Third-Hand Smoke

NYT, of course:

Parents who smoke often open a window or turn on a fan to clear the air for their children, but experts now have identified a related threat to children’s health that isn’t as easy to get rid of: third-hand smoke.

That’s the term being used to describe the invisible yet toxic brew of gases and particles clinging to smokers’ hair and clothing, not to mention cushions and carpeting, that lingers long after second-hand smoke has cleared from a room. The residue includes heavy metals, carcinogens and even radioactive materials that young children can get on their hands and ingest, especially if they’re crawling or playing on the floor.....

Come on people, everyone knows that the real threat is from barbers, who get the toxins on their shoes after cutting the hair of people who have been around others who live in buildings where smokers once resided. The barbers go home, the dog licks their shoes, then the toxins go to work..... Is it any wonder that 90% of all barbers' dogs are dead by the age of 14?

Come on, science writers. We're never going to accept living our lives in full body condoms; stop pushing the concept.