Ever sniffed a smoker's coat, hair or car and felt the toxic air down your lungs?

That's "third-hand" smoke.

A new study conducted by a team of medical researchers and published in the journal Pediatrics, reports there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco, even its invisible toxins.

Jonathan Winickoff, assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and one of the authors of the study, defines third-hand smoke as the "tobacco smoke contamination that remains after the cigarette is extinguished."

In the survey, respondents were asked if they agreed with the statement "breathing air in a room today where people smoked yesterday can harm the health of infants and children."

Of the 2,000 surveyed, 65 percent of nonsmokers and 43 percent of smokers agreed with the statement.

One of the survey's objectives was to find out if people who have an understanding of toxins enforced strict smoking bans in their homes.

"We found that nonsmokers were much more likely to agree that smoking in a room yesterday could harm children today," Winickoff said. "The nose is really picking up on toxins that are in the environment."

Linda Getz-Kleiman, a pediatrician at Fargo's Innovis Health who also sees patients in Park Rapids on a regular basis, said she's constantly advising parents to never smoke at home or in their cars, even if the windows are open.

"People think that just because there is not actual smoke, then it's not as damaging," she said.

Over time, layer upon layer of toxins can build up on the couch, carpet, clothes, curtains and any other surface exposed to cigarette smoke.

Those toxins can be more harmful to children than adults due to the simple matter of the body.

"What might be an annoyance to adults could have severe consequences to a developing brain," Winickoff said.

The National Toxicology program identifies about 250 toxins in third-hand smoke. Hydrogen cyanide, tylene and lead are among the poisonous substances that can have severe consequences to a child's brain including a drop in IQ.

Getz-Kleiman said children's airways are much smaller, which increases the consequences of the toxic materials left over from cigarette smoke.

"Everything that happens is more significant, because there is not as much room," she said.

Although experts say third-hand smoke can be just as dangerous as second-hand smoke, the residue is much less concentrated. But for children who crawl on carpets all day long and touch everything in the house, those toxins can still have negative effects on their health.

"It's important to realize that the developing brain needs to be protected even from small toxins," Winickoff said. "People who suffer the most from this don't have a voice."