A new study has revealed that in addition to smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke, there is another culprit who ends up posing a threat, particularly to babies and toddlers, which is the "so-called" third-hand smoke.

As per the study, the residue of nicotine that continues to linger on surfaces can end up reacting with another chemical present in the air to form potent carcinogens, which are linked to various cancers. While first hand smoke is inhaled directly, second-hand smoke is exhaled and inhaled by others; third-hand smoke is actually residue from second-hand smoke.

"The burning of tobacco releases nicotine in the form of a vapor that adsorbs strongly onto indoor surfaces, such as walls, floors, carpeting, drapes and furniture. Nicotine can persist on those materials for days, weeks and even months", said one of the authors of the study Hugo Destaillats, a chemist with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in San Francisco.

Details of the study have been published in the February 08 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.