Thirdhand smoke is real, and harmful

Q: I know there’s secondhand smoke if you’re in a room with a smoker, but what is thirdhand smoke? Is it a real thing? — Joy B., Atlanta

A: Yes, thirdhand smoke is a real thing. It is the toxic residue that collects on clothes, rug, drapes or furniture when those things are exposed to smoke from any tobacco product.

University of Cincinnati researchers recently completed a study finding that tobacco smoke exposure, whether it’s secondhand or thirdhand, poses a health risk to anyone who comes in contact with it. And the researchers pointed out that infants and children are particularly vulnerable to the double whammy of secondhand and thirdhand smoke if they live with folks who smoke in the home. Even if kids live in a house with smokers who never light up at home, their health is damaged by constant exposure to thirdhand smoke residue the smokers have on them.

Q: My son, who’s in the eighth grade, had a slight concussion playing football last week. He seems to be fine now, but his doc and coach say he can’t play again for three to four weeks, though they let him go back to school on the Tuesday after his Saturday injury. Does that make any sense? — Joel B., Sacramento

A: They are doing it right by following the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocols for kids and concussions. Your son needs to avoid all sports activities because kids his age take a lot longer to get back to 100 percent after a concussion than grown-ups do. In fact, according to the American Osteopathic Association, children experience concussion symptoms three to four times longer than older teens and adults.

Depending on the degree of your son’s head injury, he might have as many as 19 steps to clear before his doc clears him to get back to any sports. He should be excused from gym classes for a few weeks and make sure he’s not playing pick-up basketball games after school. Also, look out for any mood changes and physical illness; they could be signs that he’s struggling to recover.

As for why he is allowed to go back to school, that’s based on a new principle called “active recovery,” which promotes faster clearing of symptoms such as dizziness and visual focusing, balancing and spatial-orientation problems. It helps the brain re-establish or establish new neurologic pathways to regain full function if his symptoms don’t return or worsen.

Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare. com.