Ten years ago, syndicated cartoonist Ted Rall did a cartoon poking fun at the growing controversy surrounding second-hand smoke.
In the cartoon, a husband tells his wife: “If you don’t love me enough to stop dragging home your nicotine-contaminated carcass, at least think of the children.”
“We don’t have kids, you idiot,” she responds.
“Because your thirdhand smoking killed them,” he retorts.
Well it looks like live is intimating art, as the Birmingham News reports that on Dec. 29, researchers at MassGeneral Hospital for Children decided to use the term “third-hand smoke” for a study to describe a smoking mother passing toxins to her baby while breastfeeding, or small children touching surfaces that have been contaminated by smoke.
“That’s awesome,” Rall told the News. However, he was apparently a little troubled about researchers using his cartoon ideas.
“MassGeneral does good work, but third-hand smoke is my baby and I’m not giving it up.”
