Burning tobacco releases nicotine into the air, and experts say it clings to surfaces for days, weeks, even months. Researchers say that when thirdhand smoke reacts with indoor air pollutants it can form carcinogens. The study finds opening a window or using a fan to ventilate a room while smoking does not eliminate this hazard.

Older Pregnant Woman Increased Risk of Child With Autism

A new study from the University of California shows the older a woman is when she gets pregnant, the greater her chances of having a child with autism. The data showed a 40-year-old woman's risk of having a child diagnosed with autism was 50-percent greater than a woman in her late twenties. However, researchers estimate that only about 5-percent of the 600-percent increase in the number of autism cases in California could be attributed to women waiting until they were older to have children.

Mediterranean Diet May Prevent Memory Problems 

A mediterranean diet-one high in veggies fruit, beans and fish and low in meat and dairy may help prevent memory and thinking problems later in life. Researchers looked at the diets of more than 700 people, then conducted M-R-I brain scans about six years later. Those who most closely stuck to a mediterranean diet lowered their chances of having brain damage related to cognition by more than a third.