Abstract
Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) exposure of 255 nonsmoking subjects was assessed by several methods. Each subject wore a personal air sampler for 24 h, answered a questionnaire about air quality and ETS exposure, and provided saliva samples for cotinine analysis before and after the monitoring period. The study was conducted in the Leeds and Harrogate areas of northern England. Median exposure to ETS particles was below the detection limit of 4 μg m −3. Median exposure to nicotine was 0.5 μg m −3 and median saliva cotinine levels were 0.7 ng mL −1 and 0.6 ng mL −1 for the pre- and post-cotinine samples. Median exposure to particles from all sources was 142 μg m −3. Approximately 80% of subjects assessed their ETS exposure as none or low. On average, the home made the greatest contribution to ETS exposure, followed by leisure, and then work. Travel was a minor contributor to exposure. Overall, subjects with a partner who smoked were exposed to more ETS than subjects with no partner or a nonsmoking partner. However, there was considerable overlap in the exposures of individuals within these groups. Where subjects assessed their ETS exposure as none or low, this was generally supported by the direct measurements of exposure. However, for exposure assessed as moderate or high there was a wide range in the corresponding direct measurements. There was a moderate correlation between exposure to nicotine and exposure to ETS particles (R 2=0.66), but poor correlation between nicotine exposure and saliva cotinine levels (R 2=0.07 for pre- and R 2=0.13 for postcotinine samples). Overall, ETS made only a small (median 2.5%) contribution to particles from all sources as collected by the personal monitor. Exposure to ETS particles did not correlate (R 2=0.04) with exposure to particles from all sources. Out of 327 volunteers recruited as nonsmokers for this study, 53 (16%) were identified as likely smokers by saliva cotinine levels or detailed questioning.
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