When someone smokes a cigarette in place the nicotine residue that is left on the furniture and furnishings, it is known as third-hand smoke. The third-hand smoke can get airborne later and cause harm.

In a recent research conducted by Dr. Yael Dubowski, PhD, a Senior Lecturer at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel, found that though the second-hand smoking is much greater in causing harms yet the exposure to harmful elements through third-hand smoke and third-hand smoke transformations is considerably affects the skin and lung.

The resulting particulates are a toxic mixture and nicotine. These are very small and can smoothly penetrate into lungs very deeply and over a period of time can cause breathing problems such as asthma and at the worst cases, cancer.

In another study Dr. James F. Pankow, PhD, professor of chemistry and civil and environmental engineering at Portland State University in Oregon, said that tobacco smoke undoubtedly contains nicotine and the portion of that nicotine unabsorbed by the human body goes somewhere else and the objects in the room where the person is smoking are the destinations.

A previous research showed that third-hand smoking can even rub off onto skin and can even be ingested through food if someone smokes in the room where the foods are present.

So be careful before you smoke in a place and check if there are any foods if not the furniture.