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Critique of the Report Entitled Environmental Tobacco Smoke: A Compendium of Technical Information U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Chapters 5-8
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Related Documents:- 88772371-2597 United States Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Tobacco Smoke: A Compendium of Technical Information Comments of the Tobacco Institute 900205 Reviewers' Statements
- 88772372-2379 Comments on Chapter 3
- 88772380-2396 Review of: Environmental Tobacco Smoke A Compendium of Technical Information
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- 88772534-2540 Review of Chapter 8 by D. Hoffmann, K.D. Brunnemann, and N. J. Haley of the Draft Compendium of Technical Information on Ets Edited by the Environmental Protection Agency
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- Leaderer, B.P.
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- Mehlius
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CRITIQUE OF THE REPORT ENTITLED
Environmental Tobacco Smoke:.
A Compendium of Technical Information
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Chapters 5-8
Prepared by:
Mark J. Reasor, Ph.D.
,
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Ii
I received the B.S. (1967) and M.A. (1969) degrees
in Biochemistry from Purdue and Duke Universities,
respectively. I received the Ph.D. degree in Biochemical
_Toxi-cology from <the.-Johns =Hopkins--Univers~.ty in 1975. In
1975-76, I performed postdoctoral work in pharmacology- at the
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, North
Carolina. I then became an Assistant Proi:essor of
Pharmacology and Toxicology at West Virginia University in
1976, and achieved tenure at that institui:ion in 1984. I am
certified in general toxicology by the American Board of
Toxicology.
Since 1969, I have published 66 research articles in
the fields of pharmacology and toxicology. I am an Editorial
Board member of Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, an
.official journal of the Society of Toxicology, and am an
Associate Editor of Journal of Toxicology and Environmental
Health. I have published one book chapter and one review
article on environmental tobacco smoke: (1) Biological
markers in assessing exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.
In: Environmental Tobacco-Smoke: Proceedings_.of the

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International Symposium at..McGi11 UniversiLy (D. Ecobichon-.and
J.M. Wu, eds.), Lexington Books, Lexington, MA, pp. 69-77,
1990; (2) The composition and dynamics-of environmental
tobacco smoke. J. Environ. Health 50: 20-24, 1987. A copy of
my curriculum vitae is attached.
I have been asked to review Chapters Five through
Eight of an EPA draft compendium of technical literature on
environmental tobacco smoke.
OVERVIEW
Aspresented, the four chapters addressing aspects
of exposure to ETS do not effectively present the issues
associated with this topic. This is due, in part, to the
omission of cer,tain information and redundancy among the
chapters. One way to remedy this situation would be to
reorganize this section with the addition of another chapter.
A suggested framework for this reorganization is presented in
this introductory overview. The remaining sections of this
critique will provide specific comments on individual
chapters.
The first chapter in the series on exposure should
be concerned with the chemical compositiorr of ETS. This
chapter would provide a basis for discussing the issues
related to exposure. Without an appreciation of the problems
inherent in analyzing the composition and properties of ETS, a
discussion of the assessment of exposure cannot be fully
evaluated. Aspects of composition are sczttered throughout -
ob.
T
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N
~
rA
~A

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the four chapters-; thus. the -reader never- iecei-ves :a
comprehensive analysis of the subject. Azeas that should be-
discussed include the-results and limitations-of controlled
laboratory studies examining sidestream smoke as a surrogate
for ETS, a critique of the use of mainstream to sidestream
smoke ratios in the comparison of exposure to ETS with active
smoking, and field studies on the composition of ETS. The
role of aging in determining the chemical composition and
particle sizes of ETS should also be carefully considered.
A chapter examining the significance of ETS in
indoor air pollution-should be the second chapter in the
series. This chapter should include a more general discussion
of indoor air pollution, in which the overall contribution of
ETS is put in a proper perspective.. Chapter 6, "Exposure to
Air Pollutants," does not succeed in this respect; the
chapter's singular focus on ETS gives the reader the
impression that it is the only significant: source of indoor
air pollution.
The chapter on "Measuring Exposure to Environmental
Tobacco Smoke" would follow, expanded to provide an in-depth
discussion of the problems inherent in specifically measuring
exposure to ETS. Considerations of poteni:ial airborne markers
and their limitations, proper experimenta:L design, and
appropriate equipment to measure the various ETS constituents
should be included. At present, Chapter !i does only a fair
job on part of this topic.

