TOBACCOFREE/Blog

We have all heard about the effects of secondhand smoke, but there has not been much talk about “third-hand smoke.” You’ve probably noticed that being around a smoker can leave a smell in clothes, hair, and furniture, but did you know that smoke actually leaves behind a dangerous chemical, too?

Tobacco smoke leaves a residue of toxins on clothes, dust, and even your skin. Chemicals build up and can linger in areas like the inside of a car long after a smoker finishes a cigarette. Children are most vulnerable to third-hand smoke. When children crawl on the carpets of a smoker’s home, they are essentially crawling through the chemicals. The easiest way to avoid this build-up of chemicals is to refrain from smoking.

How do you keep smoke away from your family and belongings?

Did you know that smokeless tobacco can contain SEVEN TIMES as much nicotine as cigarettes? Itʼs true. If you know someone trying to beat their addiction to smokeless tobacco, ask them to email us at media@tobaccofreeflorida.com about becoming one of our new Quit Journalers. Help us work towards our goal to make Florida Tobacco Free and join the many others who have already shared their story.

Click here to hear all the Quit Journals!

In just three short weeks, the state of Florida will celebrate Tobacco Free Florida Week, and it will have the entire state shouting “Be Free for Me!” Governor Charlie Crist has declared March 21-March 28, 2010 an important week to observe the dangers of tobacco and learn how we can prevent the effects.

In Florida alone, 3.8 million adults use tobacco and 33% of children are exposed to toxins through secondhand smoke. Tobacco Free Florida Week offers an important opportunity to get the truth about tobacco products to tobacco users. “Floridians should refer their friends and loved ones to contact the Florida Quitline since secondhand smoke, regardless of the amount of exposure, is a risk to all youth and children of Florida,” announced Crist. The theme, Be Free for Me, encourages non-users to speak out and provide reasons to be free from tobacco. Tobacco users can choose to be free for their loved ones, from family members and pets to friends or coworkers.

Check out all of the Tobacco Free Florida events on Facebook to see how you can get involved!

The dangers of cigarettes are well known, but did you know that smoking tobacco from a hookah may be even worse? During a typical 1-hour hookah smoking session, users inhale the equivalent of 100-200 cigarettes! That’s over a week’s worth of smoke for even a pack-a-day smoker!

Hookah is gaining popularity as a social pastime, and many users don’t know the risks. Hookah bars are popping up all over bustling cities and college towns, obtaining special permits to avoid indoor smoking bans. According to a University of Florida study, the trend is spreading to pre-teens and adolescents—almost 4% of middle-schoolers and 11% of high schoolers say that they have smoked from a hookah.

Hookahs—sometimes called water pipes or shishas—may feel less harmful to their users, but the tobacco is no less toxic. Hookah tobacco and smoke contain numerous toxic substances known to cause lung, bladder, and oral cancers as well as clogged arteries and heart disease. There is actually a higher amount of tobacco inhaled because of the massive amount of smoke from the hookah paraphernalia. The biggest myth about hookah is that it doesn’t contain nicotine, the addictive substance in cigarette tobacco, but hookah actually delivers large levels of nicotine to its users. Find out the facts here.

Don’t let the popularity of this “party smoke” fool you. Help us spread the word about the dangers of hookah, and tell your friends and loved ones to Be Free!