NICOTINE stains on clothing, furniture and wallpaper can react with a common indoor pollutant to generate dangerous cancer chemicals, say scientists.
The findings raise concerns about “third-hand smoke”, the name given to nicotine residues that cling to surfaces for months.
They are also said to raise doubts about the safety of “e-cigarettes” – battery-powered devices designed to provide a nicotine “hit” without the risk of cancer.
Experiments at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, US, showed nicotine combines with nitrous acid in the air to produce highly carcinogenic chemicals called tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs).
Nitrous acid is a common indoor pollutant chiefly generated by unvented gas appliances.
