Assessment of air quality in Paris by personal monitoring of nonsmokers for respirable suspended particles and environmental tobacco smoke

Abstract

Exposure to respirable suspended particles (RSP), environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) particles, nicotine, and 3-ethenylpyridine (3-EP) was assessed in Paris for 222 subjects during March and April 1995. Personal monitors were worn over a 24-h period, each subject providing a saliva sample for cotinine analysis both prior to and following the monitoring period. Comprehensive lifestyle questionnaires were also completed before and after the monitoring period. The study comprised housewives in one group, primarily for assessing exposures in the home, and office workers in a second group to assess exposures in the workplace. A single personal monitor was worn by each housewife, while employed subjects wore one monitor at work and a separate monitor at home and elsewhere. Based on median 24-h time-weighted average exposures, the most highly exposed subjects to RSP, ETS particles, nicotine, and 3-EP were office workers living with smokers. Additionally, based upon nicotine exposures, subjects who were also employed in locations where smoking was allowed were the most exposed. Based upon median levels, housewives living in nonsmoking households would be exposed to 1 cigarette equivalent per y or less, compared with between 1.2 and 3 cigarette equivalents per y for housewives living in smoking households. Subjects living and working with smokers had the highest median saliva cotinine level of 1.6 ng mL −1. Using a cut off level of 25 ng mL −1 to indicate active smoking, up to 4.7% of the subjects were found to have misreported themselves as nonsmokers.