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Secondhand marijuana smoke could be as harmful as secondhand cigarette smoke, a new study found.

(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

A chemical found in antibacterial soap has been linked to liver cancer, a study by California scientists shows.

The researchers fed triclosan, a common antimicrobial agent found not only in soap but also shampoos, toothpastes and other household items, to mice in a long-term study designed to gauge its health effects. What they discovered is a link between the chemical to liver fibrosis and cancer in a molecular mechanism similar to what might happen in humans.

"Triclosan's increasing detection in environmental samples and its increasingly broad use in consumer products may overcome its moderate benefit and present a very real risk of liver toxicity for people, as it does in mice, particularly when combined with other compounds with similar action," said Robert Tukey, a professor at the University of California at Davis.

The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Breathing secondhand marijuana smoke could be as damaging to the heart and blood vessels as secondhand cigarette smoke, according research presented at a American Heart Association meeting.

In the study, blood vessel function in lab rats dropped 70 percent after 30 minutes of exposure to secondhand marijuana smoke. Even when the marijuana contained no tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the intoxicating agent in marijuana, the same effect was observed.

Reduced blood vessel function could lead to atherosclerosis, the process that causes plaque build-up in the arteries, narrowing them and restricting blood flow. That, in turn, could lead to a heart attack.



"Most people know secondhand cigarette smoke is bad for you, but many don't realize that secondhand marijuana smoke may also be harmful," said Matthew Springer, senior author of the study and a cardiovascular researcher at the University of California, San Francisco's Cardiology Division.

-- Lynne Terry