Research paper
A pilot study on nicotine residues in houses of electronic cigarette users, tobacco smokers, and non-users of nicotine-containing products

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2015.03.003Get rights and content

Highlights

  • There are controversies whether e-cigarettes should be allowed in public spaces.

  • This study showed that thirdhand exposure to nicotine from e-cigarette is low.

  • Using e-cigarettes reduces thirdhand exposure to nicotine compared to smoking.

  • Nicotine is a common environmental contaminant found on indoor surfaces.

Abstract

Background

Nicotine deposited on the surfaces has been shown to react with airborne chemicals leading to formation of carcinogens and contributing to thirdhand exposure. While prior studies revealed nicotine residues in tobacco smokers’ homes, none have examined the nicotine residue in electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) users’ homes.

Methods

We measured nicotine on the surfaces in households of 8 e-cigarette users, 6 cigarette smokers, and 8 non-users of nicotine-containing products in Western New York, USA. Three surface wipe samples were taken from the floor, wall and window. Nicotine was extracted from the wipes and analyzed using gas chromatography.

Results

Half of the e-cigarette users’ homes had detectable levels of nicotine on surfaces whereas nicotine was found in all of the tobacco cigarette smokers’ homes. Trace amounts of nicotine were also detected in half of the homes of non-users of nicotine-containing products. Nicotine levels in e-cigarette users homes was significantly lower than that found in cigarette smokers homes (average concentration 7.7 ± 17.2 vs. 1303 ± 2676 μg/m2; p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the amount of nicotine in homes of e-cigarette users and non-users (p > 0.05).

Conclusions

Nicotine is a common contaminant found on indoor surfaces. Using e-cigarettes indoors leads to significantly less thirdhand exposure to nicotine compared to smoking tobacco cigarettes.

Introduction

Tobacco cigarettes and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) vary in many ways. Tobacco cigarettes emit smoke which is created by the combustion of tobacco whereas electronic cigarettes emit a vapour that is produced when an atomizer heats up e-liquid which is a nicotine solution in propylene glycol and/or vegetable glycerin. Tobacco smoke contains numerous toxicants that are formed by combustion such as carbon monoxide and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Although some toxicants have been found in e-cigarette vapours, the levels are significantly lower than in tobacco smoke (Goniewicz et al., 2014). Studies have shown that e-cigarette users exhale some vapour which contain nicotine, but at the significantly lower levels than the amount of nicotine released from tobacco cigarette secondhand smoke (Czogala et al., 2014). Therefore the bystander would be exposed to low nicotine in the air, while exposure to many toxicants would be significantly reduced or eliminated when compared to tobacco smoke.

Thirdhand cigarette smoke (THS) is the residue of secondhand smoke that can persist in air, dust and on surfaces (Bahl et al., 2014, Bell, 2014). This phenomenon has been documented for years in regards to tobacco cigarettes and recently has been gaining attention (Barnoya and Navas-Acien, 2013, Matt et al., 2011a). This is not because it is a new concept, but it is due to that fact that it was only recently named and depicted as an expected extension of secondhand smoke (Bell, 2014). It has been shown that THS is a result of burning tobacco cigarettes; however there is currently no data on whether using e-cigarettes in indoor spaces (so called ‘vaping’) can cause significant thirdhand exposure to nicotine.

Studies have shown that nicotine emitted with secondhand tobacco smoke can stick to various surfaces (Bahl et al., 2014, Matt et al., 2004, Sleiman et al., 2010). This residual nicotine can then react with other airborne oxidizing chemicals to create carcinogens and mutagens. These are usually in the form of tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) (Sleiman et al., 2010). Non-smoking residents and smokers are exposed to these chemicals in amounts 3–8 times higher when tobacco cigarette smoking occurs indoors compared to outdoors (Matt et al., 2004). One study found that cumulative TSNA exposure from THS is 16 times higher in toddlers and 56 times higher in adults than what would be inhaled by a non-smoker (Bahl et al., 2014). It was also reported that cumulative nicotine exposure from THS residue can be 6.8 times higher in toddlers and 24 times higher in adults (Matt et al., 2004).

We have previously shown that in controlled laboratory conditions vapours released directly from e-cigarette can be deposited on various surfaces and contribute to thirdhand exposure (Goniewicz & Lee, 2014). However, the exposure patterns and nicotine deposition in real-life situations (outside laboratory) may be affected by various environmental factors. For example, if inhaled nicotine is effectively absorbed from vapours in e-cigarette users’ lungs, the amount exhaled by users would be very low. The aim of this study was to verify whether nicotine from e-cigarettes can be deposited on surfaces in houses of e-cigarette users.

Section snippets

Settings

Subjects were recruited from a group of participants in a larger cross-sectional study aimed to measure biomarkers of exposure. Eligible participants had to live in the Buffalo city area and smoke or vape in their home regularly on a daily basis. It was also required that tobacco cigarettes had not been smoked in the homes of e-cigarette users for at least a year. Selected participants were asked for permission to collect wipe samples in their households. Total of 22 subjects agreed to provide

Results

We found that half of the e-cigarette users’ homes had measureable levels of nicotine on surfaces. Nicotine was found in all of the tobacco cigarette smokers’ homes. We also found that nicotine levels in e-cigarette users homes was significantly lower than that found in cigarette smokers homes (average concentration 7.7 ± 17.2 vs. 1303 ± 2676 μg/m2; p < 0.05).

Traces of nicotine were also detected in half of the homes of non-users of nicotine-containing products. There was no significant difference in

Discussion

We provided preliminary data on levels of nicotine deposited in houses of e-cigarette users. Nicotine was found in only half of the e-cigarette smoking homes. The levels of nicotine in e-cigarettes users’ homes were almost 200 times lower than the levels detected in tobacco smokers homes. These results indicate that using e-cigarettes indoors results in much lower exposure to nicotine residues on surfaces compared to smoking tobacco cigarettes.

Interestingly, nicotine was also found in half of

Funding

This study was supported by an award from the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation and by CI grant P30 CA016056.

Conflict of interest statement

MLG received a research grant from Pfizer, manufacturer of smoking cessation medication, outside scope of this work. DB reported no conflict of interest.

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