Parents should shower and change clothes after every cig: new research

The hands of children of smokers are covered in nicotine even when their parents make the effort not to smoke around them, research has found.

THE hands of children of smokers are covered in nicotine even when their parents make the effort not to smoke around them, research has found.

The new study has revealed the only way to prevent toxic cross-contamination is for smokers to shower and change their clothes after each cigarette — or quit.

The shock findings on the dangers of lingering chemicals, which can cause serious respiratory problems in kids, has sparked a warning from Cancer Council Australia about the dangers of third-hand smoke.

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New research found not smoking around children did not stop them from being exposed to nicotine.

“First-hand tobacco smoke kills two in three long-term smokers in Australia, amounting to more than 15,000 deaths each year. Second-hand tobacco smoke kills an estimated 140 Australians each year, mostly thought to be people who were exposed historically, when protections in workplaces were not as strong as they are now. There is also a growing body of research pointing to the harms of third-hand exposure,” Prof Sanchia Aranda, CEO Cancer Council Australia said.

“We are not aware of any studies that have associated third-hand exposure with mortality, but the toxins in residual tobacco smoke can be considerable.”

The new international research which has been published in the journal Tobacco Use Insights found that not smoking around children doesn’t stop the children of smokers from being exposed to nicotine. The smoke sticks to upholstery, floors, ceilings, clothes and hands.

They also found that higher levels of exposure to tobacco smoke residue, which likely includes carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines, may be linked to respiratory problems.

“Children with higher levels of nicotine found on their hands were significantly more likely to have respiratory symptoms such as wheezing and coughing,” researcher assistant professor Ashley Merianos from the University of Cincinnati said.

The professor has called for caregivers to quit smoking and for those who refuse to quit to wash their hands, shower and change clothes after smoking to minimise third-hand smoke exposure.
“The best way to reduce all the harms of tobacco smoke — whether in smokers or those around them — is to invest more in interventions that drive down smoking rates, such as the highly effective mass media campaigns that helped halve Australian smoking rates over the past 25 years,” Prof Aranda said.