Third-hand Smoke Can Damage Your Major Organs – Study

You might have heard the very popular saying that smoking is dangerous for your health, well, it isn't just the one who smokes whose health is at stake, but it also affects the people around.

Scientists have concluded that exposure to third-hand smoking (THS) can harm the liver and brain tissues in the long run.

Well if you are wondering what is third-hand smoking then check here. Third-hand smoking is when the exhaled smoke emanating from the tip of burning cigarettes gets on surfaces such as clothing, hair, homes and cars.

This in turn adversely affects one's health. The study was conducted by the researchers on a mice. Hyperactivity, liver and lung damage, type 2 diabetes and wound-healing complications were observed during the study.

Contaminants can be absorbed through the skin and through breathing, said lead researcher Manuela Martins-Green, Professor at University of California.

Researchers examined the brains of THS-exposed mice and found that stress hormones, such as epinephrine, increased in one month of exposure.

Additional stress hormones were seen at two months, four months, and six months, eventually causing immune fatigue in the mice.

The third-hand smoke toxins, which are invisible but can be smelled, remain on surfaces for many years, and are resistant to even strong cleaning agents. Further, they accumulate and age by reacting with the ambient air, and change into carcinogenic chemicals.

The findings was recently published in the journal Clinical Science.