Acute Sensory Responses of Nonsmokers at Very Low Environmental Tobacco Smoke Concentrations in Controlled Laboratory Settings

The objective of this study was to provide a basis for effectively protecting nonsmokers from acute sensory impacts and for preventing deterioration of indoor air quality caused by environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) emissions. With an olfactory experiment we determined odor detection thresholds (OT)...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental health perspectives 2001-10, Vol.109 (10), p.1045-1052
Main Authors: Junker, Martin H., Danuser, Brigitta, Monn, Christian, Koller, Theodor
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Air Pollution, Indoor - analysis
Cigarette smoking
Cigarettes
Exposure chambers
Facility Design and Construction
Female
Humans
Indoor air quality
Irritation
Odors
Particle emission
Public Policy
Secondhand smoke
Sensory Thresholds
Smell
Startle reflex
Tobacco Smoke Pollution - analysis
Ventilation
Volatile organic compounds
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Summary:The objective of this study was to provide a basis for effectively protecting nonsmokers from acute sensory impacts and for preventing deterioration of indoor air quality caused by environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) emissions. With an olfactory experiment we determined odor detection thresholds (OT) of sidestream ETS (sETS), and with a full-body exposure experiment we investigated sensory symptoms at very low sETS exposure concentrations. OT concentrations for sETS are three and more orders of magnitude lower than ETS concentrations measured in field settings and correspond to a fresh air dilution volume of > 19,000 m3per cigarette, over 100 times more than had previously been suggested for acceptable indoor air conditions. Eye and nasal irritations were observed at one order of magnitude lower sETS concentrations than previously reported, corresponding to a fresh air dilution volume of > 3,000 m3per cigarette. These findings have great practical implications for defining indoor air quality standards in indoor compartments where ETS emissions occur. Our study strongly supports the implementation and control of smoking policies such as segregating smoking areas from areas where smoking is not permitted or instituting smoking bans in public buildings.
ISSN:0091-6765
1552-9924
DOI:10.1289/ehp.011091045