'Third-hand' ciggie smoke that clings to furniture could cause cancer

Researchers have said that stale cigarette smoke that clings to furniture, carpets, walls could lead to cancer, new research suggests.

Dubbed "third-hand smoke", Cancer Council Queensland said that this happens when second-hand smoke exhaled by the cigarette users reacts with indoor air and clings to things inside your homes, News.com.au reported.

Cancer Council Queensland spokeswoman Katie Clift said that it is important to promote the dangers that third-hand smoke poses to human health on World No Tobacco Day on Saturday.

Clift said that research pointed out that many of the more than 4000 chemicals in second-hand smoke lingered long after cigarettes were put out, sticking to surfaces and damaging human DNA in a way that could potentially cause cancer.