Third-hand smoke damages human cells

[kwillia]

One important characteristic of thirdhand smoke is that its residue can interact with compounds in the air, such as ozone, and produce new toxins, the researchers said.


Third hand smoke? What the...

Thirdhand smoke is the smell that remains on the clothes and hair of someone who has just smoked, or the odor left in hotel rooms where smokers stayed. The chemicals are derivatives of nicotine, and remain in indoor environments, absorbed in the fabric of curtains and carpeting, and on the surface of other objects.

However, the extent to which the chemicals could be hazardous to people is still unknown.

"The purpose of the study was to find how toxic and hazardous some compounds in thirdhand smoke are, and by what mechanisms they can cause harm," Gundel said.

In the study, the researchers put paper strips in smoking chambers. Some of the samples were left for only 20 minutes, after which the researchers measured the residue; the researchers called this "acute exposure." Other strips were left for nearly 200 days in a smoking chamber that was ventilated, to create a "chronic exposure" condition.

The researchers then extracted the chemicals from the paper strips, and exposed cells to the chemicals.

The results showed that the chronic samples had a higher concentration of thirdhand smoke residue than the acute samples. The chronic samples also caused higher levels of DNA damage.

"The cumulative effect of thirdhand smoke is quite significant," Gundel said. "The findings suggest the materials could be getting more toxic with time."

Thirdhand Smoke Damages Human Cells

 

[warneckutz]

Ugh...

 

[Midnightrider]

this really shouldn't surprise anyone. thats how smell works. if you can smell it, there are some molecules of it floating into your nose. Thats one of the reasons i hate public bathrooms so much......

If they collected a bunch of smoke residue and exposed cells to it, it would make sense that there would be an effect. I dont know if you can make the jump to "third hand smoke is bad for people", but the idea that a stinky smoked in room contains smoke residue is pretty sound.

 

[vraiblonde]

Wouldn't the human race be extinct by now if nicotine killed everything it touched?

 

[Midnightrider]

Wouldn't the human race be extinct by now if nicotine killed everything it touched?

you might want to take some remedial science classes.

 

[vraiblonde]

you might want to take some remedial science classes.

That was so insightful and intelligent. Thank you for engaging in such stimulating and educational discourse.

 

[Larry Gude]

you might want to take some remedial science classes.

Why? I got 3rd hand manure up here all the time. 3rd hand skunk. I've spent most of the last three days on a motorcycle so, I got all sorts of 3rd hand internal combustion stank not to mention my jeans and THAT bouquet.

In short, we are incessantly exposed to '3rd hand' whatever not to mention burps, farts, countless germs and other things endlessly conspiring to survive be it at our expense or not yet, here we are.

:shrug:

 

[Midnightrider]

Why? I got 3rd hand manure up here all the time. 3rd hand skunk. I've spent most of the last three days on a motorcycle so, I got all sorts of 3rd hand internal combustion stank not to mention my jeans and THAT bouquet.

In short, we are incessantly exposed to '3rd hand' whatever not to mention burps, farts, countless germs and other things endlessly conspiring to survive be it at our expense or not yet, here we are.

:shrug:

yep, and you wouldn't argue that some of the componenets of those '3rd hand' things are hazardous. Its also pretty obvious that if you expose cells to too much of anything it will be bad for them. As i said in my initial post, that doesn't mean that the argument can be made that '3rd hand smoke is bad for people'.

 

[Larry Gude]

yep, and you wouldn't argue that some of the componenets of those '3rd hand' things are hazardous. Its also pretty obvious that if you expose cells to too much of anything it will be bad for them. As i said in my initial post, that doesn't mean that the argument can be made that '3rd hand smoke is bad for people'.

But, then, what is the point? The claim is that this new scourge, 'third hand' smoke IS harming human cells, then, immediately shifts gears in the first paragraph to 'may' and then explores the methodology, non stop exposure to smoke, a condition that exists where? Not bars anymore. So, what is this aimed at? Yup, our homes and our cars therefore a brand new regulatory area for gummint BACKED by, *gasp* science!!!

