危害健康的不只是二手烟。三手烟也可以

危害健康的不只是二手烟。三手烟也可以

A new study out of Yale University says thirdhand smoke -- the tobacco contaminants that adhere to walls, bedding, carpet and other surfaces until a room smells like an ashtray -- can actually cling to a smoker's body and clothes as well.

耶鲁大学的一项新研究表明，“三手烟”——即附着在墙壁、床上用品、地毯和其他表面的烟草污染物，直到房间闻起来像烟灰缸——实际上也会附着在吸烟者的身体和衣服上。

Those potentially toxic chemicals, including nicotine, can then be released into environments where smoking has never occurred, like your movie theater, according to the study.

根据这项研究，这些潜在的有毒化学物质，包括尼古丁，会被释放到从未发生过吸烟的环境中，比如你的电影院。

Even more disturbing: The study found those chemical exposure levels could be the equivalent of between one and 10 cigarettes by the end of the movie.

更令人不安的是:研究发现，电影结束时，这些化学物质的暴露量可能相当于1至10支香烟。

"People are substantial carriers of thirdhand smoke contaminants to other environments," said study author Drew Gentner, an associate professor of chemical and environmental engineering at Yale.

耶鲁大学化学与环境工程副教授、研究作者德鲁·跟特纳说:“人们是其他环境三手烟污染物的主要携带者。”

The study, published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, may be the first to show that people can transmit nicotine and other potentially toxic chemicals via their clothing after smoking, he said.

这项研究发表在周三的《科学进展》杂志上，他说，这可能是第一次证明人们吸烟后可以通过衣服传播尼古丁和其他潜在的有毒化学物质。

"That was the unique part of this study," Gentner continued. "We were surprised by the wide array of hazardous volatile organic compounds that were off-gassing from the audience -- including some that are known to be known carcinogens in people, such as benzene and formaldehyde."

“这是这项研究的独特之处，”根特纳继续说道。“我们惊讶地发现，观众席上散发出大量有害的挥发性有机化合物，其中包括一些已知的致癌物质，如苯和甲醛。”

What is 'thirdhand smoke'?

什么是“三手烟”?

Thirdhand "smoke" isn't actually smoke at all. It's the residue of nicotine and other chemicals in tobacco, some of which are toxic, that remain long after active smoking is over.

“三手烟”实际上根本就不是烟。它是烟草中尼古丁和其他化学物质的残留物，其中一些是有毒的，在主动吸烟结束后仍会存留很长时间。

Some of these chemicals stick to surfaces, and others attach to dust particles. Still others often penetrate deep into wallboard, drapes and upholstery. As the compounds linger, they may react with oxidants or other particles in the room's atmosphere. The chemical reactions can create potentially harmful byproducts that can become airborne.

其中一些化学物质会附着在表面，另一些则附着在灰尘颗粒上。还有一些经常渗透到墙板、窗帘和室内装饰品中。当这些化合物停留在室内时，它们可能与氧化剂或空气中的其他颗粒发生反应。化学反应会产生可能在空气中传播的有害副产物。

Science has known about this type of environmental pollution for years, sparking the creation of smoking and non-smoking rooms at hotels, restaurants and the like.

多年来，科学界已经认识到这种环境污染，在旅馆、餐馆等地创造了吸烟和无烟客房。

But thirdhand smoke has also been found in environments which were not known to be contaminated by smokers, which led researchers to ask how that could happen.

但是在不被吸烟者污染的环境中也发现了三手烟，这让研究人员想知道这是怎么发生的。

To find out, Gentner and some of his PhD students set up an experiment in a movie theater that had not allowed smoking for more than 15 years. They supplied fresh air into the theater, making sure that no smoking or other contaminants entered the space.

为了找到答案，跟特纳和他的一些博士生在一家禁止吸烟超过15年的电影院做了一个实验。他们为剧院提供新鲜空气，确保没有吸烟或其他污染物进入电影院。

Sophisticated equipment measured airborne particles before and after moviegoers arrived. Right away, they saw a huge spike in levels of hazardous chemicals.

先进的设备测量了电影观众到达电影院前后空气中的颗粒。很快，他们就看到了危险化学物质的含量急剧上升。

As people came into the theater, the concentrations went up, and then decreased over time, Gentner said.

根特纳说，当人们进入电影院时，浓度会上升，然后随着时间的推移会下降。

"But they didn't completely disappear after the audience left," he added. "In many cases, the persistent contamination was observable the following day in the unoccupied theater."

“但在观众离开后，它们并没有完全消失，”他补充道。“在很多情况下，第二天在无人的剧院可以观察到持续的污染。”

Despite declines in smoking in some developed nations, there are still over a billion smokers worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

根据世界卫生组织的数据，尽管一些发达国家的吸烟率有所下降，但全球仍有超过10亿烟民。

"That billion smokers contribute to about 880,000 deaths from secondhand smoke," said Dr. Jagat Narula, a cardiologist at Mount Sinai Morningside in New York City who researches the health impact of smoking. "I call it a form of murder."

“这10亿烟民造成了约88万人死于二手烟，”研究吸烟对健康影响的纽约市西奈山晨城心脏病专家贾格特·纳拉博士说。“我称之为一种谋杀。”