly discovered danger that doctors are now warning of. Third hand smoke is the toxic chemicals left on clothing and in the smokers’ hair that lingers long after they online cigarettes.

These toxic remnants are left behind in the form of invisible gases and particles that continue to cling to the hair and clothing of smokers, as well as to seat cushions and carpeting.

Parents who smoke cannot save their children from their environment of the dangers by simply opening a window or door. Third-hand smoke is considering one of the many toxic materials which are a silent and invisible hazard for unsuspecting young children. Third-hand smoke contains 250 poisonous gases, chemicals, and metals, according to the National Toxicology Program.

Researchers investigated 1,510 households across the United States for to find whether breathing cigarette smoke is harmful to children’s health and whether breathing air in a room today where people smoked yesterday could harm children’s health too. Results revealed that 95.4 percent of nonsmokers and 84.1 percent of smokers agree that second-hand smoke is harmful to children. However, only 65.2 percent of nonsmokers and 43.3 percent of smokers agreed that third-hand smoke was harmful to children. It was also determined that stringent rules against smoking in the home were extensively more prevalent among nonsmokers at 88.4 percent, compared with smokers at 26.7 percent.

Researchers decided to make this investigation for to show that not only second-hand smoke is harmful for people’ health but also third-hand smoke can harm people especially children. So even if parents don't smoke around their children, it's still dangerous to kids.