| Acute Sensory Responses of Nonsmokers at Very Low Environmental Tobacco Smoke Concentrations in Controlled Laboratory Settings Martin H. Junker, Brigitta Danuser, Christian Monn, and Theodor Koller Institute for Hygiene and Applied Physiology, Federal Institute of Technology, ETH-Center, Zürich, Switzerland, in collaboration with the Laboratory for Solid State Physics, Federal Institute of Technology, Hönggerberg, Zürich, Switzerland
Abstract
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 m3 per 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 m3 per 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. Key words: environmental tobacco smoke, indoor air quality, odor threshold, sensory symptoms, ventilation. Environ Health Perspect 109:1045-1052 (2001) . [Online 27 September 2001] http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2001/109p1045-1052junker/ abstract.html Address correspondence to B. Danuser, Institute for Hygiene and Applied Physiology, Federal Institute of Technology, Clausiusstr. 25, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland. Telephone: 0041 1 632 39 86. Fax: 0041 1 632 13 18. E-mail: brigitta.danuser@iha.bepr.ethz.ch We thank H.C. Siegmann and his team from the Laboratory for Solid State Physics for their excellent collaboration. Among them great appreciation goes to P. Cohn for his invaluable technical support. We thank M. Hangartner for the use of the olfactometer, S.I. Chol for technical assistance, S. Junker for laboratory assistance, and R. Knutti and N. Achermann for analyzing the VOCs. We also thank T. Blumenthal and R. Waeber for their excellent input. Received 30 May 2000 ; accepted 21 March 2001.
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