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f- I
Next, the Compendium-,might- include--a-chapter- on -
mathematical modeling, which may present a usefuI approach to
exposure estimation under appropriate.cirtumstances:- However,-.
the contribution of this approach to a better understanding of
ETS exposure can only be assessed if the limitations of
modeling are clearly discussed. At present, Chapter 7 fails
to address these limitations, particularly the heavy reliance
on existing data and the necessity of making certain
assumptions of questionable validity. As presented, Chapter 7
should be retitled to more correctly reflect the nature of the
material_presented. -For example, a title of "Assessment of
Exposure to ETS: Use of Mathematical Mode!ls" is more -
descriptive of the author's presentation.
The final chapter of this section would discuss the
use of biological markers for assessing exposure to ETS. The
present Chapter 8 provides a good general overview of the
subject, but the evaluation of the literature could be more
comprehensive.
Overall, I found the chapters superficial in places,
somewhat redundant (particularly regardin(.1 the composition of
ETS and the use of biological markers),*contradictory on
certain topics (use of carbon monoxide as a marker for ETS:
Chaps. 5 & 6; use of cigarette equivalents: Chaps. 6 & 8), and
not very effective in achieving the goal stated in the title
of the document. The individual chapters were of widely
varying quality, and except for Chapter 5 and parts of Chapter
8, did a poo-r job- of present-ing,a balanced==ana1_ys-is.-of- the--

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issues. At the least, each :chapter- shoul9.=contain-.a. section..-
dealing with future needs to give the rea9er an idea of where
deficiencies exist and how-they can-be ad3ressed.-.With these
general comments in.mind, the following.discussion-will focus
on the problems associated with each chapter. Suggestions for
improvements will be made where appropriate. The page on
which an item of attention is located will be noted in
brackets, e.g., [p.54]. Additional relevant references will
be cited at the end of the discussion of each chapter.
C<~S

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Chapter 5
Measuring Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke
Br.ian P. Leaderer
In general, Dr. Leaderer presents a reasonably
balanced analysis of this topic. In particular, he is careful
to list the limitations associated with the use of certain
substances as markers for ETS. The author should discuss and
reference recent studies from the laboratcry of Dr. Delbert
Eatough (Eatough et al., 1989, 1990; Tang et al., 1988) that
- have-, examined:tobacco-specific chemicals Euch as solanesol,
3-ethenylpyridine, and particulate phase ricotine, for_use as
markers. These are significant studies ir this field, and
should be thoroughly reviewed in any chapter on exposure.
Eatough et al. utilized 'the annular denuder system for
measuring vapor phase nicotine; therefore, in light of the
discussion on this technique [p.62], the <<uthor should be
familiar.with this research. Ultraviolet particulate matter
(UV-PM) may have value in monitoring the particulate phase of
ETS (Carson and Erikson, 1988). The use of tobacco-specific
nitrosamines as markers For ETS would be of particular value
because of their potential health effects, However, they have
not been detected in room air (Klus et al,, 1985).
- Personal monitoring can provide an integrated
measure of anindividual's exposure since all of the material
collected by a sampler is retained for analysis. In contrast
to what the author states [p.54], biomarkers- are not

