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Passive smoking at work: biochemical and biological measures of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke

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Summary

Several biochemical and biological measures of tobacco smoke intake were used to evaluate exposure of restaurant personnel to environmental tobacco smoke as compared with active smokers and non-exposed non-smokers. All of the measured parameters — carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb), thiocyanate (SCN) and cotinine in plasma, cotinine and mutagenicity in urine, total white blood cell count (WBC), and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequency in cultured lymphocytes — were significantly elevated in the smoker group (n = 22) compared to the non-exposed group (n = 20). Work-related passive exposure (n = 27) was seen most clearly in the cotinine values, both from plasma (mean P-cot in passive smokers 10 ng/ml vs 5.2 ng/ml in non-exposed) and from urine (mean U-cot in passive smokers 56 ng/ml vs 8.3 ng/ml in non-exposed), but significant increases were also seen in the thiocyanate levels (mean P-SNC in passive smokers 58 μmol/1 vs 46 μmol/1 in non-exposed) and, as a preliminary finding, in total leucocyte count (in passive smokers 8.0 × 109/1 vs 6.8 x 109/1 in non-exposed). The results demonstrate that environmental tobacco smoke may be an occupational health hazard.

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Husgafvel-Pursiainen, K., Sorsa, M., Engström, K. et al. Passive smoking at work: biochemical and biological measures of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. Int. Arch Occup Environ Heath 59, 337–345 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00405277

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00405277

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