Researchers at the University of California, Davis have discovered hydrogen peroxide is the cancer causing agent in cigarettes.

Researches believe the new discovery could lead to “safer” cigarettes from the tobacco companies as well as new treatments for lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women. More people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined, with a five-year survival rate of 11.5%.

The average lifetime chance that a man will develop lung cancer is about 1 in 13. For a woman it is 1 in 16.