A latest research by American Chemical Society paper shows that 'third-hand smoke' that sticks to walls, furniture's and toys may pose serious health risks in children.
Researchers said that one of the tobacco-specific nitrosamines newly formed in the leftover cigarette smoke damages DNA and could potentially cause cancer. They said that third-hand smoking could especially be dangerous to children who have the habit of putting toys and other smoke-affected items into their mouths.
The study was one of more than 10,000 presentations at the 247th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Dallas this week. "The best argument for instituting a ban on smoking indoors is actually third-hand smoke," Bo Hang, Ph.D. and research a scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), said in the press release.
The scientists found that over 4,000 compounds in second-hand smoke that floats through the air remain indoors long after a cigarette is smoked.
Hugo Destaillats, also at LBNL, said that the compounds can react with indoor pollutants such as ozone and nitrous acid, creating brand-new compounds, some of which may be carcinogenic.
One of the many harmful compounds of the cigarette that has the acronym NNA, a tobacco-specific nitrosamine, showed that it locks onto DNA to form a large adduct (a piece of DNA bound to a cancer-causing chemical), as well as other adducts in lab test tubes.
The research showed other large compounds that attach to DNA are capable of causing genetic mutations. NNA also breaks the DNA about as often as a related compound called NNK, which is a well-studied byproduct of nicotine and a known potent carcinogen. This kind of DNA damage can results to uncontrolled cell growth and the formation of cancerous tumors.
In 2011, around 44 million Americans were reported smoking. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths in the U.S. Around 34 million people smoke every day, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.
