A groundbreaking study discovered that human bones act as a “permanent ledger,” preserving a chemical signature of tobacco use for centuries after death, proving the profound and lasting damage of smoking. By analyzing historical bone samples, researchers isolated 45 specific chemicals that form a definitive “smoking memory.” Smokers’ and non-smokers’ bones showed completely distinct, non-overlapping chemical profiles. The signature is permanent because bone is living tissue that constantly remodels. Toxic chemicals from tobacco are incorporated into the bone matrix as it reforms, creating a “chemical fossil” resistant to decay. The study found that heavy air pollution in 18th-19th-century London blurred the chemical signature,…

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