STORY AT-A-GLANCE A study involving Scottish terriers revealed many more insights into how environmental factors like cigarette smoke influence disease development The three-year study compared dogs that got bladder cancer and those that didn't, looking at different factors to see which ones increased the risk Dogs living with smokers were six times more likely to develop bladder cancer than dogs not living with smokers In households where humans smoke, dogs may be exposed to second-hand smoke from the cigarette and exhalations, as well as third-hand smoke made up of particular material that contaminates furniture, carpet and other household materials Cotinine, a nicotine metabolite, showed up in the urine of some dogs living with non-smoker owners, leading the scientists to suggest it may have been due to smoke residues on clothing It probably doesnt come as a surprise that exposure to cigarette smoke leads to cancer in dogs, much as it does in humans

Alberta and Nova Scotia have already banned the sale of menthol and other flavoured tobacco products, and Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick are expected to have similar legislation in place next year
Participants who used e-cigarettes also completed a separate questionnaire assessing their degree of nicotine dependence
Some countries have fully legalized recreational weed, while others have only approved medical use
The safest alternative to traditional tobacco products is complete cessation not vapes or e-cigarettes