- 7 -
necessarily effective in providing= an--integrated-measure of -
exposure. Since biomarkers decay with time from tissue and
fluids, a person heavily exposed to an airborne contaminant-
may show no detectable level of the biomarker if sampling
occurs long after exposure is terminated. In this
circumstance, an integrated measure of exposure would be
impossible to obtain.
In general, statements made by the author could be
better referenced. For example, in Table 1, it would be
valuable to provide citations of studies ahere these
--techniques formeasur-ing-RSP have been used. This would
enable the interested reader to evaluate the statement that
all of the methods have been used with success in chamber and
field studies [p. 60-61]. By referencing articles, it would
be possible to obtain more detailed technical information on
the technique. A general problem throughout the chapter in
evaluating statements was that no references were included in
the copy I received.
REFERENCES
Carson JR and Erikson CA: results from survey of environmental
tobacco smoke in offices in Ottawa, Ontario. Environ.
Tech. Lett. 9: 501-508, 1988.
Eatough DJ, Benner CH, Bayona JM, Richards G, Lamb JD, Lee
ML, Lewis EA, and Hansen LD: Chemical composition of.
environmental tobacco smoke. I. Gas--phase acids and
- bases. Environ. Sci. Technol. 23:, 679-687, 1989.
Eatough D.J.,Hansen LD, and Lewis EA: The chemical
characterization of environmental tobacco smoke in
Environmental Tobacco Smoke, Proceed'.ngs of the
International Symposium at McGill Un:.versity of 1989,
Ecobichon DJ and--Wu-JM, edi-tors-, Lex'..ngton--Books, DC--
Health and Co., Lexington, Mass., pp,. 3-50, 1990

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Klus H, Begutter H, Nowak A, Pinterits= G, -Ult-sch-, and Wihli~dal-
H: Indoor air pollution due to tobacco smoke under real
conditions. Preliminary results. Tokai J. Exp. Med. 10:
331-340, 1985.
Tang H, Richards G., Gunther K, Crawford J, Lee ML, Lewis EA,
and Eatough DJ: Determination of ga:>-phase nicotine and
3-ethenylpyridine and particulate phase nicotine in
environmental tobacco smoke with a collection bed
capillary gas chromatography system. J. High Resol.
Chromat. Chromat. Commun. 11: 775-782, 1988.
~..

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Chapter..6
Exposure to Air Pollutants
John McCarthy,_ Elizabeth Miesner,.arid -John Spengler.-
This chapter does not present a balanced picture of
the subject. The title of the chapter is misleading; the
authors do not discuss exposure to air pollutants, rather they
limit their presentation to ETS. The reader does not obtain
an impression of the relationship of ETS to the overall
problem of indoor air pollutants. In fact:, as Dr. Spengler
has discussed in a previous publication (;tpengler and Sexton,
1983),.indoor.air pollution,can arise from a multitude of
sources. The authors should be encouraged to discuss this
relationship in an effort to provide a more balanced pre-
sentation of the topic.
The authors do not discuss the ].imitations or
qualifications associated with the statements they make on a
number of issues. For example, their discussion of the
composition of ETS [p. 76] is much too siriplistic and
misleading. The studies and values cited in Table 3 relate to
freshly generated sidestream smoke and noi: to ETS. It is also
important to point out that these values were generated under
.standardized laboratory conditions and may have little
relationship to ETS as it exists in the arabient environment.
The-reasons for this include: 1) ETS is composed of both
sidestream smo,ke and exhaled mainstream smoke, the latter of
which has not been characterized. The re:lative contribution
of each of these types.of-smoke to ETS-has not-been.measured -
c.r

