A Healthy, Smoke-free Home

THE dangerous effects of smoking are well known. Inhaling nicotine and other toxic chemicals in cigarettes and vape devices can cause many illnesses, such as heart disease, lung cancer and stroke.

This includes first-hand smoke inhalation by a smoker or second-hand smoke inhaled by a non-smoker in the presence of a smoker.

But did you know there is such a thing as third-hand smoke? Third-hand smoke inhalation is not frequently talked about and is not as clearly understood.

“Third-hand smoke” or THS is a term used to describe the contamination that persists after second-hand smoke has been emitted into the air. It refers to the smoke and chemicals that have settled or been absorbed into various surfaces indoors long after a cigarette has been put out.

THS is not just the smell of cigarette smoke lingering in a room after smoking. It includes the hazardous chemicals that may adhere to carpets, walls, furnishings, clothing, hair and toys.

A person, a car or room can continue to smell of smoke after a cigarette has been extinguished.

But even after the smell has subsided, the tobacco residues on these surfaces may remain for years, and the concern by many clinicians is the effects they have on a person’s health.

However, THS is a relatively new concept and data on its effects are limited.