TY - JOUR T1 - Environmental monitoring of secondhand smoke exposure JF - Tobacco Control JO - Tob Control SP - 147 LP - 155 DO - 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2011-050301 VL - 22 IS - 3 AU - Benjamin J Apelberg AU - Lisa M Hepp AU - Erika Avila-Tang AU - Lara Gundel AU - S Katharine Hammond AU - Melbourne F Hovell AU - Andrew Hyland AU - Neil E Klepeis AU - Camille C Madsen AU - Ana Navas-Acien AU - James Repace AU - Jonathan M Samet AU - Patrick N Breysse Y1 - 2013/05/01 UR - http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/22/3/147.abstract N2 - The complex composition of secondhand smoke (SHS) provides a range of constituents that can be measured in environmental samples (air, dust and on surfaces) and therefore used to assess non-smokers' exposure to tobacco smoke. Monitoring SHS exposure (SHSe) in indoor environments provides useful information on the extent and consequences of SHSe, implementing and evaluating tobacco control programmes and behavioural interventions, and estimating overall burden of disease caused by SHSe. The most widely used markers have been vapour-phase nicotine and respirable particulate matter (PM). Numerous other environmental analytes of SHS have been measured in the air including carbon monoxide, 3-ethenylpyridine, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, tobacco-specific nitrosamines, nitrogen oxides, aldehydes and volatile organic compounds, as well as nicotine in dust and on surfaces. The measurement of nicotine in the air has the advantage of reflecting the presence of tobacco smoke. While PM measurements are not as specific, they can be taken continuously, allowing for assessment of exposure and its variation over time. In general, when nicotine and PM are measured in the same setting using a common sampling period, an increase in nicotine concentration of 1 μg/m3 corresponds to an average increase of 10 μg/m3 of PM. This topic assessment presents a comprehensive summary of SHSe monitoring approaches using environmental markers and discusses the strengths and weaknesses of these methods and approaches. ER -