under laboratory or ambient_conditions; and 2) the process of=
aging markedly affects the composition-of ETS, making simple
sidestream smoke. values -difficult, if not impossible-,--to
interpret.
The aging of ETS should be discussed in detail,
since an appreciation of this process is essential in
-evaluating da,ta on ETS. For example, Pritchard et al., (1988)
reported that a significant fraction of the particulate matter
in ETS evaporates under ambient conditions. Benner et al.,
(1989), reported that particles in ETS -coagulate as they age.
Tang et al., (1988),=demonstrated that constituents of ETS
decay at different rates in a ventilated indoor laboratory.
Also, ultraviolet light caused marked changes in the phase
distribution of nicotine in ETS. Vu Duc and Huynh (1987)
observed that the half-lives of particles from sidestream
smoke vary as a function of size. It should follow that an
additional problem is the use and interpretation of ratios of
sidestream smoke to mainstream smoke to compare levels of
chemicals in each type of smoke. Considering the problems of
using sidestream smoke as a surrogate for ETS, such values are
virtually meaningless. Furthermore, the amounts of each type
of smoke generated are dependent on the smoking patterns of
individuals; the deeper the inhalation (leading to increased
deposition) and the more frequent the puff ( leading to
increased production.of mainstream smoke), the less ETS will
be generated from a cigarette.
I

i
;
i _:
For the_ sake o£-balance-,--the-_aul;.hor-s..-should--discuss._
the published studies indicating that ETS does not appear to
make a major contr-ibution-to indoor~air pollution.: In studies
in the United States and Canada, Sterling et al., (1987-) and
Sterling and Mueller, (1988) concluded that ETS does not make
a significant contribution to either indoor air quality or
health and comfort symptoms associ-ated with the "sick building
syndrome." Since 1978, NIOSH has conducted numerous
investigations of buildings with health and comfort
complaints. Nearly half of the complaints were associated
with-,;i-nadequate,ventilation (Mehlius et al., 1984). Only 2%
of the complaints involved ETS. _
Another problem area is the sec:ion in which the
authors present data on levels of RSP in homes [p.68-69].
What conclusions are to be drawn from the results of these
studies? In the article by Spengler et aL., (1981), the
actual amount of smoking was not reported, thus the reader has
no way of assessing the limitations of the conclusions
regarding levels of RSP per smoker. It would be appropriate
for the authors to discuss problems in interpreting such data,
and to indicate how particular levels relate to health
effects.
Certain conclusions in the Summary section are not
supported by information presented in the text or in the
literature. For example, the statement that "Environmental
~
tobacco smoke is the primary contaminant causing elevated RSP C?~
~
levels in enclosed spaces.°- is too-absolute-:- A more-accu-rate- .F
_tV
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~1d
statement would_be "In enclosed spac.es--in which smoking
occurs,. ETS may be a major cause of elevated RSP levels."
Certainly, there are many enclosed spaces in which ETS makes-
no contribution to RSP because smoking is not occurring. Even
where smoking does occur, not all studies have been properly
controlled to permit such an absolute statement. For example,
in the study by Weber and Fisher (1980) cited by the authors,
baseline values of particles were determined at a time when
the rooms were unoccupied. These values ;aere subtracted from
values obtained when the rooms were occupied and smoking was
occurring. -To control for particles generated by occupancy,
the proper condition to establish the baseline is wherL the
only variable is the occurrence of smoking. Occupancy and
other human activity should be the same during the baseline
and experimental conditions.
In summary statement #2, the authors are in conflict
with the conclusions of Dr. Leaderer in Chapter 5[p.56].
Evidence hasnot been provided which allows this statement to
be made. In fact, it is well established that carbon monoxide
levels do not change very much due to ETS (Carson and Erikson,
1988; Hugod, 1985; Proctor, 1988; Sterling and Mueller, 1988).
None of the other chemicals mentioned in the statement have
beenstudied thoroughly enough to support this conclusion. If
the authors have references in support of these statements,
they should be provided.
Generally, the authors should te more comprehensive
in citings references for statemen.ts- they make- throughout- the; -

