Tobacco, passive exposure

The phenomena of passive exposure is familiar to most nonsmoking individuals. Like many analytical instruments, the nose is an exquisite detector for some compounds, tobacco smoke being one. After exposure to tobacco smoke in a smoke-filled room and upon returning to his/her spouse that evening, the spouse may readily be able to tell that he/she had been in the presence of a smoker due to smoke clinging to the hair or clothing. 

Yes. In situations where drugs are known to be present in the environment, it is easy to demonstrate that passive exposure can produce positive hair analysis results. In a study by Haley and Hoffmaim of the nicotine and cotinine concentrations in the hair of smokers and nonsmokers, there appeared to be a higher average of nicotine in the unwashed hair of smokers (average 8.75 ng/mg). However, nonsmokers also had an appreciable level of nicotine (average 2.42 ng/mg) which overlapped that of smokers. In contrast, cotinine (the nicotine metabolite) does appear to be a marker of tobacco use in this population. More recently, Kintz and co-workers and Kintz proposed a cutoff level of 2 ng of nicotine/mg of hair to ehminate nonsmoking individuals. Even at this level, some nonsmokers would be positive. 

V. Hair Nicotine as a Marker of Passive Exposure to Tobacco.271... 

Noninvasive validation of tobacco smoking behavior is necessary for large population health studies. Moreover, a main problem in the risk assessment of passive smoking is the lack of a suitable methodology for the quantification of exposure. Measurements of nicotine in hair could prove to be a reliable marker for passive exposure. Several reports have presented data on nicotine in hair. ° Some have included the monitoring of cotinine, the major metabolite of nicotine. 

All the authors concluded that measurement of nicotine in hair can prove to be a reliable marker for passive exposure. Nicotine is specific to environmental tobacco smoke, and hair nicotine gives retrospectively a time-weighted average measurement of exposure for months. 

Grant, S. G. (2005). Qualitatively and quantitatively similar effects of active and passive maternal tobacco smoke exposure on in utero mutagenesis at the HPRT locus. BMC Pediatrics, 001 10.1186/ 1471-2431-5-20. 

Hugod C, Hawkins LH, Astrup P. 1978. Exposure of passive smokers to tobacco smoke constituents. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 42 21-30. 

Because 4-aminobiphenyl is found in tobacco smoke, one of the major routes of exposure for the general population is the passive and active inhalation of tobacco smoke. Laboratory personnel working with 4-aminobiphenyl without adequate personal protection may also be exposed occupationally by the dermal or inhalation route. 

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... 

Actual exposure for most of the United States population occurs from active or passive inhalation of the compounds in tobacco smoke, wood smoke, and contaminated air. and from eating the compounds in foods. Skin contact with contaminated water, soot. tar. and soil may also occur. Estimates for total exposure in the United States population have been listed as 3 mg/day. 

Hoffmann, D. and 1. Hoffmann Significance of exposure to sidestream tobacco smoke in Environmental carcinogens. Method of analysis and exposure measurement. Vol. 9. Passive smoking, edited by l.K. O Neill, K.D. Brunnemann, B. Dodet, and D. Hoffmann, lARC, Lyon, France, lARC Sci. Publ. No. 81 (1987) 8-10. Hoffmann, D. and 1. Hoffmann On the reduction of nicotine in cigarette smoke in Nicotine, smoking, and the low-tar programme, edited by N. Wald and P. Froggatt, Oxford University Press, New York, NY (1988) 200-211. 

Ogden MW, Nystrom CW, Oldaker GB III, Conrad FW Jr (1989b) Evaluation of a personal passive sampling device for determining exposure to nicotine in environmental tobacco smoke. Proc 1989 EPA/A WMA Int Symp Measurement of toxic and related air pollutants. Air and Waste Management Assoc, Pittsburgh, pp 552-558... 

J. Berthiller, A.J. Sasco, Smoking (active or passive) in relation to fertility, medically assisted procreation and pregnancy, J. Gynecol. ObsteL Biol. Reprod. 34 (3) (2005) 47-54. J.M. Rogers, Tobacco and pregnancy overview of exposures and effects. Birth Defects Res. C Embryo Today 84 (2008) 1-15. 

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