What is Third-Hand Smoke? Should a Smoking Parent Be Concerned?

In 1964, the United States Surgeon General warned about the link between smoking, lung cancer, and heart disease. Parents smoked around their children, figuring the only person harmed by the smoke was the smoker himself. In 1986, the Surgeon General's Report on Involuntary Smoking, or secondhand smoke, was released. Parents began to confine their smoking to times when they were not in the same room as the baby. I was one of those parents. Before attending to my daughter's needs, I would finish and extinguish my cigarette. I never smoked and breastfed at the same time, thinking I was protecting our baby from the worst of the smoke.

A report released in January by researchers at MassGeneral Hospital for Children in the magazine Pediatrics and summarized in Science Daily suggests a need for increased public awareness over third-hand smoke and its effects on young children. Third-hand smoke has been a concern since the first research into the subject done at San Diego State University in 2004.

What Is Third-Hand Smoke?

Third-hand smoke is the particulates and gases which settle on any surface where a person is smoking. These gases and particulates include nicotine, cotinine (a byproduct of nicotine), arsenic, cadmium, lead, and ammonia, besides 244 other toxic substances. The surfaces a smoker's exhalations may settle upon include the smoker's skin, clothing, upholstery of vehicles and furniture, and any surface in the smoking environment including carpet, curtains, and wallpaper. Particulates and gases may travel beyond the room in which the person confines his smoking through the ventilation system and air currents of the building.

When I was trying to quit smoking, my husband could immediately tell from the smell on my clothes when I had sneaked a smoke, even if I stood outside on a windy day to do it. Our clothing, bedding, and the mobile home itself retained the smell for months after I finally quit. Our daughter was three years old at the time. Our home had six years' worth of cigarette gases and particulates absorbed into its paneling, carpet, and furnishings.

Should Parents Be Concerned?