LJ
chapter. Further.,. there -are several point:s.-.on_ whi-ch_ .the -
authors have presented inappropriate information, not .
thoroughly referenced- statements, or have.-cited --studies -thart
are not contemporary and omitted those that are contemporary.
For example, inclusion of the work by Wallace et al.
(1987), [p.71], is inappropriate, since that study's
conclusion that cigarettes are a major source of benzene is
relevant only to active smoking and not e:cposure to ETS.
Another example is the citation to Dzubay and Stevens, 1975,
as support for the statement that at leasi: 75$ of the sulfur,
zinc,-bromide-and lead are found in the s:.ze range of <2.5 um.
[p.66]. Based on one reference from that long.ago, it_ is not
valid to make such a definitive statement.
It is not clear that the data collected in 1981 and
presented in Figure 3 are an accurate ref:lection of present
exposure conditions [p.68]. Since this document deals with.
technical information, it would be an app::opriate place to
discuss the proper experimental design fo:- studies measuring
the contribution of ETS to RSP or any other constituent of
indoor air. For example, as mentioned ea:lier, the proper
controls in such studies should be measurements in the same
environment with the same number of peopl,2 and the same level
of activity, but with no smoking occurring. It is appropriate
to critique the studies of Weber and Fiscler, (1980) [p.69],
Quant et al.,'(1982) [p.69], and others on the basis of design
flaws, and to question the conclusions that can be drawn if
proper experimental design is not utilize3-.-

,J
A number. of articles more recent -than those- cited--in -
Tables 5 and 6 have been reported where particulates and
nicotine have been measured under--realist_i::-conditions: For-
example: Sterling et al., 1987; Mattson et al, 1989;
Henderson et al., 1989; Sterling and Mueller, 1988. These
articles should be cited and reviewed.
Comments on future directions that should be taken
in this area would be appropriate.
REFERENCES
L
.Benner CL,.--Bayona JM, Caka FM, Tang H, Lewis L, Crawford J,
Lamb JD, Lee ML, Lewis EA, Hansen LD, and Eatough DJ:
Chemical composition of environmental tobacco smoke. 2.
Particulate-phase compounds. Environ. Sci. Technol. 23,
688-698, 1989. -
Carson JR and Erikson CA: Results from survey of environ-
mental tobacco smoke in offices in Ottawa, Ontario.
Environ. Tech. Lett. 9: 501-508, 1988.
Eatough DJ, Hansen LD, and Lewis EA: The chemical
characterization of environmental tobacco smoke in
Environmental Tobacco Smoke, Proceedings of the
International Symposium at McGill University 1989,
Ecobichon DJ and Wu JM, editors, Lexington Books, DC
Heath and Co., Lexington, Mass. pp. 3-50, 1990.
Henderson FW, Reid HF, Morris R, Wang O-L, Hu Pc, Helms RW,
Forehand L, Mumford J, Lewtas J, Haley NJ, and Hammond
SK: Home air nicotine levels and urinary cotinine
excretion in preschool children. Am. Rev. Resp. Dis.
140: 197-201, 1989.
Hugod C: Exposure to smoke constituents by passive smoking.
Tokai. J. Exp. Med. 10: 401-405, 1985.
Mattson ME, Boyd G, Byar D, Brown C, Callahan JF, Corle D,
Cullen JW, Greenblatt J, Haley NJ, Hammond SK, Lewtas J,
and Reves.W: Passive smoking on commercial airline
flights. JAMA 261: 867-872, 1989.
Mehlius J, Walingford R, Keenlyside R, et. al.: Indoor air
quality; the NIOSH experience.- Meeting-of -the-=American-= -
Congress of Government Hygienists, 1984.

Muramatsu M, Umemura S,.Fukui_J-, Arai T, and-Kira S:
Estimation of personal exposure to ambient nicotine in
daily environment. Int. Arch. Occup. Environ. Health 59:
545-550, 1987.
Pritchard JN, Black A, and McAughey JJ: The physical behavior
of sidestream tobacco smoke under ambient conditions.
Environ. Tech. Lett. 9: 545-552, 1988.
Spengler JD and Sexton K: Indoor air pollution: A public
health perspective. Science 221: 9-17, 1983.
Sterling TD, Collet CW and Sterling EM: Environmental
tobacco smoke and indoor air quality in modern office
work environments, J. Occup. Med. 57-62, 1987.
Sterling TD and Mueller B: Concentrations of nicotine, RSP,
CO and CO in nonsmoking areas of offices ventilated by
air recirgulated from smoking designated areas. Am. Ind.
Eya. Assoc. J. 49: 423-426, 1988.
Vu Duc TV and Huynh CK: Deposition rates of sidestream smoke
particles in an experimental chamber. Toxicol. Lett. 35:
59, 1987.

