ASSESSMENT OF AIR-QUALITY IN TURIN BY PERSONAL MONITORING OF NONSMOKERS FOR RESPIRABLE SUSPENDED PARTICLES AND ENVIRONMENTAL TOBACCO-SMOKE

Exposure to respirable suspended particles (RSP), environmental tobacc o smoke (ETS) particles, nicotine, and 3-ethenylpyridine (3-EP) was as sessed in Turin for 188 subjects during February and March 1995. Perso nal monitors were worn over a 24-h period, each subject providing a sa liva sample for cotinine analysis both prior to and following the moni toring period, Comprehensive lifestyle questionnaires were also comple ted before and after the 24-h monitoring period. The study comprised h ousewives in one group, primarily for assessing exposures in the home, and office workers in a second group to assess exposures in the workp lace. A single personal monitor was worn by each participating housewi fe, while employed subjects wore one monitor at work and a separate mo nitor at home and elsewhere, Based on median 24-h time-weighted averag e exposures, the most highly exposed subjects to RSP, ETS particles, n icotine, and 3-EP were office workers living with smokers and employed in locations where smoking was allowed. Annualised exposures for nons mokers living and working in smoking environments indicate that the ho me contribution to RSP is between 3 and 4 times that obtained from the workplace. Similarly nicotine and ETS particle contributions from the home are, respectively, 4 and 7 times more than those obtained from t he workplace, Subjects living and working with smokers had the highest median saliva cotinine levels of 1.7 ng mL(-1). Using a cut off level of 25 ng mL(-1), up to 6.5% of subjects were found to have misreporte d themselves as nonsmokers. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.