Medical staff contributions to thirdhand smoke contamination in a neonatal intensive care unit

Thirdhand smoke beliefs, exposure status and associated factors among young people in China: A cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION

Thirdhand smoke is an emerging threat to global public health. There is no research on young people's exposure to thirdhand smoke in China. This study aims to investigate the exposure status and beliefs of thirdhand smoke among young Chinese people and provide a reference for policy regarding thirdhand smoke.

METHODS

Data from the 2022 Chinese Resident Psychological and Behavioral Survey were used to select young people aged 15-24 years. A total of 11781 subjects were included in this study. Demographic information, beliefs about thirdhand smoke, and exposure status to thirdhand smoke were investigated.

RESULTS

Among the participants, 47.8% reported being exposed to thirdhand smoke (males: 49.1%, females: 47.0%). Young people living in urban areas (AOR=0.84, 95% CI: 0.77-0.91, p<0.001) and those with a monthly family income >12000 RMB (AOR=0.81, 95% CI: 0.71-0.92, p=0.001) were less likely to be exposed to thirdhand smoke. Young people with junior high school education or higher, and current or former smokers, were more likely to be exposed to thirdhand smoke. There is room for improvement in the beliefs about thirdhand smoke among young people.

CONCLUSIONS

Thirdhand smoke exposure is an issue that should be addressed in public health policy. Young people with low income and current or former smokers are populations that should be mainly focused on in public education and prevention work on thirdhand smoke.

Policy-relevant differences between secondhand and thirdhand smoke: strengthening protections from involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke pollutants

Starting in the 1970s, individuals, businesses and the public have increasingly benefited from policies prohibiting smoking indoors, saving thousands of lives and billions of dollars in healthcare expenditures. Smokefree policies to protect against secondhand smoke exposure, however, do not fully protect the public from the persistent and toxic chemical residues from tobacco smoke (also known as thirdhand smoke) that linger in indoor environments for years after smoking stops. Nor do these policies address the economic costs that individuals, businesses and the public bear in their attempts to remediate this toxic residue. We discuss policy-relevant differences between secondhand smoke and thirdhand smoke exposure: persistent pollutant reservoirs, pollutant transport, routes of exposure, the time gap between initial cause and effect, and remediation and disposal. We examine four policy considerations to better protect the public from involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke pollutants from all sources. We call for (a) redefining smokefree as free of tobacco smoke pollutants from secondhand and thirdhand smoke; (b) eliminating exemptions to comprehensive smoking bans; (c) identifying indoor environments with significant thirdhand smoke reservoirs; and (d) remediating thirdhand smoke. We use the case of California as an example of how secondhand smoke-protective laws may be strengthened to encompass thirdhand smoke protections. The health risks and economic costs of thirdhand smoke require that smokefree policies, environmental protections, real estate and rental disclosure policies, tenant protections, and consumer protection laws be strengthened to ensure that the public is fully protected from and informed about the risks of thirdhand smoke exposure.

Handwashing Results in Incomplete Nicotine Removal from Fingers of Individuals who Smoke: A Randomized Controlled Experiment

OBJECTIVE

Tobacco residue, also known as third-hand smoke (THS), contains toxicants and lingers in dust and on surfaces and clothes. THS also remains on hands of individuals who smoke, with potential transfer to infants during visitation while infants are hospitalized in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), raising concerns (e.g., hindered respiratory development) for vulnerable infants. Previously unexplored, this study tested handwashing (HW) and sanitization efficacy for finger-nicotine removal in a sample of adults who smoked and were visiting infants in an NICU.

STUDY DESIGN

A cross-sectional sample was recruited to complete an interview, carbon monoxide breath samples, and three nicotine wipes of separate fingers (thumb, index, and middle). Eligible participants (n = 14) reported current smoking (verified with breath samples) and were randomly assigned to 30 seconds of HW (n = 7) or alcohol-based sanitization (n = 7), with the order of finger wipes both counterbalanced and randomly assigned. After randomization, the first finger was wiped for nicotine. Participants then washed or sanitized their hands and finger two was wiped 5 minutes later. An interview assessing tobacco/nicotine use and exposure was then administered, followed by a second breath sample and the final finger wipe (40-60 minutes after washing/sanitizing).

RESULTS

Generalized linear mixed models found that HW was more effective than sanitizer for nicotine removal but failed to completely remove nicotine.

CONCLUSIONS

Without proper protections (e.g., wearing gloves and gowns), NICU visitors who smoke may inadvertently expose infants to THS. Research on cleaning protocols are needed to protect vulnerable medical populations from THS and associated risks.

KEY POINTS

· NICU infants may be exposed to THS via visitors.. · THS is not eliminated by HW or sanitizing.. · THS removal protections for NICU infants are needed..

Thirdhand smoke associations with the gut microbiomes of infants admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit: An observational study

INTRODUCTION

Microbiome differences have been found in adults who smoke cigarettes compared to non-smoking adults, but the impact of thirdhand smoke (THS; post-combustion tobacco residue) on hospitalized infants' rapidly developing gut microbiomes is unexplored. Our aim was to explore gut microbiome differences in infants admitted to a neonatal ICU (NICU) with varying THS-related exposure.

