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Everyone Knows about Secondhand Smoke--But Thirdhand Smoke?

Hotels allowing smoking have the lingering effects of tobacco smoke pollution, even in non-smoking areas, says a study published Tuesday.

 

Firsthand smoke is the direct inhalation of smoke from burning tobacco encased in cigarettes, pipes and cigars. 

The environmental tobacco smoke that is inhaled involuntarily or passively by someone who is not smoking is secondhand smoke.

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Did you know there is a thirdhand?

It's the gases and small particles in cigarette smoke that are deposited on every surface with which they come in contact — the Mayo Clinic says thirdhand smoke is a relatively new concept, and researchers are still studying its possible dangers.

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CBS News reports such a study has shown that hotels with a history of smoking still have the lingering effects of tobacco smoke pollution, even in non-smoking areas. 

The study, published Monday, May 13, in the journal Tobacco Control, showed that if a hotel had allowed smoking at one point in its rooms, there was still evidence of tobacco pollution, even if the room were currently non-smoking. Also, partial smoking bans at places where some rooms were designated as non-smoking did not protect the patrons from thirdhand smoke.

Forty budget to mid-range priced hotels in San Diego were randomly selected for the study. Ten of those establishments had completely banned smoking, while 30 had designated non-smoking and smoking rooms. Researchers analyzed surfaces and air quality and tested non-smokers who stayed at the hotels for nicotine exposure. Click here to read more. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, thirdhand smoke contains cancer-causing substances and poses a potential health hazard to nonsmokers who are exposed, particularly children. Additionally, thirdhand smoke residue builds up on surfaces over time and resists normal cleaning — it can't be eliminated by airing out rooms, opening windows, using fans or air conditioners or confining smoking to only certain areas of a home. The only way to protect yourself is to create a totally smoke-free environment.

According to the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation, Athens is one of nine areas in Georgia to ban smoking in all restaurants and bars. The state's Smokefree Air Act, which went into effect in 2005, bans smoking statewide in all enclosed workplaces in Georgia, except as otherwise designated. 


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