Medicosnext
Currently, tobacco products are estimated to be responsible for 3 million deaths annually worldwide, or about 6% of all deaths. But, by the 2020s or early 2030s, it is expected to cause 10.9% of all deaths in developing countries and 17.7% of those in developed countries, more than any single disease .The statistics of tobacco-related mortality worldwide are devastating. Tobacco is a known or probable cause of about 25 diseases; hence its impact on global disease is tremendous .Children of smoking mothers having an increased risk of premature birth, low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome, and respiratory diseases during infancy.
Smoking also causes long-term risk of maternal health problems, such as heart disease, cancer, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and higher mortality rate. Because women are more likely to quit smoking during pregnancy than at any other time, there have been attempts to increase motivation and help them to stop smoking at the procreative phase of their life. And so, we now move on to the non-pregnant parent and other family members and their love for smoking.
The fact that tobacco, in any form, is bad is kind of known now, and thanks to the various anti-tobacco advertisements right before, or in the middle of our favorite actor smoking onscreen, and the horrendous pictorial warnings we have on those tobacco packages, it would be fair to say that 50-60% of us are aware of the harmful consequences tobacco can cause. And, we have been made aware that if one smokes around a non-smoker, the non-smoker is at 25 to 30% greater risk of heart disease (American Heart Association), which has been coined as second-hand smoking. There is no risk-free level of exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS). All of us are at risk if someone is smoking near us. These facts have been advertised and discussed frequently. Another effect from smoking, however, saw the light a while later that the former ones, termed as third-hand smoking (THS). The term “third-hand smoke” was first coined in 2006 by researchers with the Clinical Effort Against Secondhand Smoke Exposure (CEASE) program at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA.
“Do not smoke and do not allow yourself to be exposed to smoke, because second-hand smoke and third-hand smoke are just as deadly as first-hand smoke,” says a scientist at the University of California, Riverside, who along with colleagues, conducted the first animal study of the effects of third-hand smoke. While first-hand smoke refers to the smoke inhaled by a smoker and second-hand smoke to the exhaled smoke and other substances emanating from the burning cigarette that can get inhaled by others, third-hand smoke is the second-hand smoke that gets left on the surfaces of objects, ages over time, and becomes progressively more toxic.
Third-hand smoke is a potential health threat to children, spouses of smokers, and workers in environments where smoking is, or has been, allowed. Contamination of the homes of smokers by third-hand smoke is high, both on surfaces and in dust, including children’s bedrooms. Re-emission of nicotine from contaminated indoor surfaces in these households can lead to nicotine exposure levels similar to that of smoking. Third-hand smoke, which contains strong carcinogens, has been found to persist in houses, apartments, and hotel rooms after smokers move out.
Smoking in your balcony/terrace or in your car, in different rooms using fans, or smoking in front of an open window does not prevent third-hand smoke. It may not be enough to protect the lungs and life of a pregnant woman’s unborn child, according to a new study in the American Journal of Physiology.
It has been concluded from various studies that pregnant women should avoid homes and other places where third-hand smoke is likely to be found to protect their unborn children against the potential damage these toxins can cause to the developing infants’ lungs. Third-hand smoke can have as serious, or an even more negative, impact on an infants’ lung development as postnatal or childhood exposure to smoke. Nicotine can affect lung development and any disruption of lung development can lead to asthma and other respiratory ailments that can last a lifetime to the baby. Since THS comprises of smaller, ultrafine particles with a greater molecular weight, that pose a greater asthma hazard than first-hand or second-hand smoke.
A researcher from one study into third-hand smoke noted in interview that, “as soap is alkaline it will not remove nicotine residue, and removing third-hand smoke in the form of nicotine residue from carpets which have had long-term exposure, would be nearly impossible.
Children in environments where smoking is, or has been allowed, are at significant risk for suffering from multiple short-term and longer health problems, many of which may not manifest fully until later in life. Infants inhale double the quantity of household dust, compared to adults, and so inhale more dust containing second-hand smoke particulates (perhaps 40 more times more per body weight than adults). The exposure pathways for THS include not only inhalation (like in first- and second-hand smoking) but also dermal uptake from contact with contaminated surfaces (potentially including the clothing of smokers) and ingestion of THS that is on the hands or perhaps food. For toddlers, mouthing of objects in their environment is another route of potential oral exposure to THS. The time scale for the presence of THS indoors will generally be much longer than that for SHS, and could stretch to months. Some researchers also found that the mother’s exposure to third-hand smoke during pregnancy may be a risk factor for postpartum depression.
Some facts about THS
• THS can remain on indoor walls, fabrics, and other typical household items, such as curtains, carpets, sofa upholstery, beds, and chairs for more than 1.5 years.
• While smokers may protect family members against second-hand smoke (SHS) at home by smoking outside, their exhaled breaths, skin, hair, and clothing may transfer smoke residues back into the home, exposing the family to THS.
• Young children aged one to six are at an especially increased risk for cancer because of their frequent contact with surfaces contaminated with third-hand smoke.
• The nicotine exposure levels and tobacco-specific nitrosamines can be much higher from THS than from SHS in both children and adults.
• THS exposure in fetus and infants might affect lung development and contribute to lung diseases, cardiovascular disease, poor wound healing, and hyperactivity, as reported by animal studies.
• Infants exposed to third-hand smoke are more likely to die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and those exposed are at an increased risk for asthma.
So, the parent goes out for a walk, and also some personal time, to enjoy his/her cigarette, so that the child doesn’t witness the act of smoking, in case he may pick it up later on in life. Also, one would not want the child exposed to the smoke. Another time at a party, a loving father and hubby mentions that he “will be right back” and rushes out into the parking lot to enjoy a smoke and catch up on some boys’ time, rinsing his mouth, and washing his hands on the way back in case the remaining smell irritates the child or his pregnant wife. But, that will not work anymore. The only way to protect non-smoking family and household members from third-hand smoke is for all household smokers to quit smoking. Smoking, even when not in the presence of non-smokers, can expose them to toxic contaminates that settle on the surfaces of the home, the car, as well as the skin, hair, and clothing of family members who smoke. If you’re a smoker and need help quitting for the sake of you and your loved ones’ health, see your doctor for advice.
