Father's Day and Third-Hand Smoke..

June 22, 2009 - Fathers and mothers want the very best for their children. By now most smokers realize the dangers of smoking (second-hand smoke, passive smoking, involuntary smoikng, ETS, environmental tobacco smoke) in their children's presence.

But it's not enough to NOT smoke in the child's presence. Researchers at MassGeneral Hospital for Children and colleagues across the country have described how tobacco smoke contamination lingers even after a cigarette is extinguished – a phenomenon they define as "third-hand" smoke. The study published in the January 2009 issue of Pediatrics found a large number of people, particularly smokers, have no idea that third-hand smoke—the cocktail of toxins that linger in carpets, sofas, clothes, hair and other materials hours or even days after a cigarette is put out—is a health hazard for infants and children. Dr. Winickoff, the lead study author stated, "When you smoke -- anyplace -- toxic particulate matter from tobacco smoke gets into your hair and clothing. When you come into contact with your child, even if you're not smoking at the time, the child comes in contact with those toxins.

There's no doubt that President Obama's a wonderful father but he still has not completely eliminated tobacco smoking from his life. Michelle and Barack Obama's oldest daughter Malia suffers from asthma and exposure to toxins in third-hand smoke can make her condition worse.

To be sure you're doing the right thing for yourself and your love ones it's best to eliminate tobacco from your life.

Related news brief: Children are especially vulnerable to third-hand smoke..

Reference: What is third-hand smoke? Is it hazardous? Researchers warn cigarette dangers may be even more far-reaching by Coco Ballantyne, Scientific American, 1/6/2009.

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