Even without smoking, tobacco causes damage to health. Non-smokers are already familiar with passive smoking, namely breathing in cigarette smoke. In France, this causes 3,000 to 5,000 deaths per year. But the smoke brings another danger, that of “tertiary smoke”. It refers to the tobacco substances that soak into fabrics, furniture, floors and walls. Indoors, this third-hand smoke would present a health hazard, even many years later.
Third-hand smoke at the origin of cancerous molecules
Anyway, that’s the result. from a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study. “Third-party smoke” consists in particular of nicotine, released in smoke, and of a molecule naturally present in indoor air called “nitrous acid”. The meeting of these two substances leads to the creation of molecules called “tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNA)”, which are highly carcinogenic.
“Three different TSNAs were formed in this reaction, two of which (identified by the acronyms NNK and NNN) are known carcinogens,” the study warns. If they are identifiable by the smell of cold tobacco for a few hours, these substances settle permanently in homes. Always present on the surfaces, they develop and come into contact with the inhabitants.
Five pathways of exposure
“Five different exposure pathways exceeded non-significant risk levels in realistic scenarios, including inhalation, dust ingestion, direct skin contact, gas deposition on the skin, and epidermal nitrosation of nicotine. “, present the experts.
Continuous exposure to these substances can significantly increase the risk of cancer. If there are no ways to get rid of it permanently, specialists advise cleaning furniture, walls and changing places of objects and especially to stop smoking, or to do it outside.