Does the implementation of smoke-free laws and smoking culture affect exposure to tobacco smoking? Results from 3 hospitality settings in South Korea

Nicotine exposure from packaged cigarettes in tobacco retail settings

BACKGROUND

Although many studies on exposure to environmental tobacco smoke from passive smoking have been conducted, most of such studies have only focused on the chemicals produced by active combustion. The current study examined the extent to which uncombusted and packaged cigarettes in cigarette racks at retail stores diffuse airborne nicotine.

METHODS

Airborne nicotine samples were collected for 15 days on passive monitors mounted near the indoor cigarette racks (Point 1) and farthest point from the cigarette racks (Point 2) in tobacco retailer stores (N=95) in South Korea (5 months, data collection from January to May in 2022.

RESULTS

The average airborne nicotine level was 0.0908 ug/m3 at Point 1 and 0.0345 ug/m3 at Point 2. We found a positive correlation (r=0.647, p <0.001) in nicotine concentration between the two measurement points. The interior size of the target stores was positively correlated (r=0.334, p <0.001) with the within-store difference in nicotine concentration between the two measurement points. The airborne nicotine concentration at Point 1 was statistically significantly higher than at Point 2 (z=-2.326, p=0.020, effect size: 0.2215), especially at larger stores.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that packaged, unopened, and uncombusted cigarettes in cigarette racks at tobacco retailers emits airborne nicotine, which is a previously unrecognized source of nicotine exposure. This result has implications for policy considerations, such as the potential installation of ventilation systems on cigarette racks or the exploration of alternative packaging methods.

Evaluation of Thirdhand Smoke Exposure after Short Visits to Public Facilities (Noraebang and Internet Cafés): A Prospective Cohort Study

We aimed to evaluate the degree of thirdhand smoke (THS) caused by short-term exposure to smoking-related substances. To this end, we evaluated the change in concentration of a smoking-related urine biomarker in volunteers before and after visiting public spaces where there is likely THS exposure. We hypothesized that a visit to such public spaces would result in an increase in such biomarkers. Participants visited one of the predetermined facilities (noraebang, PC café) and revisited the same facility after 24 h, spending around 2 h per visit. We selected creatinine-corrected urine cotinine (CUC) as a biomarker to evaluate THS. In addition, we collected nicotine-derived nitrosamine ketone (NNK) from surface dust at each site with cotton swabs (diameter of 2.5 cm). We examined whether CUC concentration significantly changed across three time points (baseline, first visit, and second visit) via repeated-measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA). Moreover, we analyzed the interaction to determine whether cigarette smell affects the CUC concentration. Finally, CUC and dust NNK were analyzed with Pearson’s correlation. The CUC concentration did not increase from baseline to the first visit, but increased from the baseline to the second visit (Diff = Ln [0.565] ng/mg, P < 0.01). Further, the CUC concentration increased from the first to the second visit (Diff = Ln [0.393] ng/mg, p < 0.01). In the case of the interaction effect, there were statistically significant differences in CUC concentration depending on the smell of smoke in the facility (Diff = Ln [0.325], F value = 4.438, p value = 0.041). The change in CUC concentration from baseline to the second visit (r = 0.562, p < 0.001) and from the first to the second visit (r = 0.544, p < 0.001) were correlated with NNK concentration. We evaluated whether a short stay in a facility with smoke-related substances that adhere to the surrounding environment would expose individuals to THS even if they do not smell or are directly exposed to cigarette smoke. We confirmed that even two relatively short stays (approximately 2 h each) in a facility in which people had previously smoked can lead to THS exposure.