Thirdhand Smoke (IMAGE) DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Caption Thirdhand smoke contains the chemicals in secondhand smoke from a cigarette that are deposited on indoor surfaces. Some of these chemicals interact with molecules from the air to create a toxic mix that includes potentially cancer-causing compounds. These compounds induce double-stranded breaks (DSBs) in DNA, which if not repaired correctly, could lead to tumorigenesis in mice. In this study, the researchers have shown for the first time that thirdhand smoke exposure induces lung cancer in A/J mice in early life. Credit Antoine Snijders, Jian-Hua Mao, and Bo Hang/Berkeley Lab Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.