Chapter 7
Exposure Assessment in Passive! Smoking
James L. Repace----
{1
In this Chapter, the author relies extensively on
modeling to assess exposure to ETS. While modeling may be
useful under appropriate circumstances, the author's approach
to it here oversimplifies a complex exposure problem. For the
presentation to be balanced, it should be pointed out that
there are limitations to modeling, such as the heavy reliance
on published data and the need to make nurierous assumptions
that might not be valid. The lack of qua:.ifications gives the
reader a misleading impression of the nature of such an
approach. In many instances, the author has relied on reviews
of the literature, such as the reports by the Surgeon General,
the National Research Council and IARC. ~'he primary
literature sources, rather than these rev::ews, should be
cited.
The statement is made that ETS :Ls the dominant
contributor to indoor levels of RSP [p.801. What is the
evidence to support that statement? A mo:-e correct statement
would be "that in certain indoor environments, ETS may be the
dominant contributor to RSP levels."
A strong case can be made that RSP is not the best
measure of air contamination due to ETS []?.80], principally
due to its lack of specificity for ETS. Nicotine may be a
better marker because of its tobacco-specificity and ease of
measurement (Eatough et al., 1990). However, because of its
U

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rapid decay during ag.ing,_ severe limitationsn exist. in the.use_=
of nicotine as a surrogate for ETS (Eatoucih et al., 1990).
It is-not clear that the author is correct in
assuming that it is almost impossible for nonsmokers to avoid
some exposure to ETS, [p.80). This is too strong of a
generalization. While there may be some data to support this
statement, it is clear that many nonsmokers can avoid exposure
to ETS, particularly with all of the present smoking restric-
tions. For a balanced presentation, the ZLuthor should cite
and discuss other work that indicates that, ETS may not
contribute significantly to indoor RSP (Sterling et al.,
1987).
In places, the author relies on data that were
obtained as long as 20 years ago. For exzimple, the author
cites a 1970 reference to support an assertion about the
number of homes containing children and smokers [p.86]. There
is no reason to-believe that these figures are accurate,
particularlywith the decline in cigarette! smoking. The
author should cite more contemporary research in this area or
qualify his statements. The same comments apply to the data
in Table 10.
A number of publications have ai:tempted to
quantitatively compare exposure to ETS wit:h that of active
smoking through the use of "cigarette equ:.valents." While
alluding to the limitations of using such a value, the author
should comment more thoroughly on the ovel-a11 validity of this
concept in order-to have a balanced presentation-of the -

r
subject [p.89].. Cons.ideri-ng-the-chemical complexity and..
dynamics of ETS, the concept of cigarette equivalents has
little util.ity. This is particularly true when-.values are
based upon a single component of ETS such as nicotine or
cotinine levels in biological fluids.
The presentation contains a numter of misleading
statements, assumptions, and omissions. For example, in
contrast to what the author claims [p.89], there is evidence
that nicotine is cleared from the body at different rates in
smokers and nonsmokers (Kyerematen et al., 1982). Further, in
addressing:the use of-nicotine as a marker for ETS exposure
[p.89], the author states that "it has been calculated- that a
nonsmoker would inhale volatile nitrosamires equivalent to 10
nonfilter cigarettes or 35 filter cigaretts." The term
"calculated" implies that there is no question of the validity
of the data from which the calculations were made. The term
"estimated" would be more accurate here since the data being
relied on are only estimates to begin with. It is also
inappropriate for the author to use the term "typical
nonsmoker" in making generalizations about: body burden
nicotine [p. 91-92]. A more accurate typology would be
"nonsmokers who work with smokers." Another example is the
author's use of the term "ETS carcinogens" [p.92]. This
statement assumes that ETS is carcinogenic, but this has not
been proven. Finally, the citation for Kuller et al., (1986)
[p.90] should be provided.

