Irritating effects on man of air pollution due to cigarette smoke

Journal Article · Thu Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1976 · Am. J. Public Health; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.66.7.672· OSTI ID:7306631

Weber, A; Jermini, C; Grandjean, E

Sixty subjects were exposed to cigarette smoke produced by a smoking machine in a climatic chamber. The irritating effects were recorded by questionnaire and related to concentrations of CO, formaldehyde, and acroleine. The eyes are most sensitive to these irritants, followed by the nose. Annoyance about air quality, and the desire to open the window or to leave the room proved to be other useful measures of sensitivity. With smoke produced by 10 cigarettes/30 m/sup 3/ acroleine reaches 0.1 ppM, the threshold limit value for industries; simultaneously, CO and formaldehyde exceed the clean air standards for outdoor air. At this exposure level, 9 percent of the subjects show a strong or very strong eye irritation, while 78 percent ''wish to leave the room.'' The most important of the measured irritants seems to be acroleine.

• Research Organization: Swiss Federal Inst. of Tech., Zurich
• OSTI ID: 7306631
• Journal Information: Am. J. Public Health; (United States), Journal Name: Am. J. Public Health; (United States) Vol. 66:7; ISSN AJPEA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560306* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Man-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ACROLEIN
AEROSOLS
AIR POLLUTION
AIR QUALITY
ALDEHYDES
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BODY
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON MONOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
EYES
FORMALDEHYDE
INDUSTRY
MAMMALS
MAN
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
PRIMATES
QUANTITY RATIO
RESIDUES
SENSE ORGANS
SENSITIVITY
SMOKES
SOLS
TOBACCO SMOKES
VERTEBRATES
WORKING CONDITIONS