The man made global cool warming climate change victim industry and the first/second and now third hand smoke victim industry are the folks that could use some remedial science classes. They'd have a LOT more credibility IF they used sound science, the scientific method, instead of the constant...I'll put this nicely, appearance of mere rent seeking.

This is critical for exactly the reason you state; too much of pretty much anything is bad for us. To claim that stinky car upholstery and drapes, which is where we are going with this, obviously, is killing our babies based on testing pretty clearly designed to meet a predetermined, funding securing conclusion, the continuing politicization of science, does, in my view, far more harm than good; it makes science what it should NOT and can not be; suspect.

This is no different, at the end of the day, than some goof claiming god prevents pregnancy in cases of rape. It's just not good for good public policy.

 

[Midnightrider]

But, then, what is the point? The claim is that this new scourge, 'third hand' smoke IS harming human cells, then, immediately shifts gears in the first paragraph to 'may' and then explores the methodology, non stop exposure to smoke, a condition that exists where? Not bars anymore. So, what is this aimed at? Yup, our homes and our cars therefore a brand new regulatory area for gummint BACKED by, *gasp* science!!!

The man made global cool warming climate change victim industry and the first/second and now third hand smoke victim industry are the folks that could use some remedial science classes. They'd have a LOT more credibility IF they used sound science, the scientific method, instead of the constant...I'll put this nicely, appearance of mere rent seeking.

This is critical for exactly the reason you state; too much of pretty much anything is bad for us. To claim that stinky car upholstery and drapes, which is where we are going with this, obviously, is killing our babies based on testing pretty clearly designed to meet a predetermined, funding securing conclusion, the continuing politicization of science, does, in my view, far more harm than good; it makes science what it should NOT and can not be; suspect.

This is no different, at the end of the day, than some goof claiming god prevents pregnancy in cases of rape. It's just not good for good public policy.

I think you are reading way too much into a preliminary study.

The researchers used two standard laboratory tests to assess the toxicity of thirdhand smoke. They showed that a compound found in smoke residue, called tobacco-specific nitrosamine, significantly damages DNA in human cells.

"This is the very first study to show that thirdhand smoke is mutagenic and causes DNA damage, which is considered as one of the first steps toward cancer," said study researcher Lara Gundel, of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California.

thats sound science. The conclusions are arguable, but their process of exposing cells to high levels of the toxin are pretty much how its done. Particularly in the early stages of research.

it would be interesting to see the studies they do on how much of the toxins are "avaialble for ingestion" in a used car or home that was smoked in. I doubt there will be high enough levels to make even a correlation.

 

[luvmygdaughters]

Gee. What the medical community do if they didnt have cigarettes to blame every illness in the world on.

 

[Larry Gude]

I think you are reading way too much into a preliminary study. .

The best time to kill monsters is when they are young.

 

[struggler44]

Wouldn't the human race be extinct by now if nicotine killed everything it touched?

I don't believe nicotine itself is harmful other being habit forming and even that may not be harmful......

 

[BlueBird]

I've started smoking a few years ago and I love it. I'll never quit and if people don't like well that's just too bad for them. I have a third hand car, now that thing is bad for you.

 

[Larry Gude]

I don't believe nicotine itself is harmful other being habit forming and even that may not be harmful......

You can believe what you like. It is harmful. Very. That's like saying alcohol isn't harmful other than being habit forming.

 

[slotpuppy]

Scientists released a study today that said living in hazzardous to your health. After years of reasearch, the study concluded that the longer you live, the better your chances of dying are.

 

[Larry Gude]

Scientists released a study today that said living in hazzardous to your health. After years of reasearch, the study concluded that the longer you live, the better your chances of dying are.

And within those odds are all the factors of life, diet, behavior, drug and alcohol use, exercise, stress levels and what kind of stresses, emotional well being, etc and so on and so forth.

Nicotine is, in fact, a poison. So is alcohol. That is my only point. It ain't harmless.

We all gonna die. It's how we live that matters.

 

[BlueBird]

It's how we live that matters.

Light it up!