METHODS

Forty-three mother-infant dyads (household member[s] smoke cigarettes, n = 32; no household smoking, n = 11) consented to a carbon monoxide-breath sample, bedside furniture nicotine wipes, infant-urine samples (for cotinine [nicotine's primary metabolite] assays), and stool collection (for 16S rRNA V4 gene sequencing). Negative binomial regression modeled relative abundances of 8 bacterial genera with THS exposure-related variables (i.e., household cigarette use, surface nicotine, and infant urine cotinine), controlling for gestational age, postnatal age, antibiotic use, and breastmilk feeding. Microbiome-diversity outcomes were modeled similarly. Bayesian posterior probabilities (PP) ≥75.0% were considered meaningful.

RESULTS

A majority of infants (78%) were born pre-term. Infants from non-smoking homes and/or with lower NICU-furniture surface nicotine had greater microbiome alpha-diversity compared to infants from smoking households (PP ≥ 75.0%). Associations (with PP ≥ 75.0%) of selected bacterial genera with urine cotinine, surface nicotine, and/or household cigarette use were evidenced for 7 (of 8) modeled genera. For example, lower Bifidobacterium relative abundance associated with greater furniture nicotine (IRR<0.01 [<0.01, 64.02]; PP = 87.1%), urine cotinine (IRR = 0.08 [<0.01,2.84]; PP = 86.9%), and household smoking (IRR<0.01 [<0.01, 7.38]; PP = 96.0%; FDR p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

THS-related exposure was associated with microbiome differences in NICU-admitted infants. Additional research on effects of tobacco-related exposures on healthy infant gut-microbiome development is warranted.

Thirdhand Smoke Contamination and Infant Nicotine Exposure in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: An Observational Study

INTRODUCTION

Thirdhand smoke (THS) is ultrafine particulate matter and residue resulting from tobacco combustion, with implications for health-related harm (eg, impaired wound healing), particularly among hospitalized infants. Project aims were to characterize nicotine (THS proxy) transported on neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) visitors and deposited on bedside furniture, as well as infant exposure.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data were collected from participants in a metropolitan NICU. Participants completed a survey and carbon monoxide breath sample, and 41.9% (n = 88) of participants (n = 210) were randomly selected for finger-nicotine wipes during a study phase when all bedside visitors were screened for nicotine use and finger-nicotine levels. During an overlapping study phase, 80 mother-infant dyads consented to bedside furniture-nicotine wipes and an infant urine sample (for cotinine analyses).

RESULTS

Most nonstaff visitors' fingers had nicotine above the limit of quantification (>LOQ; 61.9%). Almost all bedside furniture surfaces (93.8%) and infant cotinine measures (93.6%) had values >LOQ, regardless of household nicotine use. Participants who reported using (or lived with others who used) nicotine had greater furniture-nicotine contamination (Mdn = 0.6 [interquartile range, IQR = 0.2-1.6] µg/m2) and higher infant cotinine (Mdn = 0.09 [IQR = 0.04-0.25] ng/mL) compared to participants who reported no household-member nicotine use (Mdn = 0.5 [IQR = 0.2-0.7] µg/m2; Mdn = 0.04 [IQR = 0.03-0.07] ng/mL, respectively). Bayesian univariate regressions supported hypotheses that increased nicotine use/exposure correlated with greater nicotine contamination (on fingers/furniture) and infant THS exposure.

CONCLUSIONS

Potential furniture-contamination pathways and infant-exposure routes (eg, dermal) during NICU hospitalization were identified, despite hospital prohibitions on tobacco/nicotine use. This work highlights the surreptitious spread of nicotine and potential THS-related health risks to vulnerable infants during critical stages of development.

IMPLICATIONS

THS contamination is underexplored in medical settings. Infants who were cared for in the NICU are vulnerable to health risks from THS exposure. This study demonstrated that 62% of nonstaff NICU visitors transport nicotine on their fingers to the NICU. Over 90% of NICU (bedside) furniture was contaminated with nicotine, regardless of visitors' reported household-member nicotine use or nonuse. Over 90% of infants had detectable levels of urinary cotinine during NICU hospitalizations. Results justify further research to better protect infants from unintended THS exposure while hospitalized.

Baseline cocaine demand predicts contingency management treatment outcomes for cocaine-use disorder

Cocaine use disorder (CUD) is a significant public health issue. Behavioral interventions such as contingency management (CM) have been demonstrated to be highly effective in promoting cocaine abstinence. However, identifying individual characteristics associated with cocaine relapse may help improve treatment outcomes. Cocaine demand is a behavioral economic measure that shares a scientific foundation with CM. In the current study, we assessed baseline cocaine demand using a hypothetical cocaine purchasing task. Participants (N = 58) consisted of treatment-seeking individuals with CUD. All participants received 1 month of CM treatment for cocaine abstinence, and treatment responders were defined as presenting 6 consecutive cocaine negative urine samples from thrice weekly clinic visits. Demand data were well described by the exponentiated demand model. Indices of demand (intensity of demand [Q₀], elasticity [α]) were significantly associated with recent (last 30 days) cocaine use. Importantly, linear regression revealed that CM treatment nonresponders presented significantly higher Q₀ (p = .025). Subsequent quantile regression analyses examining the relationship between CM treatment response and Q₀ revealed statistically reliable effects of being a nonresponder across 3 of the lower percentiles (i.e., 15, 25, and 30). Overall, these findings provide further support for the utility of exponentiated demand model. To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate an association between baseline demand and contingency management response and systematically extend the findings of prior demand research to a novel drug class, cocaine. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).