What is third-hand smoke?

CEBU, Philippines - Whether you are smoking indoor or outdoor, you leave toxic residual nicotine and other chemicals everywhere. Without knowing it, these chemicals from the smoke combine with indoor pollutants like nitrous acid to create a new compound, which then mixes with dust that settles down on carpets, on the flooring, on the furniture, and literally on all surfaces.

These invisible traces of smoke are also hard to clean up. They cannot be eliminated by opening windowpanes or turning on airconditioners. They have a long life. They are like our secret guests in the house, only the harmful type. They build up on surfaces and walls. As they slowly invade our homes, they become a threat to everyone, especially small children.

As our little innocent babies crawl on rugs or put their hands or their toys in their mouths, they could touch, swallow or inhale the same harmful compounds that a first-hand smoker inhales in the first place.  Since children's bodies are still in the early stage of development, the little ones are more vulnerable than adults to the effects of third-hand smoke.

The truth is, these cocktail of toxins even linger on clothes, in the hair, and even on the skin of smokers. Even if you don't smoke in front of your children, the things you would touch or use become catalyst of third-hand smoke. The toxins would then stay for a period of time long after the cigarette is put out. 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, accounting for 1.37 million deaths annually. In the Philippines, it is the top cause of cancer-related mortality among men.

Lung cancer is a malignant tumor of the lungs. The abnormal cells of the tumor multiply without control, and destroy the healthy lung tissue around it. The two types of lung cancer, which grow and spread differently, are the small cell lung cancer (which cause 85 percent of all lung cancers) and non-small cell lung cancers.

It has been reported that almost nine percent of patients diagnosed with lung cancer are smokers; the rest are non-smokers who may have been just exposed to substances like asbestos (among construction workers), arsenic, pollution, and radiation. A person's family history and lifestyle may also play a factor in acquiring lung cancer.

Records of the Metro Cebu population-based cancer registry of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. Eduardo J. Aboitiz Cancer Center shows that from 1998 to 2002, 825 men and 360 women were diagnosed with lung cancer, and 645 men and 270 women died of the disease. In 2003 to 2007, 830 men and 457 women were diagnosed with the disease, with 620 of the men and 336 of the women succumbing to it.

So before you light your next cigarette, think of the thousands of harmful chemicals it contains. In particular, second-hand smoke contains 7,000 toxins, with 65 of them carcinogenic (cancer-causing agents). If lung cancer for non-smokers has its own separate category, the number would surely be increasing.

Like most cancers, symptoms of lung cancer appear only at the late stages. The symptoms vary and depend on where the cancer is located. Patients complain of cough, breathing difficulties, loss of appetite, bone pain, and recurrent pneumonia, among others. If you notice these symptoms, it is better to consult a doctor immediately.

Depending on the stage or severity of the cancer, the common treatments for lung cancer are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. However, according to the WHO, lung cancer has a poor five-year survival rate of only fifteen percent. In particular, the survival rate for stage one lung cancer is 75 percent; stage two, 45 percent; stage three, 10 percent; and, stage four, less than five percent.

Smokers, especially if they have been smoking for a long period of time, have the greatest risk of acquiring lung cancer. Second- and third-hand smoke could be responsible for serious health problems, including asthma attacks, especially to children.

The best prevention for lung cancer is - never to start smoking. If you are a smoker, quit right now before serious consequences occur not only to you but, most especially, to your loved ones. (FREEMAN)