Lingering ‘third-hand smoke’ can cause cancer, say experts

The harmful effects of smoking and of inhaling second-hand smoke are well-known, but few people know that the danger to health posed by a cigarette does not end when it is stubbed out and discarded.

Lingering on surfaces, items, clothes and body parts long after you've finished smoking is what is known as "third-hand smoke." This refers to the "particles and gases na naiwan kahit pinatay na yung sigarilyo," said Dr. Rachel Rosario of the Philippine Cancer Society in a report by Steve Dailisan on "Balitanghali" Monday.



The particles include derivatives of nicotine that can form carcinogens.

An article on LiveScience.com quotes a researcher as saying that "third-hand smoke is mutagenic and causes DNA damage, which is considered as one of the first steps toward cancer."

Furthermore, according to Scientific American, babies and children are especially vulnerable to third-hand smoke: they are closer to floors and tend to touch or put their mouths to contaminated objects and surfaces. Due to their proximity to floors and their faster respiration, they also ingest twice the amount of dust adults do.

The "Balitanghali" report offers two ways to minimize the risk of third-hand smoke affecting your loved ones:

1. Wash not just your hands but also your hair after smoking.
2. Clean surfaces or items that may have been contaminated by cigarettes and cigarette smoke with acidic substances such as vinegar.

The report also noted that the Philippines has 17.3 million adult smokers. Lung diseases are among the top killers of Filipinos, with 10 deaths per hour attributed to illnesses caused by smoking.

Last year, the Metro Manila Development Authority caught 53,609 people smoking in areas where smoking is prohibited.

"Tuluy-tuloy 'yon. Every day merong apprehensions, every day patuloy yung non-smoking team natin na naglilibot, hindi lang nababalitaan yung ganoon karami na nahuhuli pero napakarami na," said MMDA head Francis Tolentino in the report. — BM, GMA News