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Carpets Retain a Stubborn Grip on Pollutants from Tobacco Smoke

A new study from thirdhand smoke researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory shows that thirdhand smoke chemicals that settle into surfaces do not stay there, but re-enter the air, sometimes transforming into new types of contaminants. In this study, the researchers evaluated the effects of ozonation, a common cleaning method, on smoke-exposed carpet.

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Does Thirdhand Smoke Make You Sick? The German Newspaper Die Zeit Investigates.

As Germany plans to ban smoking in cars with children or pregnant women, the German newspaper, Die Zeit, asked experts to weigh in on the forthcoming policy. The experts concluded that this policy does not go far enough and advised caution, especially for children, due to long-term risks posed by thirdhand smoke exposure (known as cold smoke exposure in Germany). Read the full story to answer the question, “Does Cold Smoke Make You Sick?”

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Thirdhand Smoke Exposure is Linked to Increased Tumor Development

Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory investigated the impact of thirdhand tobacco smoke (THS) exposure on the development of tumors in mice.  To reflect the genetic diversity of humans, they used Collaborative Cross (CC) mice. The researchers exposed the CC mice to thirdhand smoke and observed them for tumor development.

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Why focus on exposure to thirdhand tobacco smoke and not exposure to auto exhaust or industrial pollution?

There are many pollutants that can contaminate our environments. Presently, vehicle emissions and industrial air pollutants receive much-needed attention from policy makers and the public. But there remains a lot of important work to be done to protect environments from other forms of pollution, such as pollutants from tobacco smoke. A focus on tobacco smoke exposure draws attention to a source of pollution that is the result of preventable activities that can be easily changed or eliminated.

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dog and cat

Can thirdhand smoke hurt my pet?

The harmful effects of second- and thirdhand smoke exposure on people are widely known, but the same effects can apply to cats, dogs, and even birds and fish!  Most pet owners protect their pets from tobacco smoke because they know that as they breathe in secondhand smoke in the air, they inhale hundreds of carcinogenic toxic chemicals.

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