Secondhand smoke

Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) mixture of smoke from the burning end of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar and smoke exhaled by the smoker (also secondhand smoke or passive smoking). 

Genetic factors cannot explain the recent rapid rise in asthma prevalence. Asthma appears to require both genetic predisposition and environmental exposure. Many patients with occupational asthma develop the disease late in life upon exposure to specific allergens in the workplace. Environmental influences in utero or in infancy may contribute to the development of asthma. Maternal smoking during pregnancy or exposure to secondhand smoke after birth increases the risk of childhood asthma.3 Adult-onset asthma is not uncommon and may be related to atopy, nasal polyps, aspirin sensitivity, occupational exposure, or a recurrence of childhood asthma. 

Patients who smoke should be strongly encouraged to quit cigarette smoking decreases the efficacy of inhaled corticosteroids and can trigger an acute asthmatic response.3 All patients should also avoid secondhand smoke. Parents of children with asthma should be instructed not to smoke in the home and not to allow others to smoke in the home. Patients should also avoid outdoor activities when air quality is poor and avoid exposure to other irritants such as hairspray, paint, exhaust fumes, and smoke from any fire. 

Lewis D, Antoniak M, Venn A, Davies L, Goodwin A, Salfield N, Britton J and Fogarty A. 2005. Secondhand smoke, dietary food intake, road traffic exposures, and the prevalence of asthma a cross-sectional study in young children. Am J Epidemiol 161 406-411. 

Dietary sources of nicotine have been alleged to be a potential confounder of cotinine levels used in measurement of secondhand smoke exposure. Several foods contain small amounts of nicotine (Siegmund et al. 1999). However, the levels of nicotine in foods are quite low. Based on nicotine levels in foods and the usual daily consumption of various nicotine-containing foods, it has been determined that... 

In driving-related court cases, it is often difficult to prove impairment, since even if the marijuana was used hours or days earlier, the metabolites are still being released from fat cells and excreted in urine. Defense arguments in cases with positive random urine tests include use of hemp seed oil, unknowingly ingesting marijuana-laced foods, or exposure to secondhand smoke. The latter argument is very dependent on the concentration of metabolite in urine. 

The presence of cocaine or benzoylecgonine in blood, urine, hair, or other tissues is indicative of cocaine usage. No other known substance can give rise to a false positive, and there are no legitimate excuses to account for a positive result. There are many reports of hospitalized infants and children with positive urine test results indicative of exposure to cocaine. The most likely route of exposure was secondhand smoke in homes where crack cocaine was used. 

In actual cases involving random employee urine tests that were positive for cocaine metabolite, people have offered many different ways of explaining the test results. For example, one person proposed that cocaine was put in his medication capsules, another that cocaine was added to her drink at a party, another person claimed that she inhaled cocaine as secondhand smoke while looking for someone in a crack house, and a garbage collector claimed that garbage bags had ripped open and covered him with white powder. Other explanations offered in defense... 

Many countries have banned smoking in public places to create smoke-free environments. This important step not only reduces passive smoking and the hazards of secondhand smoke, but also the risk that ex-smokers will be exposed to smoke, which as a contextual cue, may trigger relapse. 

Nicotine forms a number of metabolites in the body, mainly in the liver. Approximate 75% of nicotine is oxidized to cotinine, which is the primary nicotine metabolite. Cotinine can be measured in the blood, urine, and saliva and this is used as a measure of nicotine exposure in tobacco users and in those exposed to secondhand smoke. The oxidation of nicotine also produces nicotinic acid. Nicotinic acid is vitamin B3 and has the common name niacin. Niacin deficiency results in a disease called pellagra, which is found in certain malnourished populations. Pellagras symptoms include dermatitis, diarrhea, sensitivity to light, and dementia. 

Barnoya J, Glantz SA (2005) Cardiovascular effects of secondhand smoke nearly as large as smoking. Circulation 111 2684-98... 

It should go without saying that quitting smoking is an essential step. Secondhand smoke is also very harmful to your condition. After all, cigarette smoke contains over four thousand different chemicals that your body will have to process ... 

Use and exposure Acetone is a manufactured chemical that is also found naturally in the environment. It is a colorless liquid with a distinct smell and taste. It evaporates easily, is flammable, and dissolves in water. Acetone is used to make plastic, fibers, drugs, and other chemicals. It is also used to dissolve other substances. It occurs naturally in plants, trees, volcanic gases, and forest fires, and as a product of the breakdown of body fat. It is present in vehicle exhaust, tobacco smoke, and landfill sites. Industrial processes contribute more acetone to the environment than natural processes do. People are exposed to acetone in a variety of ways—for instance, through contaminated air in the workplace, with the use of household materials like nail polish and paints, contaminated food, and repeated breathing of secondhand smoke. ... 

Would a total ban on smoking cigarettes in public places, based on our knowledge about the effects of secondhand smoke, violate the individual s rights and freedoms in the United States ... 

Cigarette smoke is unhealthy even for people who don t have the nicotine habit themselves. Secondhand smoke can cause asthmatics and sufferers of sinusitis serious problems. Doctors regularly advise heart patients to avoid confined smoky areas because coronary attacks might be triggered by the lack of clean air. Moreover, having the smell of smoke in one s hair and clothes is a real nuisance. (5)Even if a person is without any health problems, exhaled smoke doubles the amount of carbon monoxide in the air, a condition that may cause lung problems in the future. 

United States Environmental Protection Agency. Setting the record straight Secondhand smoke is a preventable health risk, EPA document number 402-F-94-005, June 1994, www.epa.gov/smokefree/pubs/strsfs.html... 

United States Environmental Protection Agency. Respiratory health effects of passive smoking (also known as exposure to secondhand smoke or environmental tobacco smoke ETS), EPA document number EPA/600/6-90/006F, 1992, http //cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm deid=2835... 

Nicotine in tobacco is metabolized to cotinine and urinary cotinine levels serve as indicators of the levels of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), also referred to as secondhand smoke. In a Swedish study, a relationship between increased urinary cotinine level and increased risk for SAB was demonstrated. I30l No specific chemical (s) were identified as the causative agent (s). 

Exposure to secondhand smoke for 22 h per week increases AMI risk by 45%. 

Pechacek TF, Babb S. Commentaiy How acute and reversible are the cardiovascular risks of secondhand smoke BMJ2.00A 328 980-3. 

NCI (2007b). Secondhand Smoke Questions and Answers. National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD. Available at http //www.cancer. gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/ETS. Accessed January 19, 2009. 

Avoid smoking or excessive exposure to secondhand smoke while taking diese dru cigarette smoking during estrogen dierapy may increase die risk of cardiovascular effects. 

Topics addressed in the kit include mold, radon, secondhand smoke, asthma, portable classrooms, basic measurement equipment, hiring professional assistance, codes and regulations, and integrated pest management, as well as other typical indoor air pollutants and pollutants from motor vehicles and equipment. The program uses checklists for different job functions, e.g., facilities managers, teachers, nurses, food service workers, videos and awards programs, and fact sheets on major issues. 

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