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WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — A common indoor-air chemical reacts with residues of tobacco smoke clinging to clothing, skin and surfaces to form potent carcinogens, researchers at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory reported in a study published Monday.
“Thirdhand smoke” is a thin layer of toxic substances from tobacco smoke that settles on surfaces long after cigarettes have been extinguished. The Berkeley scientists are the first to find that nitrous acid, an indoor air pollutant created by gas appliances, vehicle engines and tobacco smoke, reacts with nicotine found on surfaces to form carcinogens.
The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
