Assessment of air quality in Stockholm by personal monitoring of nonsmokers for respirable suspended particles and environmental tobacco smoke

摘要

Exposure to respirable suspended particles (RSP) from all sources and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) was assessed for 190 nonsmokers in Stockholm during 1994. Each subject wore a personal monitor for 24-h, provided saliva samples for cotinine analysis, and completed a detailed questionnaire about air quality and life-style. The subjects consisted of housewives and househusbands in one main group and working men and women in the second. The housewives and househusbands wore a single monitor throughout the 24-h period and the working subjects wore one monitor at work and a separate monitor while not at work. The geodemographic distribution of the recruited subjects accurately reflected the population of Stockholm. For most of the subjects, exposure to ETS and nicotine was at or below the limits of quantification (LOQ). This finding was supported by the fact that about 80% of the recruited subjects claimed that their exposure to ETS was "none" or "low." The concentration of RSP was found to be highest (median 39 μg • m~(-3)) in homes where smoking occurred and below the LOQ in the workplace irrespective of its smoking status. These levels are at the lowest end of typical indoor air levels for RSP. For the housewives and househusbands living in smoking homes (nonsmoking homes in parentheses), the median exposure levels were 39 μg • m~(-3) (18 μg • m~(-3)) for RSP, 17 μg • m~(-3) (0.12 μg • m~(-3)) for ETS particles, and 1.1 μg • m~(-3) (0.05 μg • m~(-3)) for nicotine. Both the pre- and postmonitoring cotinine saliva levels measured for these housewives and househusbands were 2.9 ng • ml~(-1) (pre-0.56 ng • ml~(-1), post- 0.41 ng • ml~(-1)). The highest exposure levels were recorded for the housewives and househusbands in the age range of 35—49 years.