Risk assessment and estimation of controlling safe distance for exposure to particulate matter from outdoor secondhand tobacco smoke

In this study, we investigated the emission and diffusion of particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), along with black carbon, from smoking different kinds of cigarettes, including conventional cigarettes, heating e-cigarettes, and liquid e-cigarettes, using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. The results were used to evaluate the risk of passive exposure to PM10 and PM2.5 at different distances from the smoker for the general population and 6 –10-year-old children. Results of the risk analysis were compared by considering the accumulated mortality ratio caused by cancer, and circulatory and respiratory systems disorders as the baseline risk for these two population groups. Results show that normalized emitted aerosol from vaping liquid e-cigarettes is higher than when other types of cigarettes are used. We also detected the emission of black carbon, which has a statistically significant correlation with the emission of particulate matter. Our risk assessment analysis suggests a safe distance of 10 m from smokers for the general population as well as a greater distance for children.
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research