I never thought that there is "third-hand smoke" after second-hand smoke? !

"Smoking is harmful to health" has become a consensus, and many people also know the concept of "second-hand smoke" and its harm to the body, but few know much about "third-hand smoke". When you enter an elevator without anyone, you can smell cigarettes. When you stay in a hotel, you can smell cigarettes even if no one is smoking. When you come back from a meal with friends, you can smell cigarettes on your clothes and hair. These are all "third-hand smoke". In fact, "third-hand smoke" is everywhere!

0 1What is “third-hand smoke”?

"Third-hand smoke" refers to tobacco residues that remain on surfaces such as clothing, walls, carpets, curtains, leather, furniture, and even hair and skin after smokers "puff out smoke" . It is currently the most widespread indoor air pollution.

These residues contain nicotine, carcinogens, heavy metals, radioactive substances and other harmful substances, which can exist in the air for days, weeks or even months. The nicotine in the residues reacts with nitrous acid in the air to form nitrosamines, a powerful carcinogen.

0 2What are the hazards of “third-hand smoke”?

Carcinogenic. The toxic ingredients contained in third-hand smoke mainly include hydrocyanic acid, butane, toluene, arsenic, lead, carbon monoxide, and more than a dozen other highly carcinogenic compounds. It is a potential and persistent carcinogen.

The harm to children is even greater. Children crawl around and play all day long, and often come into contact with contaminated surfaces. Since infants and children weigh less than adults and have weaker immune systems, the most direct consequence of inhaling these harmful substances is respiratory problems in infants and children, such as acute bronchitis and asthma. In addition, tobacco residues in the environment can also cause considerable harm to children's nervous system, respiratory system, circulatory system, etc.

Women are also more vulnerable to the threat of third-hand smoke. Due to the characteristics of female gene expression and hormone levels, women are more vulnerable to the threat of third-hand smoke than men, and the incidence of lung cancer is significantly higher than that of men.

The reason why "third-hand smoke" is so harmful is that it is easily ignored. When we see someone smoking, we can avoid it, but we are often unaware of the harm caused by third-hand smoke. It is easily ignored because it is absorbed through breathing and skin.

Second, the harm lasts for a long time. Harmful components in secondhand smoke are adsorbed on the surface of objects, forming "thirdhand smoke", which can last for several months and is very difficult to completely remove.

Third, it is particularly harmful to children, because children, especially infants, are prone to crawling on the ground or touching various contaminated objects and putting things in their mouths.

0 3How to avoid the harm of “third-hand smoke”?

Don't smoke at home or in your car. Don't smoke in a room or home where you live for a long time, don't smoke around children, and don't smoke in your car. Opening the windows is not enough to freshen the air, and actually blows smoke back into the faces of backseat passengers.

Take a shower and change clothes immediately after smoking. After smoking outdoors, take a shower and change clothes immediately after returning home to wash off the third-hand smoke remaining on your skin, hair, and clothes. Avoid close contact with family members and children before washing.

When going out, try to choose non-smoking places. Try to choose restaurants, shopping malls or other indoor leisure places with "No Smoking" signs on the wall to reduce the probability of exposure to third-hand smoke.

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Reference sources: China Disease Control News, CCTV Life Circle, Internet Joint Rumor Refutation Platform