Nicotine in third-hand smoke, the residue from tobacco smoke that clings to virtually all surfaces long after a cigarette has been extinguished, reacts with the common indoor air pollutant nitrous acid to produce dangerous carcinogens. This new potential health hazard was revealed in a multi-institutional study led by researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).
“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, …

The 65 year-old, one of the world’s leading sopranos, follows in the musical footsteps of Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras, previous recipients of the award.
The 11th annual Classical Brit Awards, to be hosted by Myleene Klass for the third consecutive year, take place on May 13 at the Royal Albert Hall.
New Zealand-born opera singer, who is about to launch a ”reality radio” BBC show in a nationwide hunt to find the next opera sensation, said: ”I am very honoured and delighted to receive this award and look forward to being …

The “amfibus”, seen here testing the water between Renfrew and Yoker on the River Clyde, developed a minor technical glitch after its second crossing – forcing the trial to be suspended while the vehicle was repaired.
“The driver noticed an issue with the suspension,” said a Stagecoach spokesman. “An air-bag became disengaged.” He stressed that the air-bag was “not a buoyancy aid”.
Stagecoach is testing the Dutch-built £700,000 amfibus as a possible replacement for passengers who face the loss of the existing ferry service between Renfrew and Yoker from the end of …

Chrysler Group LLC says it will invest $550 million to build the Fiat 500 minicar at its assembly plant near Mexico City.
Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne says the new work at its Toluca plant will create 400 jobs. He said Monday the company will begin making the model in December for U.S. and Latin American markets.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon says Chrysler will produce between 100,000 and 130,000 vehicles at the plant, creating about 1,200 indirect jobs. Chrysler says the Mexican government has provided a $400 million incentive package for the project, …

Could this turn into something more than political theater? President Barack Obama’s televised dialogue with Republican lawmakers on health care, promised for later this month, has the makings of an entertaining exchange. But the differences between the basic Democratic and GOP ideas are stark — and the two sides have increasingly hardened their positions in this election year.
Yet, in a story with more twists than a soap opera, Obama’s invitation to congressional leaders of both parties to attend a Feb. 25 meeting can’t be dismissed as a mere diversion. Although …

Toyota Motor Corp faced its first U.S. class-action lawsuit stemming from complaints of faulty braking of its top-selling Prius hybrid model, which the automaker is to recall.
The suit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday, seeks unspecified monetary damages and a court order requiring Toyota to repair a braking defect that the named plaintiff, Elaine Miller, says makes driving her 2010 Prius dangerous.
Miller’s lawyer, Daniel Warshaw, said on Monday he is seeking class-action status in California for all affected owners of the 2010-year Prius and the 2010 Lexus …

The White House said Monday it was eyeing “multiple lines of attack” against invasive Asian carp threatening Great Lakes eco-systems and fisheries after talking strategy with local state governors.
The Obama administration unveiled a short-and long-term strategy and a 78.5 million dollar investment to fight the carp, which it is feared could soon be devouring plankton supporting Great Lakes salmon, trout and perch.
“We believe there are multiple lines of attack against the carp,” said Nancy Sutley, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
Sutley said however there was “still time” …

The Dow Jones industrial average closed below 10,000 for the first time in three months Monday on nagging concerns about debt loads in Europe.
The Dow, down almost 104 points, had its 10th triple-digit move in 16 trading days. Shares of big banks pulled the market lower, extending a slump that has led to four straight weekly losses.
Mounting deficits in weaker European economies including Greece, Portugal and Spain have raised questions about the health of the global financial system. That compounded concerns about growth in China and proposed U.S. bank regulations …

Iran pressed ahead Monday with plans that will increase its ability to make nuclear weapons as it formally informed the U.N. nuclear agency of its intention to enrich uranium to higher levels.
Alarmed world powers questioned the rationale behind the move and warned the country it could face more U.N. sanctions if it made good on its intentions.
Iran maintains its nuclear activities are peaceful, and an envoy insisted the move was meant only to provide fuel for Tehran’s research reactor. But world powers fearing that Iran’s enrichment program might be a …

Rep. John Murtha, the tall, gruff-mannered former Marine who became the de facto voice of veterans on Capitol Hill and later an outspoken and influential critic of the Iraq War, died Monday. He was 77. The Pennsylvania Democrat had been suffering from complications from gallbladder surgery. He died at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., with his family at his bedside, the hospital said.
In 1974 Murtha, then an officer in the Marine Reserves, became the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress. Ethical questions often shadowed his congressional service, …