If you are a non-smoker, I’m sure that you are not too happy about the impact that second hand smoke can have on your health. If you are a smoker, you probably know that when you smoke everyone around you smokes too. Scientists are now stating that people are being affected just by being near you or any object that could potentially have smoke residue on it.
Researchers have concluded that objects like carpet, upholstery, and clothes that smokers have contact with have smoke residue on them. When this residue is mixed with the chemicals in the air it produces harmful toxins that are inhaled when we breathe. Most adults would not ever notice the impact of breathing these toxins in, but it has been linked to causing forms of cancer.
Most adults, who smoke, are very cautious about smoking near children. This is because we are all aware of the impact of second hand smoking. With third hand smoking, just because you are in another room doesn’t make a difference. The chemicals, including heavy metals, carcinogens and even radioactive materials, can get onto the hands of small children and be ingested. Obviously anyone ingesting metal, carcinogens, or even radioactive materials is not going to be very healthy.
Our bodies are aware of the dangers even if we are not. The smell of cigarette smoke is very distinct and repulsive for a non-smoker. The human brain is alerting you that you are too close to something that you should not be. Think of it this way, it is as if cigarettes are like a skunk. When a creature is too close to a skunk the skunk emits their pleasant odor to tell the approacher to back off. Same goes for cigarette smell which should be a warning to anyone near them to not touch them. Just like the skunk, the smoker does not know that they smell, so the stench will not bother them.
Education on the topic is quickly becoming available and the public service announcements are starting to flow through all of our media channels, including social networking sites and radio. Smoking is something that should be a choice, but for the people around a smoker, it is not.
