INTRODUCTION: The home can represent a significant source of secondhand smoke (SHS), especially for individuals who live in close proximity to one another in multiunit housing (MUH). The objective of this study was to quantify real-time SHS transfer between smoke-permitted and smoke-free living units within the same MUH structure. METHODS: Air monitors were used to assess PM₂.₅, an environmental marker for SHS, in 14 smoke-free living units and 16 smoke-permitted units within 11 MUH buildings in the Buffalo, New York, area between July 2008 and August 2009. Air monitors were operated concurrently in both smoke-permitted and smoke-free units within each building. When feasible, additional monitors were stationed in shared hallways and on outdoor patios. Participants completed logs to document activities that could affect air quality. RESULTS: Evidence of SHS transfer from smoke-permitted units was detected in 2 of the 14 smoke-free units and 6 of the 8 hallways. Real-time PM₂.₅ plots and participant logs suggest that SHS transfer is a function of many determinants, including ventilation and proximity between units. Following stratification by time of day, median PM₂.₅ levels were greatest between 4:00 PM and 11:59 PM but varied by location: 10.2 μg/m³ in smoke-free units, 18.9 μg/m³ in hallways, and 29.4 μg/m³ in smoke-permitted units. CONCLUSIONS: This study documents SHS incursions from smoke-permitted units into smoke-free units and adjacent hallways within the same building. Since many factors appear to impact the amount of SHS transfer between these areas, the implementation of a smoke-free building policy represents the most effective way to ensure that residents of MUH units are not exposed to SHS.
INTRODUCTION: The home can represent a significant source of secondhand smoke (SHS), especially for individuals who live in close proximity to one another in multiunit housing (MUH). The objective of this study was to quantify real-time SHS transfer between smoke-permitted and smoke-free living units within the same MUH structure. METHODS: Air monitors were used to assess PM₂.₅, an environmental marker for SHS, in 14 smoke-free living units and 16 smoke-permitted units within 11 MUH buildings in the Buffalo, New York, area between July 2008 and August 2009. Air monitors were operated concurrently in both smoke-permitted and smoke-free units within each building. When feasible, additional monitors were stationed in shared hallways and on outdoor patios. Participants completed logs to document activities that could affect air quality. RESULTS: Evidence of SHS transfer from smoke-permitted units was detected in 2 of the 14 smoke-free units and 6 of the 8 hallways. Real-time PM₂.₅ plots and participant logs suggest that SHS transfer is a function of many determinants, including ventilation and proximity between units. Following stratification by time of day, median PM₂.₅ levels were greatest between 4:00 PM and 11:59 PM but varied by location: 10.2 μg/m³ in smoke-free units, 18.9 μg/m³ in hallways, and 29.4 μg/m³ in smoke-permitted units. CONCLUSIONS: This study documents SHS incursions from smoke-permitted units into smoke-free units and adjacent hallways within the same building. Since many factors appear to impact the amount of SHS transfer between these areas, the implementation of a smoke-free building policy represents the most effective way to ensure that residents of MUH units are not exposed to SHS.
Authors: Ryan David Kennedy; Stephanie Ellens-Clark; Laurie Nagge; Ornell Douglas; Cheryl Madill; Pamela Kaufman Journal: J Community Health Date: 2015-12
Authors: Shannon M Farley; Elizabeth Needham Waddell; Micaela H Coady; Victoria Grimshaw; Danielle A Wright; Jenna Mandel-Ricci; Susan M Kansagra Journal: J Urban Health Date: 2015-04 Impact factor: 3.671
Authors: A Feinberg; P M Lopez; K Wyka; N Islam; L Seidl; E Drackett; A Mata; J Pinzon; M R Baker; J Lopez; C Trinh-Shevrin; D Shelley; Z Bailey; K A Maybank; L E Thorpe Journal: J Urban Health Date: 2017-08 Impact factor: 3.671