Jan 5, 2009 6:51 pm US/Eastern
Study: Third-Hand Smoke Dangers For Babies & Kids
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
We're all aware of the dangers of second hand smoke, but a new study is raising new fears about something called third-hand smoke.
Third-hand smoke is a relatively new term that doctors from Massachusetts General Hospital for Children in Boston have started using. According to the doctors, even if you choose to smoke outside your home, or only smoke when your children are not there, you are still exposing them to toxins long after the cigarette has been put out.
Even if smokers don't smoke around the children, the debris left behind is breathed in by children or absorbed through their skin after touching it, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics. The toxins remain on furniture, rugs, your clothing and hair. That's where children are at risk for third hand smoke.
"The smoke that was in the room, even if it's no longer visible, has precipitated," says Dr. Allan Feingold, the Medical Director of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at South Miami Hospital. "It has left residuals on the surfaces and on the person and clothing and hair of the people who were smoking and that infants and children are particularly susceptible to the bad effects of that kind of smoke, including ultimately with the cancer and other diseases."
Feingold says smoke residuals can contain 250 cancerous chemicals, metals and gases. Contact with these things can not only cause cancer, he says they can also cause sudden infant death syndrome.
These are shocking findings for many parents who work hard to keep their children away from other chemicals that could now be lurking behind in a hotel room or rental car.
"Well, I want to say I'm shocked. But at the same time, I think I've been suspicious of it in the past and especially since having kids. I feel like I'm hyper sensitive to the possibilities of dangers out there to them," said mother of two Julie Ruzycki. "I guess I'm curious also: how long does it last? Does it last only if it smells bad or is it something that goes away when the smell is gone?"
The answer is hard to come by, says Dr. Feingold. "It may never be safe because the residual material may remain on surfaces for years."
One thousand-five hundred households took part in the study. The vast majority of both smokers and nonsmokers were aware that second-hand smoke is harmful to children. However, far fewer were aware of the risks of third-hand smoke.
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