This is why you shouldn’t let smokers anywhere near newborns and infants

That smoking harms the smoker has been known since as far back as the 1950s. A couple of decades later it also started becoming obvious that second-hand smoke is also extremely harmful to our health.

And now scientists have gone a step further, and actually issued warnings about what they label "third-hand" smoke (THS) – referring to the sticky residue from tobacco hat clings to fabric, carpets, walls and furniture.

In other words; smokers' clothing, surroundings and homes.

"Evidence is mounting that the residue lingering on indoor surfaces could be just as harmful -- if not more -- than second-hand smoke," said the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which took part in the study, where it was proved that in mice, exposure to these toxic leftovers causes lower infant weight and also alters counts of blood cells associated with the body's immune system.

Before conducting the study the researchers looked at previous research, which had shown that THS toxins caused DNA damage to human cells in petri dishes, and also harmed sperm and the organs of lab mice. As well as this, another previous study warned of a potential cancer risk to children.

According to the report in the Nature journal Scientific Reports, researchers from the US and China tested the biological response of mice to THS in lab conditions designed to mimic exposure in a smokers' home.

Based on the results, the researchers concluded there could be a real reason to fear for the safety of infants and babies, who can pick up toxins from clothing, floors and carpets they lie or crawl on, as well as walls, curtains and, fabric and furniture they touch. "Small children are a particularly vulnerable population who are exposed to THS toxicants through inhalation, ingestion and dermal (skin-to-skin) contact," the report states. In mice, THS-exposure proved to both lower bodyweight and alter blood cell counts associated with inflammatory and allergic reactions. This becomes a real problem when you also learn that THS toxins may stick to surfaces for weeks to months, during which time chemical mutations may render them even more harmful.

"Our findings provide further evidence that THS exposure can have biological effects and supports nonsmoking policies as the best way to protect non-smokers from the health effects of tobacco smoke exposure, the report states"