© 1996 Oxford University Press
research-article |
Tobacco Smoke Upper Respiratory Response Relationships in Healthy Nonsmokers1

,2
*Environmental Research Facility of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Department of Medicine, The University of Maryland School of Medicine Baltimore, Maryland 21201
The Dvison of Environmental Health Engineering, The Department of Environmental Health Sciences, The Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health Baltimore, Maryland 21205
The Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The University of Maryland School of Medicine Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Received January 23, 1995; accepted June 8, 1995
This study determined exposure-response relationships to sidestream tobacco smoke (2 hrs; 0, 1, 5, and 15 ppm CO) in 29 healthy nonsmoking young adults. Sixteen subjects had no history of environmental tobacco smoke rhinitis (ETS-NS) while 13 subjects had a history of FTS rhinitis (ETS-S). Eye irritation and odor perception showed a statistically significant exposure response in both groups headache was significant in ETS-S and nose irritation was significant in ETS-NS subjects. Significant postexposure (P1) symptoms were first reported at 1 ppm CO among both groups, but in 3/9 symptoms were significantly greater at this exposure level in ETS-S subjects. Nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, and cough increased significantly at 15 ppm CO only. In EFS-S subjects, nasal volume decreased and nasal resistance increased in an exposure-response fashion. ETS-NS subjects had a qualitatively different shape to the exposure-response curve; significant dimensional reductions in mid- and posterior nasal volume occurred with exposure at 1 ppm CO but not at 5 ppm CO and reductions in posterior nasal volume occurred at 15 ppm CO exposure. These studies indicate subjective and objective response relationships with exposure to sidestream tobacco smoke at concentrations from 1 to 15 ppm CO. Some differences are noted among the two subject groups in the magnitude of some symptoms at the lowest exposure level and in the qualitative shape of the acoustic rhinometry and nasal resistance exposure-response curves.