It would- als-o- be useful. to incLx,de:-a sect.i.on.-on-
future needs in this area.
REFERENCES
Eatough DJ, Hansen LD, and Lewis EA: The chemical
characterization of environmental tobacco smoke in
Environmental Tobacco Smoke, Proceedings of the
International Symposium at McGill University 1989,
Ecobichon DJ and Wu JM, editors, Lexington Books, DC
Heath and Co., Lexington, Mass. pp. 3-50, 1990.
Kyetematen GA, Damiano MD, Dvorchik BHT, and Vessell ES:
Smoking-induced changes in nicotine disposition:
Application of a new HPLC assay for nicotine and its
metabolites. Clin. Pharmacol. Ther. 32: 769-780, 1982.
Sterling TD, Collet CW and Sterling EM: F,nvironmental
tobacco smoke -and -indoor air quality in modern office
work environments, J. Occup. Med. 57--62, 1987. -
t

E
rl
Chapter 8
Absorption of Smoke Constituents by Nonsmokers
Dietrich Hoffmann, Klaus- D. Brunnemann; and:=Nancy J. Haley
The authors have presented a reasonably balanced
discussion of the use of biological marke::s in the assessment
of exposure to ETS. Several points should be expanded upon or
clarified in order to more completely evaluate the authors'
statements. These will be addressed in the following para-
graphs.
The authors have not provided a citation in support
of their statement that exhaled mainstream smoke makes few
contribution to ETS [p. 95]. In fact, there are little
quantitative data on which to base any co-iclusions on this
question. For example, the more frequent the puffs and the
more shallow the inhalation (the less deposition), the larger
the contribution of exhaled mainstream smoke to ETS.
Additionally, the type of tobacco being s:noked will influence
the contributions of each. The authors snould acknowledge the
fact that little information exists in this area.
The authors should more fully discuss the problems
associated with interlaboratory comparisons of nicotine and
cotinine in human serum and urine as presented in the
ref-erence by Biber et al. [p.98]. These investigators found
that absolute_,values for these parameters show large CZ)
CD
interlaboratory variations which are particularly high in the -.1
samples from subjects exposed to ETS. In addition, in another
C~
study (Letzel et al., 1987), it was reported that estimating N

low level ETS exposure_by._measur-ing urinary_:_cotinine..is highly-._
susceptible to-uncontrolled-variations and errors. In light
of these problems; standardization of procedures and
Ii
methodology would permit more meaningful correlations to be
established among various studies.
If the authors are making the point that there is a
relationship between urinary nicotine/cotinine levels in
infants and respiratory infections, they r:eed to discuss the
link more clearly [p.100). They also neecd to discuss the
limitations of such studies. For example, both prenatal
.exposure-from,women-who=smoke dur-ing pregnancy and exposure to
tobacco-derived chemicals during breast feeding are
substantial confounding factors. Unless exposure through
these routes can be ruled out, interpretat.ion of studies
involving infants may be difficult.
The authors do not make a clear case for the
significance of genotoxicity in physiological fluids [p.104],
particularlyat the low levels of activity that have been
reported. There is no evidence that bacterial mutagens in the
urine at such low levels are a reflection of any health
consequences, particularly cancer.
What evidence is there that the refinements
presented in refs. 86 & 88 will enable more sensitive
measurements of urine to be made [p.104]? Further, it is an
unwarranted as,sumption that upon refinements of the
methodology, the assay for urinary mutagenicity will reflect
the uptake of genotoxic ETS constituents by nonsmokers.-= As

