Third-hand smoke - tobacco residue that
persist in houses, apartments and hotel rooms after smokers move out -
may be just as deadly as first-hand or second-hand smoke, a new study
has claimed. "Do not smoke and do not allow yourself to be exposed to
smoke because second-hand smoke and third-hand smoke are just as deadly
as first-hand smoke," said a scientist from the University of
California, Riverside who led the first animal study of the effects of
third-hand smoke. While first-hand smoke refers to the smoke inhaled by
a smoker and second-hand smoke to the exhaled smoke and other
substances emanating from a burning cigarette that can get inhaled by
others, third-hand smoke is the second-hand smoke that gets left on the
surfaces of objects, ages over time and becomes progressively more
toxic. "We studied, on mice, the effects of third-hand smoke on several
organ systems under conditions that simulated third-hand smoke exposure
of humans," said Manuela Martins-Green, a professor of cell biology who
led the study. "We found significant damage occurs in the liver and
lung. Wounds in these mice took longer to heal. Further, these mice
displayed hyperactivity," said Martins-Green. Third-hand smoke is a
potential health threat to children, spouses of smokers and workers in
environments where smoking is, or has been, allowed, researchers said.
Contamination of the homes of smokers by third-hand smoke is high, both
on surfaces and in dust, including children's bedrooms. Re-emission of
nicotine from contaminated indoor surfaces in these households can lead
to nicotine exposure levels similar to that of smoking, researchers
said. Third-hand smoke, which contains strong carcinogens, has been
found to persist in houses, apartments and hotel rooms after smokers
move out. Researchers found that the mice exposed to third-hand smoke
in the lab showed alterations in multiple organ systems and excreted
levels of a tobacco-specific carcinogen similar to those found in
children exposed to second-hand smoke. In the liver, third-hand smoke
was found to increase lipid levels and non-alcoholic fatty liver
disease, a precursor to cirrhosis and cancer and a potential contributor
to cardiovascular disease, researchers found. In the lungs, third-hand
smoke was found to simulate excess collagen production and high levels
of inflammatory cytokines (small proteins involved in cell signalling),
suggesting propensity for fibrosis with implications for
inflammation-induced diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease and asthma, they said. In wounded skin, healing in mice exposed
to third-hand smoke showed many characteristics of the kind of poor
healing observed in human smokers who have gone through surgery. The
study appears in the journal PLOS ONE.
THIS IS A BLOG TO POST MOST INTERESTING AND IMPORTANT EVENTS OF THE DAY... ప్రపంచంలో జరిగే అతి ముఖ్యమైన సంఘటనల సమాహారం ఇది...
Comments
Post a Comment