3rd hand smoke

it's not enough that we, non-smokers, suffer from second-hand smoke. now, there's 3rd hand smoke. i've read it a few months back from reader's digest. now it's on yahoo news.

~o~

When a cigarette burns, nicotine is released in the form of a vapor that collects and condenses on indoor surfaces such as walls, carpeting, drapes and furniture, where it can linger for months, said the study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

"Our study shows that when this residual nicotine reacts with ambient nitrous acid, it forms carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines, or TSNAs", said Hugo Destaillats, a corresponding author of the study.

"TSNAs are among the most broadly acting and potent carcinogens present in unburned tobacco and tobacco smooke", he said.

The most like human exposure to TSNAs is through either inhalation of dust of the contact of skin with carpet or clothes -- making third-hand smoke particularly dangerous to infants and toddlers.

Opening a window or turning on a fan to air out a room while a cigarette burns does not eliminate the hazard of third-hand smoke. Smoking outdoors doesn't help much either.

"Smoking outside is better than smoking indoors but nicotine residues will stick to a smoker's skin and clothing", said Lara Gunder, a co-author of the study.

"Those residues follow a smoker back inside and get spred everywhere. The biggest rish is to young children", he said.

"Dermal uptake of the nicotine through a child's skin is likely to occur when the smoker returns and if nitrous acid is in the air, which it usually is, then TSNAs will be formed."

Substantial levels of TSNAs were also found in the truch of a heavy smoker, the study s ays, adding that most-vehicle engines emit some nitrous acid that can infiltrate the passenger compartment of a vehicle.

Researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory led the study, which they say, is the first to quantify the reactions of third-hand smoke with nitrous acid.

-- sourced from Yahoo!Health

~o~

honestly, minsan i'd like to put aquim na inside a bubble ball. hay. jason and i don't smoke. but we live in an apartment and our next door neighbor smokes. that's why nga our house is always close nowadays. it triggers his asthma attacks. both his lolos smoke. not while aquim is around, but if this study is true, then it affects aquim din pala. kaya pala feeling ko nagsmoke pa rin ang ang mga smokers kahit tapos na sila mag smoke.

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