Inhalable Constituents of Thirdhand Tobacco Smoke: Chemical Characterization and Health Impact Considerations

Abstract

Tobacco smoke residues lingering in the indoor environment, also termed thirdhand smoke (THS), can be a source of long-term exposure to harmful pollutants. THS composition is affected by chemical transformations and by air−surface partitioning over time scales of minutes to months. This study identified and quantified airborne THS pollutants available for respiratory exposure, identified potential environmental tracers, and estimated health impacts to nonsmokers. In a ventilated 18 m 3 laboratory chamber, six cigarettes were machine-smoked, and levels of particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) and 58 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were monitored during an aging period of 18 h. Results were compared with field measurements taken in a smoker's home 8 h after the last cigarette had been smoked. Initial chamber levels of individual VOCs in freshly emitted secondhand smoke (SHS) were in the range of 1−300 μg m −3 . The commonly used SHS tracers 3-ethenylpyridine (3-EP) and nicotine were no longer present in the gas phase after 2 h, likely due mostly to sorption to surfaces. By contrast, other VOCs persisted in the gas phase for at least 18 h, particularly furans, carbonyls, and nitriles. The concentration ratio of acetonitrile to 3-EP increased substantially with aging. This ratio may provide a useful metric for differentiating freshly emitted (SHS) from aged smoke (THS). Among the 29 VOCs detected in the smoker's home at moderate to high concentrations, 18 compounds were also detected in simultaneously sampled outdoor air, but acetonitrile, 2-methyl furan, and 2,5-dimethyl furan appeared to be specific to cigarette smoke. The levels of acrolein, methacrolein, and acrylonitrile exceeded concentrations considered harmful by the State of California. An initial exposure and impact assessment was conducted for a subset of pollutants by computing disability-adjusted life years lost, using available toxicological and epidemiological information. Exposure to PM 2.5 contributed to more than 90% of the predicted harm. Acrolein, furan, acrylonitrile, and 1,3-butadiene were considered to be the most harmful VOCs. Depending on which criteria are used to establish the separation between SHS and THS, 5−60% of the predicted health damage could be attributed to THS exposure. Benefits and limitations of this approach are discussed.

Thirdhand smoke: when the danger is more than you can see or smell

“…Meanwhile, levels of the substance deposited on furniture surfaces did not differ between smoking and non-smoking rooms in the hotels 43 . The only semi-volatile amine found in the gaseous phase two hours after burning the cigarette was 3-EP, but it later disappeared (at 18 hours), probably due to the high adsorption to surfaces 55 .…”

“…Sleiman et al 55 suggested that chlorinated compounds and chloride ions could react and form chloromethane and dichloromethane, two substances that are not usually present in ETS. Pesticide residues in tobacco and in the bleaching agents used in cigarette paper are the probable sources of these chlorinated compounds.…”

“…Eight hours after the last cigarette was smoked in the house, some pollutants were found exclusively or predominantly indoors. Therefore, acetonitrile, 2,5-DMF, 2-methylfuran, p-xylene, acrolein, benzaldehyde, metacrolein, heptane, undecane, 1-nonene, and isoprene may be useful markers of THS 55 .…”

Removal of nicotine from indoor air using titania-modified polypropylene fibers: nicotine decomposition by titania-modified polypropylene fibers

“…More and more attention is paid to the problem of ''indirect'' smoking, i.e., secondhand smoking (SHS), but also third-hand smoking (THS) (WHO 2010; US Department of Health and Human Services 2006;Hu and DesMeules 2007;IARC 2004;State of California EPA 2005;Nebot et al 2009;Matt et al 2011;Petrick et al 2011;Sleiman et al 2014;Al-sarraf et al 2015). This problem refers not only to traditional cigarettes, but to e-cigarettes (Flouris et al 2013;Stillman et al 2015;Czogała et al 2014) as well.…”

Dermal Uptake from Airborne Organics as an Important Route of Human Exposure to E-Waste Combustion Fumes

“…Thus, the possibility for reemission of sorbed pollutants from fabrics is high, causing adverse health effects. Recent studies showed that exposure to smoke fume constituents reemitted from fabrics, 39 defined as third-hand smoke, could cause significant genetic damage in human cells. 40 Faulde et al 35 reported that untreated fabrics were crosscontaminated by permethrin-impregnated uniforms during storage, whether contact was direct or indirect.…”