This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Williams, R. Articles by Lewtas, J. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure of Young Children as Assessed Using a Passive Diffusion Device for Nicotine

Environmental Health Research and Testing, Research Triangle Park

Albert Collier

US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, N.C., USA

Joellen Lewtas

Center for Environmental Medicine and Lung Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Indoor air nicotine concentrations in the homes of young children (ages 1-3 years) were monitored for 48 h as part of a study to assess uptake, metabolism and urinary excretion of nicotine and its metabolites, including cotinine. Cotinine has been used as a biological marker for personal exposure to envi ronmental tobacco smoke (ETS). The evaluation of the utility of cotinine as a biomarker of exposure to ETS depends upon an accurate measure of the nico tine exposure. Personal exposure to nicotine was monitored using a passive diffusion monitor worn by the children. Identical-type stationary monitors were also placed in each home to measure indoor nicotine for comparison to personal monitors. Home and personal monitoring were conducted for a 48- hour period proceeding admittance of the children into a hospital clinical unit where smoking was prohibited. Personal monitors were also utilized to deter mine personal exposure to nicotine in the clinical unit. A total of 42 children and 34 homes were successfully monitored for airborne nicotine. Personal exposure ranged up to 47 µg/m³ with an arithmetic mean of 6.43 µg/m³ (geo metric mean = 2.52 µg/m³). In this population, 68% of the children were exposed to < 5.0 µg/m³ nicotine in the home. Higher exposures (5-25 µg/m³) were observed in 24% of the children. Indoor exposure in the home, measured by the stationary monitors, ranged up to 94 µg/m³ with an arithmetic mean of 8.43 µg/m ³ (geometric mean = 2.24 µg/m³). The higher levels of nicotine found with the stationary monitors indicated that ETS exposure in the central family room of each residence was greater than that observed when mobility (personal monitoring) was a factor. The passive diffusion monitors were easy to use and, combined with capillary gas chromatography with nitrogen-spe cific detection, allowed for nicotine detection limits as low as 0.025 µg/m³.

Key Words: Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) • Nicotine • Children • Diffusion monitor

Indoor and Built Environment, Vol. 2, No. 2, 98-104 (1993)
DOI: 10.1177/1420326X9300200205


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?