You Could Be Exposed To Third-Hand Smoke Even In Places That Haven’t Allowed Cigarettes In Decades
Tobacco residue can cling to surfaces and then move around the room. Research on the health effects of third-hand smoke suggests it could be harmful, but data remains scarce and mostly limited to studies involving mice.
Los Angeles Times:
This Room Was Off-Limits To Smokers, But Its Air Contained Surprising Amounts Of 'Thirdhand Smoke'
Pop quiz: If you sampled the air in an empty college classroom where smoking is not permitted, what is the last thing you'd expect to find?If you guessed "cigarette smoke," you're in good company. Peter DeCarlo, an air quality researcher at Drexel University in Philadelphia, would have agreed with you. But when he examined the air from the unoccupied room, he discovered that 29% of the tiny particles suspended within it could be traced to the residue of cigarette smoke. (Kaplan, 5/9)