FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HOUSEHOLD DUST AND SURFACES IMPORTANT AND HIDDEN SOURCE OF ‘PASSIVE SMOKING’ FOR YOUNG CHILDREN, SAYS SDSU STUDY
Press Release Courtesy of the British Medical Journal Specialty Journals

SAN DIEGO, Tuesday, February 24, 2004 – According to research co-written by San Diego State University Psychology Professor Georg Matt, households contaminated by environmental tobacco smoke could result in ‘passive smoking’ for young children and increase exposure. Over several weeks, this can expose children to levels of contaminants from second hand tobacco smoke that are "equivalent to several hours of active adult smoking," says the study as published this week in Tobacco Control, a publication for tobacco research distributed by the British Medical Journal.

The research also questions the idea that smoking outdoors will fully protect children from the harmful effects of tobacco smoke. The authors compared 49 homes, in all of which lived a child between 2 and 12 months old. Fifteen of the homes were occupied by non-smokers. Of the remaining 34, 17 were occupied by smokers, who attempted to protect their children by smoking outdoors, and 17 were occupied by smokers, who made no such attempts.

The researchers collected dust and surface wipe samples from the living room and the child's bedroom in each of the homes. They also took urine and hair samples from the child and placed a nicotine monitor in the living room and the child's bedroom.

The mothers were asked about the number of smoking and non-smoking visitors to the home, and to record daily the whereabouts and activities of their children. Levels of second-hand tobacco contaminants in the dust, air and surface samples from homes where smokers attempted to protect their children by smoking outdoors were up to seven times as high as those in homes whose owners did not smoke themselves.

Levels of tobacco contaminants in the homes of smokers who regularly smoked indoors were up to eight times higher than those where smokers went outdoors to smoke.

The components of cigarette smoke rapidly disperse and undergo further chemical changes, allowing them to be absorbed into the walls, floors, furniture, clothes, toys, and other household surfaces within minutes to hours after emission, say the authors. From there they can be re-cycled into the air over the course of hours or months, providing ongoing reservoirs of contamination.

Infants are at particular risk, comment the authors, because during the first year of life, they spend a great deal of time indoors and are close to contaminated sources. Although the absolute levels of exposure are low, compared with active adult smoking, over the course of weeks, the exposure is cumulative, say the authors.

To view the paper in full, visit http://press.psprings.co.uk/tc/march/29_tc3889.pdf.

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