Public Facility Utility and Third-Hand Smoking Exposure without First and Second-Hand Smoking According to Urinary Cotinine Level

Abstract

Third-hand smoke (THS) causes pathological changes in the liver, lungs, and skin. THS exposure can be ubiquitous, chronic, and unconscious. However, little is known about THS exposure in public facilities and its susceptible population. This paper aimed to identify which public facilities and socio-demographic groups were especially vulnerable to THS. Data from 1360 adults obtained from Korean National Environmental Health Survey I (2009–2011) were analyzed. To study the sole effect of THS, we restricted the study population to those participants who had never smoked and who had no exposure to second-hand smoke. The assessed variables included the type and frequency of public transportation, frequency of use of 12 different public facilities, and 8 socio-demographic factors. Urinary cotinine was used as a biomarker. T-tests and analysis of variance were used for univariate analyses, while generalized linear regression was used for multivariate analysis. Frequent use of public transportation, bars, internet cafés, and participants with low levels of education, divorced or bereaved, living in multi-unit houses, and with smokers within the family were associated with significantly high urinary cotinine levels. These findings indicate that the frequent use of public transportation, certain public facilities and certain socio-demographic factors can result in high THS exposure.

Dermal thirdhand smoke exposure induced epidermal alterations in human keratinocyte cells through oxidative damage and MMP‐1 expression

“…Apart from CS exposure such as first and secondhand smoke (SHS), involuntary exposure may occur via the residual part of CS: thirdhand smoke (THS). THS is residual tobacco smoke pollutants that accumulate on the surface of matter, furniture, carpets, clothes or even foods and dust and are able to produce secondary toxic compounds by reacting with oxidants 3 . People might be exposed to THS not only via inhalation, but also with ingestion and dermal contact.…”

“…THS is residual tobacco smoke pollutants that accumulate on the surface of matter, furniture, carpets, clothes or even foods and dust and are able to produce secondary toxic compounds by reacting with oxidants. 3 People might be exposed to THS not only via inhalation, but also with ingestion and dermal contact. Therefore, health hazards of THS should be mainly monitored in infants and toddlers since they are in close contact with these indoor surfaces in addition to the hand-to-mouth contamination.…”

Comparative Toxicity Responses of Thirdhand Smoke Derived from Conventional Cigarette and Heated Tobacco Products in Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells

“…According to the recent literature, the chemical dynamic of THS is quite different from firsthand smoke (FHS) and secondhand cigarette smoke (SHS) due to the delayed and aged exposure to smoke pollutants. In addition, the re-emitted gas phase represents a continuous environmental pollutant reservoir in terms of nicotine, nitrous acid, carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), and volatile organic components (VOCs) (5). Unfortunately, physical, and chemical cleaning techniques were shown to be ineffective in removing THS residue adsorbed on surfaces and materials.…”

Characterization of Urinary Cotinine Concentrations Among Non-smoking Adults in Smoking and Smoke-free Homes in the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) Cycle 3 (2015–2017)

“…Private indoor places, such as home environments, have limited regulations. When urinary cotinine concentration is used as a biomarker for SHS exposure, it was found to be higher in non-smokers who lived at home with smokers than in those who did not [6,7]. Even in smoke-free homes, non-smoking residents could be exposed to SHS due to SHS incursion from neighboring units or outside homes [8,9].…”