The Challenges of Limiting Exposure to THS in Vulnerable Populations

Our plain-English summary of The Challenges of Limiting Exposure to THS in Vulnerable Populations, by J.M. Samet, D. Chanson, H. Wipfli (Current Environmental Health Reports, 2015).

The study

• Authors: J.M. Samet, D. Chanson, H. Wipfli
• Journal: Current Environmental Health Reports
• Published: 2015;2(3):215-25
• Cited by: 12 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Research on active smoking and secondhand smoke exposure has led to policy changes to protect individuals from the adverse health impacts of tobacco smoke. Despite the extensive literature on tobacco, only recently has there been recognition that long-lived tobacco smoke components (known as "thirdhand smoke" or THS) in indoor environments where smoking has taken place may have adverse health consequences. This paper describes THS and addresses the challenges of limiting exposure to THS in vulnerable populations (e.g., nonsmokers and young children). We conducted a limited survey of key stakeholders in the Los Angeles area to better understand approaches to address THS in the real estate and automobile industries. Most respondents indicated concerns about past smoking for property value and reported using various techniques to eliminate THS. We consider examples of other pollutants as case studies, including radon, asbestos, and lead, to help frame policy directions for THS. Based on the information collected from stakeholders and the case studies, we offer policy approaches to managing THS.

In plain English

This article is a review of thirdhand smoke (THS), the tobacco smoke residue that stays on surfaces and in dust after smoking, combined with a small survey run by the authors. In 2013 they interviewed 27 realtors and 20 car dealers in the Los Angeles area, found largely through convenience sampling. Past smoking was reported as a concern for buyers by 73.0% of realtors and 100.0% of car dealers. Most realtors (70%) were reluctant to support mandatory cleaning of smoke smell or residue as a condition of home sales. Fewer than half of dealers supported mandatory disclosure or mandatory cleaning (45 and 47%). All realtors recommended carpet cleaning and painting. The article also described existing US policies for radon, lead and asbestos as possible models. For asbestos this included the 1986 Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act, which requires schools to inspect buildings for asbestos. That section summarized laws; no asbestos exposure was studied. The authors concluded that policies for lead, asbestos and radon offer a potential foundation for addressing THS. They noted that the health risks of THS are not yet characterized.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Review of thirdhand smoke and of policy case studies (radon, lead, asbestos), with a small interview survey of industry professionals
• Who was studied: Survey of 27 realtors and 20 car dealers in the Los Angeles area, with data collected in 2013
• Exposure: Thirdhand smoke (residual tobacco smoke chemicals on surfaces and in dust). Radon, lead and asbestos were discussed only as models for policy, not measured.
• Main results:
  • Past smoking was reported as a concern for buyers by 73.0% of realtors and 100.0% of car dealers (Table 1)
  • Among realtors, 70% were reluctant to support mandatory cleaning for smoke smell or residue as a condition of home sales
  • Among car dealers, 45% supported mandatory disclosure of past smoking in cars and 47% supported mandatory cleaning as a condition of car sales
  • All realtors surveyed recommended carpet cleaning and painting when preparing a home for sale
  • In the asbestos case study, the authors described the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (1986), which requires elementary and secondary schools to inspect buildings for asbestos and asbestos-containing materials
  • The authors wrote that their survey did not show strong support for mandatory disclosure or mitigation, but that public education and voluntary testing seem potentially feasible
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that policy approaches for lead, asbestos and radon provide a potential foundation for models to address thirdhand smoke
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Survey respondents were found mainly through convenience sampling
  • The health risks of thirdhand smoke have not yet been characterized
  • Measuring individual exposure to thirdhand smoke, and the resulting risks, is scientifically challenging

Related studies

• Are children more vulnerable to mesothelioma than adults? A comparison of mesothelioma risk among children and adults exposed non-occupationally to blue asbestos at Wittenoom — A. Reid, P. Franklin, et al. (2018)
• A Comparative Analysis of Lung Cancer Incidence and Tobacco Consumption in Canada, Norway and Sweden: A Population-Based Study — J. Chen (2023)
• Naturally occurring asbestos: a recurring public policy challenge — R.J. Lee, B.R. Strohmeier, et al. (2008)
• Environmental health of children — A.M. Dunn, C. Burns, et al. (2003)
• Biomonitoring of genotoxic effects for human exposure to nanomaterials: The challenge ahead — L. Gonzalez, M. Kirsch-Volders (2016)
• The contribution of environmental monitoring in the epidemiological assessment of exogenous risk. The experience of ARPA in the Emilia-Romagna Region of Italy — A. Zavatti, P. Lauriola (1999)

Browse more research in Current Environmental Health Reports, or return to medical research.