Mar 17, 2014 06:17 PM EDT By Jaleesa Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Leftover cigarette smoke that clings to walls and furniture could be just as deadly as first-hand smoke, according to a recent study Fox News reported.

Researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that third-hand smoke - which is the second-hand smoke that gets left on the surfaces of objects - is much more than a smelly nuisance and could damage DNA and potentially cause cancer.

Researcher Bo Hang who presented the research at the 247th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Dallas this week, said that although the idea of third-hand smoke made its debut in research circles just a few years ago in 2009, evidence already strongly suggests it could threaten human health.

"The best argument for instituting a ban on smoking indoors is actually third-hand smoke," Hang, a scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, said in a statement.

They found that third-hand smoke consists of a combination of chemicals - some of which are carcinogenic - that are a threat to anyone living, working, or in the case of small children, playing in that space, Fox News reported.

Many of the more than 4,000 compounds in second-hand smoke, which wafts through the air as a cigarette is smoked, can linger indoors long after a cigarette is stubbed out. These compounds can go on to react with indoor pollutants such as ozone and nitrous acid, creating brand-new compounds, called nitrosamines.

"Knowing how much carcinogens stay in a room when someone has been smoking in it, I think it is possible that third-hand smoke may increase one's risk of cancer," Suzaynn Schick, an expert on the effects of tobacco at the University of California, San Francisco, told Fox News.

Nitrosamines are just one of several toxic chemicals that precipitate out of secondhand smoke, Fox News reported. Researchers said infants and small children are at a particular risk because crawl and put their hands or toys in their mouths; they could touch, swallow or inhale compounds from third-hand smoke.

"These tender young babies are mouthing and sucking on things that have carcinogens on them," Schick said.

Although many public places prohibit smoking, Hang noted that people can still smoke in most rental apartments and private residences -- and smoking remains a huge public health issue. In 2011, nearly 44 million American adults reported smoking cigarettes, which ranks as the leading cause of preventable death in this country. And 34 million people smoke every day, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

Hang said the best way to get rid of third-hand smoke is by removing affected items, such as sofas and carpeting, as well as sealing and repainting walls or wallboards. 

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