After the smoke gets in your eyes and settles on your clothing, furniture and drapes, the residue can be just as harmful as second-hand smoke, new research says.

A study out of the University of California, Riverside, suggests so-called third-hand smoke, which clings to objects and fabrics long after one has lit-up and typically leaves behind the tell-tale odor of a recent smoking session, poses the same health risks as second-hand smoke, which is exhaled by smokers.

Scientists explain third-hand smoke can accumulate throughout one's home or automobile and grow more toxic with carcinogens over time.

The study findings appear in the journal PLoS ONE.

The Riverside researchers studied the effects of third-hand smoke on the organs of laboratory mice which lived six months in ventilated cages that weren't subjected to smoke directly, but contained materials that had been exposed to second-hand smoke.

At the end of the study period, the researchers discovered serious damage to the mice's livers and lungs, said Manuela Martins-Green, a professor of cell biology who led the study.

Wounds in the mice also took longer to heal -- similarly to the notably-slower healing of human smokers who've been through surgery.

In behavior tests, the mice exposed to third-hand smoke also showed indications of hyperactivity.

Then, after everything else, the mice excreted levels of a carcinogen specific to tobacco, also found in children exposed to second-hand smoke.

Martins-Green explained in a statement the results of the study prove an urgent need to conduct more studies on the effects of third-hand smoke on people.

It's been found third-hand smoke persists in houses, apartments and hotel rooms long after smokers have left. As such, children in environments where smoking occurred are at "significant risk" of suffering multiple health problems, "many of which may not manifest fully until later in life," the study says.

"There is still much to learn about the specific mechanisms by which cigarette smoke residues harm non-smokers. But that there is such an effect is now clear," Martins-Green said.