- 22 -
the urine of involuntary smokers can already be.assayed for
genotoxic agents, the last sentence of this paragraph does not
represent what the authors-intend: -
The authors should discuss the strengths and weak-
nesses associated with the use of macromolecular adducts in
assessing exposure to ETS [p. 104j. A potential advantage of
such a marker in blood or tissue is the atility to monitor
exposure on a more chronic basis than witt other markers
(e.g., hemoglobin his a lifespan of 120 days). However,
cessation of smoking in humans (Bryant et al., 1987) or
termination of:e_xposure of-animals to carcinogens (Belinsky et
al. 1986), results in a more rapid loss of adducts than would
be expected, making their value in monitoiing long-term
exposure questionable.
A problem with studies using BaFl or 4-aminobiphenyl
adducts is that neither is tobacco-specific. Since alleged
increases in adduct formation are quite small in persons
exposed to ETS (Maclure et al. 1989; Perera et al., 1987), it
is not possible to state, with certainty, that the adduct
arose from ETS. A similar lack of specificity exists in the
use of hemoglobin adducts of alkenes as an assessment of
exposure to ETS (Persson et al., 1988).
A more useful approach would be to have a DNA or
protein adduct originating from a tobacco--specific chemical.
NNK, a nitrosation product of nicotine, has been shown to form
DNA and protein adducts when injected into animals (Hecht and
Trushin,--19.88). Measurement- of. the methy:iguanine.= and -_

- 23 -
f
7-methylguanine_moieties occu.r.ring- in-.tissues- or. -cells-may--be
useful in assessing exposure to NNK and ETS. Nicotine is
bioactivated to a species that binds macromolecules (Shigenaga
et al., 1988). Little information exists as to the
feasibility of using nicotine-derived adducts to monitor
exposure to ETS.
Finally, it is not appropriate to cite unpublished
and non-peer reviewed data to support a pcint [p.99, Haley].
REFERENCES
-Belinsky SA, White CM, Boucheron J, Richardson FC, Swenberg J
and Anderson MA: Accumulation and persistence of DNA
adducts in respiratory tissue of rats following multiple
administrations of the tobacco-specific carcinogen
4-(N-methyl-N-nitrosoamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone.
Cancer 46: 1280-1284, 1986.
Bryant, M. et al.: Hemoglobin Adducts of 4-Aminoloiphenyl in
Smokers and Nonsmokers. Cancer Research 47: 602-608,
1987.
Hecht SS and Trushin N: DNA and hemoglobin alkylation by
4-(methylnitresamino)1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone and its
major metabolite 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-
butanol'in F344 rats. Carcinogenesis9: 1665-1668, 1988.
Letzel H, Fischer-Brandies A, Johnson LC, Uberla K, and Biber
A: Measuring problems in estimating the exposure to
passive smoking using the excretion of cotinine.
Toxicol. Lett. 35: 35-44, 1987.
Maclure, M., et al.: Elevated Blood Levels of Carcinogens in
Passive Smokers. A.J.P.H. 79: 1381-]384, 1989.
Perera FP, Santella RM, Brenner D, Poirier MC, Munshi AA,
Fischman NH, and Van Ryzin J: DNA aciducts, protein
adducts and sister chromatid exchange! in cigarette
smokers and nonsmokers J. Nat. Cancer 79: 449-456, 1987.
Persson KA, Berg S, Tornqvist M, Scalia-Tomba G-P, and
Ehrenberg L: Note on ethene and othE!r low molecular
weight hydrocarbons in environmental tobacco smoked.
Acta Chem. Scand. 42: 690-698, 1988.

- 24 -
Shigenaga MK,..Trevor.-AJ, and Castagnoli N,. Jr.:.
Metabolism-dependent covalent bindinq of (S)[5-H]
nicotine to liver and lung microsoma:. macromolecules.
Drug Metab., Dispos. 16: 397-402, 19F38.
