As we put together another issue of Tobacco Induced Diseases we are faced with a number of publication problems. Within this issue we have several very interesting studies as well as commentaries and reviews all related to smoking or the effects of tobacco smoke components on different biological systems. We begin with a review of a recent publication from the Royal College of Physicians, Londo...

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is an air pollutant with a relevant impact on public health. In addition, ETS is a significant stimulus that may elicit different responses depending on previous experience and current status regarding smoking. Exposure to cigarette cues has been shown to be a reliable method for inducing subjective and physiological responses. However, the role of ETS as a sti...

THE HEALTH COMMUNITY has been concerned about the health effects of smoking on smokers for over two decades. With recent reports by the Surgeon General' and the National Academy of Sciences,2 a consensus has emerged that smoking also endangers nonsmokers who breathe secondhand smoke (table 1). Although there are always more details to learn, these reports effectively close the scientific case a...

The increasing evidence of the ill-health effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) has prompted the search for accurate measures of exposure to ETS. The present study examined whether it was possible to enhance the ability of questionnaire-derived assessments of ETS exposure, to predict salivary cotinine. Salivary samples were obtained from 258 nonsmoking bank employees, who simultaneously ...

Thailand has been changed to rapid urbanization and industrialization since 1980s. During 1992 through 1996, the number of industrial factories in Rayong province increased very sharply. The major types of industries are petrol-chemical and plastic production. However, after the petrochemical industry boomed, the higher demand led to an industrial area expansion. The establishment of factories ...

It is now recognized that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in the workplace and other settings outside the home may be equally as important as residential ETS exposure. This review examines the sources of misclassification in the assessment of workplace ETS exposure in questionnaire-based epidemiologic studies. Cogent to this discussion is the role of misclassification of ever smok...

Biomarkers are desirable for quantitating human exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and for predicting potential health risks for exposed individuals. A number of biomarkers of ETS have been proposed. At present cotinine, measured in blood, saliva, or urine, appears to be the most specific and the most sensitive biomarker. In nonsmokers with significant exposure to ETS, cotinine level...

Creatinine and specific gravity (relative density) measurements both allow differences in urine concentration to be taken into account in determining urine cotinine concentrations. In this study we demonstrate that the variance of urine cotinine measurements is reduced comparably when either creatinine or specific gravity measurements are used for correction. This reduction in variability impro...

Mechanical systems are used in buildings to provide conditioned air, dissipate thermal loads, dilute contaminants, and maintain pressure differences. The characteristics of these systems and their operations h implications for the exposures of workers to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and for the control of these exposures. This review describes the general features of building ventilation s...

BACKGROUND This study examined the effects of health education on modification of health belief and intention among pregnant women to have smoke free home. METHODS In this randomized controlled study, 91 pregnant women completed the study in two groups. Intervention group was educated about the harms of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure. The Health Belief Model (HBM) was a framework ...