News
Study reports "third-hand smoke" is a health hazard
New York Times
Parents who smoke often open a window or turn on a fan to clear the air for their children, but experts now have identified a health threat related to smoking that isn’t as easy to get rid of: third-hand smoke.
That’s the term being used to describe the invisible yet toxic brew of gases and particles clinging to smokers’ hair and clothing, not to mention cushions and carpeting, that lingers long after second-hand smoke has cleared from a room. The residue includes heavy metals, carcinogens and even radioactive materials that
are hazardous to anyone of any age, doctors said.
Doctors from MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston coined the term “third-hand smoke” to describe these chemicals in a new study that focused on the risks they pose to infants and children. The study was published in the medical journal Pediatrics.
