Biomarkers of Exposure to Secondhand and Thirdhand Tobacco Smoke: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives

Sònia Torres, Carla Merino, Beatrix Paton, Xavier Correig and Noelia Ramírez
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Sònia Torres: Department of Electronic Engineering, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Països Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
Carla Merino: Department of Electronic Engineering, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Països Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
Beatrix Paton: Department of Electronic Engineering, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Països Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
Xavier Correig: Department of Electronic Engineering, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Països Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
Noelia Ramírez: Department of Electronic Engineering, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Països Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona, Spain

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 12, 1-25

Abstract: Smoking is the leading preventable disease worldwide and passive smoking is estimated to be the cause of about 1.0% of worldwide mortality. The determination of tobacco smoke biomarkers in human biological matrices is key to assess the health effects related to the exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. The biomonitoring of cotinine, the main nicotine metabolite, in human biofluids—including urine, serum or saliva—has been extensively used to assess this exposure. However, the simultaneous determination of cotinine together with other tobacco biomarkers and the selection of alternative biological matrices, such as hair, skin or exhaled breath, would enable a better characterization of the kind and extent of tobacco exposure. This review aims to perform a critical analysis of the up-to-date literature focused on the simultaneous determination of multiple tobacco smoke biomarkers studied in different biological matrices, due to the exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) and thirdhand smoke (THS). Target biomarkers included both tobacco-specific biomarkers—nicotine and tobacco specific nitrosamine biomarkers—and tobacco-related biomarkers, such as those from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, metals and carbon monoxide. To conclude, we discuss the suitability of determining multiple biomarkers through several relevant examples of SHS and THS exposure.

Keywords: environmental tobacco smoke; secondhand smoke; thirdhand smoke; tobacco exposure biomarkers; biomonitoring (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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