Thirdhand Smoking Gun

Thirdhand smoke occurs when chemical residues from smoking linger in carpets, furniture and walls long after the cigarette has been extinguished.

Researchers have found that children who inhale these particles by disturbing fabric fibers while playing or ingest them by touching contaminated surfaces and then putting their hands in their mouths are at higher risk for levels of nicotine and other harmful tobacco smoke compounds.

The researchers surveyed caregivers of 162 children in three major U.S. cities.

Although 60% of the caregivers said their children had no exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (first or secondhand), urine testing showed that all the children tested positive for cotinine, which forms when nicotine is broken down in the body. Cotinine is a biomarker of tobacco exposure, and more than 90% of the children tested positive for intermediate levels of cotinine.

While the study couldn't conclusively distinguish whether the children were exposed to secondhand or thirdhand smoke, the survey points to a less obvious source of tobacco smoke exposure.

"These findings do not imply that the parents are lying but rather speak to the invasive nature of thirdhand smoke and how difficult it is to remove from buildings, cars and furniture," said study author Katherine McKeon at Tulane University.

Body of Knowledge

Handedness -- that is, whether you're right-handed or left-handed -- is not absolute. Typically, dominance is split 70/30, with the dominant hand performing 70% of tasks. Roughly 90% of people are right-handed, less than 10% left-handed and only 1% truly ambidextrous.

Mark Your Calendar

July is awareness month for cord blood, juvenile arthritis, cleft and craniofacial deformities, sarcoma and ultraviolet safety. You can never shine too much light on that last item -- as long as it's the right kind of light.

Stories for the Waiting Room

If they don't tell you themselves, how do you know when someone else is sick?

Researchers asked more than 19,000 people from 58 countries which senses they relied upon most to determine when another person was ailing.

Sight and hearing were overwhelmingly favored, followed by touch, smell and taste. The primary reason: Sight and hearing are considered safe senses. You don't need to get as physically close to a person to pick up clues, thus minimizing your own risk of getting sick.

Researchers didn't elaborate on how someone might taste another person's sickness, but it doesn't sound like a healthy practice.

Doc Talk

Transient lingual papillitis: A swollen taste bud on the tongue, sometimes called a "lie bump." The informal moniker arose from the notion that the bumps appeared when the speaker told a lie. The actual cause(s) is unknown but likely related to stress, allergies or certain foods. TLPs are harmless and typically resolve on their own in a few days.

Phobia of the Week

Cymophobia: Fear of waves or wavelike motions (it's enough to make you sick)

Never Say 'Diet'

The Major League Eating speed-eating record for watermelon is 13.22 pounds in 15 minutes, held by "Buffalo" Jim Reeves, who then spent a world-record 17 minutes after the contest urinating.

Best Medicine

A man called his doctor's office for an appointment.

"I'm sorry," said the receptionist. "The doctor can't see you for at least two weeks."

"I could be dead by then," complained the man.

"No problem. If your wife lets us know, we'll cancel the appointment."

Observation

"I think the worst time to have a heart attack is during a game of charades." -- American comedian Demetri Martin (b. 1973)

Medical History

This week in 2002, the world's largest dental caps were fitted. The caps measured 19 inches long and 5 inches wide. They were for Spike, a 20-year-old Asian elephant at the Calgary Zoo in Canada whose tusks had become cracked and broken. Capping the tusks prevented further damage and the prospect of eventually having to remove the tusks' nerves, which probably would have qualified as the world's largest root canal.

Ig Nobel Apprised

The Ig Nobel Prizes celebrate achievements that make people laugh, then think. A look at real science that's hard to take seriously and even harder to ignore.

In 2024, the Ig Nobel Prize in physiology went to Takanori Takebe for his forward-looking discovery that some mammals, such as mice, rats and pigs, can absorb oxygen (via a tube) through their rectums, sometimes called "butt-breathing."

The process may have implications for helping humans with emergency respiratory distress, although the alternative method seems fairly stressful.

Self-Exam

Q: What is the largest joint in the human body?

A) Shoulder

B) Ankle

C) Knee

D) Hip

A: C) Knee

Medical Myths

Detoxes and cleanses are short-term diets, periods of fasting and the use of specified liquids to flush organs and the intestinal tract of purported toxins and help jumpstart weight loss. They are not necessary and may do more harm than good.

The human body is already highly efficient at removing harmful toxins and unneeded compounds. Think breathing, sweating, urinating and defecating. Detox concoctions marketed to "reset" organs like the liver or clean out the intestines may, in fact, remove beneficial microbes from the gut or result in excessive intake of vitamins and minerals that can be dangerous to older adults or women who are pregnant or lactating, or who have underlying health conditions.

A balanced diet consisting primarily of plant-based foods with minimum processed foods works better than any particular cleanse or detox.

Curtain Calls

In 1994, after months of unsuccessfully attempting to gain access to a house basement to read meters, gas company workers and a city marshal entered to find a long-dead corpse resting on a patio chair near the boiler. It was wearing a blue bathrobe, white sweater, jogging pants, white socks and sandals.

The corpse was identified as Long Lu Lee, 69, a retired mechanical engineer. Lee's widow told police that her husband had disappeared the previous winter, but she had never filed a missing person report and was genuinely surprised to learn he had been dead in the basement for a year. She was not considered a suspect in foul play, but her status as a loving spouse might be dubious.

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To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.