Children and Third Hand Smoking

We all know that smoking cigarettes is very dangerous for our health. Well, a recently published report now points to the health dangers of third hand smoke, especially to young children.

Small children are very affected if they live near a person that smokes al the time. In the future they could have breathing problems. Adults have to take care of them al the time.

This new information on third hand smoke was published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. According to Hugo Destaillants, one of the co-authors of the study, “When residual nicotine reacts with ambient acid it forms carcinogenic tobacco specific nitrosamines or TSNAs. TSNAs are among the most broadly acting and potent carcinogens present in unburned tobacco and tobacco smoke.”

Nicotine is released as a vapor which collects and condenses on walls, carpets, drapes and furniture. That vapor can linger for months (as any non smoker can attest). Contact with TSNAs through inhaling dust or contact on skin through carpet or clothes can be very dangerous to young children, who play and crawl on the floor.

Scientists have been aware for years that smoke kind of sticks to surfaces that reacts with other chemicals. This means that opening a window or using a fan when smoking does not eliminate the danger as the residue clings to and follows the smoker inside.

The best way to assure that young children (and the rest of us!) are not harmed by third hand smoke is to keep their environment entirely smoke free.