For decades we’ve known the dangers of secondhand smoke. But the hazard of smoking is also embedded deep in homes, and it can linger for years. It’s called thirdhand smoke, and it poses a particular risk to children.
A team of researchers that includes experts at Cincinnati Children’s have been studying thirdhand smoke, and their new report published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology found even smoke-free homes had detectable levels of pollutants.
The researchers also saw a greater impact for children from lower-income families and those who lived in homes that allow smoking.
On Cincinnati Edition, we discuss the health effects of thirdhand smoke, what can be done to improve outcomes for children and the impact smoking bans in public housing have had for families.
Guests:
- Ashley Merianos, Ph.D., associate professor, University of Cincinnati, research affiliate member, Thirdhand Smoke Research Consortium
- Melinda Mahabee-Gittens, MD, Ph.D., professor of pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s, research affiliate member, Thirdhand Smoke Research Consortium
- Gregory Johnson, CEO, Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority
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