Recent research released from the Lawrence Berkey National Laboratory found that residue from smoking indoors or what is commonly known as thirdhand smoke can cause cancer.
As is known, when someone smokes in the room, the smoke will stick to some furniture such as curtains, chairs, pillows, and also an ashtray to accommodate cigarette ashes. It turns out that the smell of cigarettes in some of these places will evaporate and become a substance that is carcinogenic or capable of causing cancer.
Bo Hang, a researcher from the Lawrence Berkeley laboratory found that the nicotine left in cigarette ash reacts with nitric acid in the air and creates a new compound called nitrosamines. This substance can mix with human DNA and damage genes so that it can eventually cause cancer.
In addition to these findings, other studies suggest that cigarette toxins that are absorbed through the skin can even trigger cancer.
The study, which used rat media, mixed rats in cages with cigarette residue. As a result, they gradually showed early symptoms of emphysema and lung disease.
"A smoker does not only cause health hazards for himself but also for others. The fact that cigarette residue still causes cancer potential needs to be considered as well. Because it turns out that the dangers of smoking do not only stop at the smoker but also those who are all around you, "explains Suzaynn Schick, a tobacco effects researcher at the University of California, San Francisco.
