'Thirdhand smoke' may be bigger health hazard than previously believed
Scientists are reporting that so-called "thirdhand smoke" — the invisible remains of cigarette smoke that deposits on carpeting, clothing, furniture and other surfaces — may be even more of a health hazard than previously believed. The study, published in ACS' journal, Environmental Science & Technology, extends the known health risks of tobacco among people who do not smoke but encounter the smoke exhaled by smokers or released by smoldering cigarette butts.
Yael Dubowski and colleagues note that thirdhand smoke is a newly recognized contributor to the health risks of tobacco and indoor air pollution. Studies show that that nicotine in thirdhand smoke can react with the ozone in indoor air and surfaces like clothing and furniture, to form other pollutants. Exposure to them can occur to babies crawling on the carpet, people napping on the sofa, or people eating food tainted by thirdhand smoke.
In an effort to learn more about thirdhand smoke, the scientists studied interactions between nicotine and indoor air on a variety of different materials, including cellulose (a component of wood furniture), cotton, and paper to simulate typical indoor surfaces. They found that nicotine interacts with ozone, in indoor air, to form potentially toxic pollutants on these surfaces. "Given the toxicity of some of the identified products and that small particles may contribute to adverse health effects, the present study indicates that exposure to [thirdhand smoke] may pose additional health risks," the article notes.
More information: "Thirdhand Smoke: Heterogeneous Oxidation of Nicotine and Secondary Aerosol Formation in the Indoor Environment", Environmental Science & Technology.
Provided by
American Chemical Society
-
From lemons to lemonade: Reaction uses carbon dioxide to make carbon-based semiconductor,
29 comments
-
Thioridazine kills cancer stem cells in human while avoiding toxic side-effects of conventional cancer treatments,
3 comments
-
SpaceX private rocket blasts off for space station (Update),
42 comments
-
Climate scientists say they have solved riddle of rising sea,
30 comments
-
Scotland passes turbine test to harness tidal power,
41 comments
-
Classical and Quantum Mechanics via Lie algebras
Apr 15, 2011
- More from Physics Forums - Independent Research
More news stories
Keep food safety in mind this memorial day weekend
(HealthDay) -- Picnics, parades and cookouts are as much a part of Memorial Day weekend as tributes to the United States' war veterans.
23 minutes ago |
not rated yet |
0
Family history of Alzheimer's affects functional connectivity
(HealthDay) -- Cognitively normal individuals with a family history of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) may display lower resting state functional connectivity in the default mode network (DMN) of the brain, ...
Medicine & Health / Alzheimer's disease & dementia
9 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Transvaginal mesh op restores pelvic organ prolapse at price
(HealthDay) -- Transvaginal mesh (TVM) procedures are effective for anatomical restoration of pelvic organ prolapse (POP), but patients report a worsening of sexual function following surgery, according to ...
9 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Travel to high altitudes tied to Crohn's, colitis flare-ups
(HealthDay) -- People with inflammatory bowel disease, which includes Crohn's disease and colitis, may be at increased risk for flare-ups when they fly or travel to high altitudes for skiing or mountain climbing, ...
Medicine & Health / Inflammatory disorders
10 hours ago |
not rated yet |
1
|
Of mice and mental models: Neuroscientific implications of risk-optimized behavior in the mouse
(Medical Xpress) -- Regardless of an organism’s biological complexity, every encephalized animal continuously makes under-informed behavioral choices that can have serious consequences. Despite its ubiquity, ...
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
May 25, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
|
Dell tablet leak: 10.1-inch display, two-battery choice
(Phys.org) -- Headline after headline talks about vendors’ tablets in the wings as likely number-one contenders for the iPad. Such claims have justifiably been taken with a grain of salt, considering ...
Scientist: Evolution debate will soon be history
(AP) -- Richard Leakey predicts skepticism over evolution will soon be history. Not that the avowed atheist has any doubts himself.
SpaceX capsule has 'new car' smell, astronauts say (Update)
SpaceX's Dragon cargo vessel smells like a new car, said astronauts at the International Space Station after opening the hatches Saturday following the spacecraft's landmark mission to the orbiting lab.
SpotterRF debuts Radar Backpack Kit (w/ Video)
(Phys.org) -- SpotterRF has announced a special radar backpack kit designed to enhance situational awareness for soldiers on the ground. The company says its special radar is designed for warfighters as part ...
Australia hails surprise super-telescope decision
Australia has hailed a surprise decision giving it a role in a radio telescope project aimed at revolutionising astronomy, vowing to draw on its decades of experience in space science.
Thousands of shellfish found dead in Peru
Thousands of crustaceans were found dead off the coast of Lima following the mystery mass death of dolphins and pelicans, the Peruvian Navy said Friday.
Jan 12, 2011
Rank: 4.6 / 5 (5)
Jan 12, 2011
Rank: 3.4 / 5 (5)
Jan 12, 2011
Rank: 4.6 / 5 (5)
Gee, live by a street? (you know, with asphalt)
Maybe have a concrete driveway, or sidewalk?
Driving a car or bike with vulcanized rubber tires?
Got brakepads on that ride? Prolly oil and trans fluid making it run?
I dunno, got paint on your walls?
Synthetic fiber carpeting?
Cook meat in your house?
Not trying to be pro-tobacco here, but FFS, a little realism would be nice...
Jan 13, 2011
Rank: 4 / 5 (4)
Imagine never getting your laundry perfectly white again, or socks that constantly fall down, or never getting your pasta al dente again. All because the the noxious fumes of our ancestors are destroying the world of consumers everywhere!
Brought to you by Television Consumers For A Tobacco-free World.
Jan 13, 2011
Rank: 1 / 5 (2)
Jan 13, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
The brown death you are fleeing from in your horribly contaminated apartment reminds me of scenes from the "Blob," where the hero is fleeing away but the horrid mass of death presses in from under the doors and through the gaps in the building.
Generally, we live in a polluted and impure environment and are exposed to toxins every day. It's when we start noticing them like Howard Hughes that things start to get funny.
Not to mention the millions of little bugs and mites burrowing into your body at this very moment, living and excreting all over you! What to do about those teeming armies of parasites that cover us from head to toe?
We have nothing to fear but awareness itself. Flee, panic! Abandon all hope! We are doomed!
Or just relax and accept your fate, mortal.
Jan 13, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (2)
Though, this report neither says what health risks there are (bad smell in nose or lung cancer?), how significant the risks are (are the 3rd hand smoke risks to an infant on the carpet more than the risks posed by the out-gassing that a synthetic carpet does during its life?).
I don't think the above posters ARE clueless. I do think they're questioning the validity of the information given in this article due to a significant lack of quantifiable information.