ISSN:
1432-1246
Keywords:
Passive smoking
;
Health hazards
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Summary In an unventilated room (with or without the presence of ten volunteers) the atmosphere was polluted with sidestream smoke from cigarettes or with the gasphase or constituents of the gasphase of sidestream smoke. One control experiment with no intended air pollution was performed. The air concentrations of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, cyanide, acrolein, other aldehydes, nicotine, and total particulate matter were measured. By intermittent addition of freshly generated smoke over the three hour experimental period a constant air concentration of 20 ppm carbon monoxide was sustained. When no persons were present, the air concentration of the other measured tobacco smoke constituents remained constant. When persons were present, however, air concentrations of both gasphase and particulate phase constituents decreased during the experimental period. A considerable variation in the degree of exposure of the passive smokers to the various tobacco smoke constituents was found. In some of the experiments questionnaires concerning subjective annoyance, eye-, nose- and throat irritation were completed by the subjects. Stay in a gasphase polluted atmosphere was found equally annoying as in an atmosphere polluted with whole sidestream smoke. Air pollution with acrolein caused considerably less discomfort and this did not differ from the annoyance caused by staying in the closed, unventilated room with no intended air pollution. It is pointed out that in spite of an often considerable subjective discomfort, exposing non-smokers to tobacco smoke under realistic conditions will not cause inhalation of such amounts of the components of tobacco smoke traditionally considered harmful, that a lasting, adverse health effect in otherwise healthy, grown-up individuals seems probable.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00385708
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