A New Cigarette Hazard: ‘Third-Hand Smoke’

By RONI CARYN RABIN

Third-hand smoke is the invisible yet toxic brew of gases and particles clinging to smokers’ hair and clothing, and cushions and carpeting, that lingers long after second-hand smoke  has cleared from a room. The residue includes heavy metals, carcinogens and even radioactive materials.  Among the substances in third-hand smoke are hydrogen cyanide, used in chemical weapons; butane, which is used in lighter fluid; toluene, found in paint thinners; arsenic; lead; carbon monoxide; and even polonium-210, the highly radioactive carcinogen that was used to murder former Russian spy Alexander V. Litvinenko in 2006. Eleven of the compounds are highly carcinogenic. They impose risks to infants and children. The original article >>