The dangers of tobacco were already known, both for active and passive smokers, but now a new study reveals that the smoke that remains impregnated in the places where it is smoked is also harmful to health .
When a cigarette is lit, nicotine is released in the form of smoke that can be deposited for months on walls, carpets, curtains and furniture, according to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
"Our study reveals that when this residual nicotine reacts with nitrous acid in the environment, it forms carcinogenic nitrosamines specific to tobacco", explains Hugo Destaillats, one of the authors of the study. And these nitrosamines "are the most active and potent carcinogens" associated with tobacco. Exposure to nitrosamines is usually through inhalation of dust or through skin contact with carpets, curtains or clothing, which makes children more vulnerable, says Destaillats.
