Passive smoking and urinary oxidative biomarkers: A pilot study of healthy travelers from Los Angeles to Beijing.

Int J Hyg Environ Health

Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States; Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States; Molecular Biology Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States. Electronic address:

Published: September 2022

AI Article Synopsis

  • There is notable variation in smoking rates and tobacco policies worldwide, which may affect international travelers’ exposure to passive smoking.
  • A study collected urine samples from 26 Los Angeles residents during their 10-week stay in Beijing to measure biomarkers related to passive smoking and oxidative stress.
  • Results showed significantly higher levels of cotinine and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in samples taken during the Beijing visit, suggesting that traveling to areas with higher smoking prevalence increases exposure to harmful substances.

Article Abstract

There is a great heterogeneity in smoking prevalence and tobacco control policy across different countries. However, it is unknown whether this heterogeneity could cause increased passive smoking and adverse health effects among international travelers. In this pilot study, we collected 190 urine samples from 26 Los Angeles residents before (LA-before), during (Beijing), and after (LA-after) a 10-week visit to Beijing to measure biomarkers of passive smoking (cotinine), exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OH-PAHs), and oxidative stress (malondialdehyde, 8-isoprostane, and uric acid). The geometric mean concentrations of urinary cotinine were 0.14, 1.52, and 0.22 μg/g creatinine in LA-before, Beijing, and LA-after, respectively. Likewise, OH-PAH levels were significantly higher in Beijing as compared to LA-before or LA-after, in association with the urinary cotinine levels. One-fold increase in urinary cotinine levels was associated with 10.1% (95% CI: 5.53-14.8%), 8.75% (95% CI: 2.33-15.6%), and 25.4% (95%CI: 13.1-39.1%) increases in urinary levels of malondialdehyde, 8-isoprotane, and uric acid, respectively. OH-PAHs mediated 9.1-23.3% of the pro-oxidative effects associated with passive smoking. Taken together, our findings indicate that traveling to a city with higher smoking prevalence may increase passive smoking exposure, in association with pro-oxidative effects partially mediated by PAHs.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2022.114048DOI Listing

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