THS has the potential to impair wound healing by altering the body’s natural anti-inflammatory response, remodel respiratory structure due to increased collagen deposits in airways, and cause permanent damage to DNA.
[9] A study led by Ashley Merianos, a tobacco researcher at the University of Cincinnati, revealed that in homes where children live, surfaces were contaminated with nicotine and the tobacco-specific carcinogen NNK.
The study revealed higher levels of NNK and nicotine in lower-income households and homes who do not ban indoor smoking.
[11] Because of the growing resolving power and improved detection limits of analytical instruments, studies have been able to demonstrate the transport of THS into other spaces via various media.
For instance, third-hand smoke signatures have been detected in particles, which can effectively transport such compounds between indoor and outdoor air.
[12][13] Additionally, both gas-phase and aerosol-phase compounds linked to third-hand smoke were detected and quantified in a non-smoking movie theater, possibly via moviegoers' clothes and breath.
[2] One TSNA, called 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridinyl)-1-butanone (also known as nicotine-derived nitrosamine ketone, or NNK), is a potent lung-specific carcinogen ubiquitous in tobacco smoke and smokers' homes, and has been detected on clothing fibers, dust, and in the air.
[11][15] Nitrosamines, along with other tobacco smoke chemicals that deposited on surfaces or compounds that formed as a result of surface-phase reactions, can be a major source of toxicity, especially for infants.
In a recent study involving mice, biomarkers of THS were discovered after four weeks of initial exposure at equivalent levels to those found in homes of smokers.
Researchers used a system that mimicked that of the exposure to humans and sought out biomarkers found in serum, liver, and brain tissues in the mice.
Third-hand smoke-contaminated surfaces like carpet, walls, and car interiors are also especially hard to clean whereas second-hand smoke can be removed with ventilation.