Characterizing peak exposure of secondhand smoke using a real‐time PM _2.5 monitor

Abstract

Although short‐duration elevated exposures (peak exposures) to pollutants may trigger adverse acute effects, epidemiological studies to understand their influence on different health effects are hampered by lack of methods for objectively identifying peaks. Secondhand smoke from cigarettes (SHS) in the residential environment can lead to peak exposures. The aim of this study was to explore whether peaks in continuous PM2.5 data can indicate SHS exposure. A total of 41 children (21 with and 20 without SHS exposure based on self‐report) from 28 families in New York City (NY, USA) were recruited. Both personal and residential continuous PM2.5 monitoring were performed for five consecutive days using MicroPEM sensors (RTI International, USA). A threshold detection method based on cumulative distribution function was developed to identify peaks. When children were home, the mean accumulated peak area (APA) for peak exposures was 297 ± 325 hour*µg/m3 for children from smoking families and six times that of the APA from non‐smoking families (~50 ± 54 hour*µg/m3). Average PM2.5 mass concentrations for SHS exposed and unexposed children were 24 ± 15 µg/m3 and 15 ± 9 µg/m3, respectively. The average SHS exposure duration represents ~5% of total exposure time, but ~13% of children's total PM2.5 exposure dose, equivalent to an additional 2.6 µg/m3 per day. This study demonstrated the feasibility of peak analysis for quantifying SHS exposure. The developed method can be adopted more widely to support epidemiology studies on impacts of short‐term exposures.

Long-term Impact of Prior Secondhand Tobacco Smoke Exposure on Respiratory Health

“…1B)(30). Exposure of flight attendants to SHS was comparable to exposures that continue to occur today in casinos(59, 60), bars(61-63), nightclubs(61, 62), automobiles(64-66), and in the home(67), making the findings from this study relevant to people living in regions that lack public smoking bans, as well as those who continue to be exposed in family homes and vehicles(68).…”

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from non-tobacco sources in homes within high-income countries: a systematic review

“…By far, the most investigated source of PM 2.5 within home settings in HICs is second-hand tobacco smoke. Studies consistently show that the concentration of indoor PM 2.5 is significantly higher in smoking homes than non-smoking homes and often exceeds the WHO AQG (Semple et al 2015 ; Zhang et al 2020 ). The burning of solid or biomass fuels for the purpose of heating is one of the few non-tobacco household sources that has been investigated in HICs (Schluger 2014 ; Fleisch et al 2020 ; Chakraborty et al 2020 ).…”