Description
Thirdhand smoke is the toxic and persistent residue left by tobacco smoking in indoor environments. Surface wipe sampling for nicotine is a reliable collection method to detect thirdhand smoke residue on surfaces. This study aims to simplify the existing sampling protocol that uses pre-screen cotton wipes that wets them with 0.1% ascorbic acid before wiping. A simplified method for detecting thirdhand smoke could be used by laypersons interested in measuring thirdhand smoke, such as realtors, landlords and tenants. One important step towards a simplified method is the use of a commercially available pre-wetted wipe. We identified commercially available wrapped wipes, such as lens cleaner or facial wipes and compared them with the standard method. We investigated ten different wipes. The following required properties were evaluated first: 1) non-removal of paint on a wall; 2) ability to extract analyte through liquid-liquid partition, and 3) acceptable extraction recoveries of nicotine (>95%). Three wipes were identified based on these initial tests for further testing: Burt’s Bees Makeup Remover Pads, Bausch & Lomb lens cleaner, and Optix 55 lens cleaner wipes. These three wipes were tested side-by-side with the standard wipe method in designated smoking hotel rooms (n=12), contaminated smoking rooms in a condominium (n=3), and nonsmoking rooms (n=5). In each room, we sampled from four surfaces: 1) painted wall (n=71 wipes), 2) wooden door (n=68 wipes), 3) wooden desk/nightstand (n=78 wipes), and 4) glass surface (picture frame/windows) (n=70 wipes). All samples were analyzed for nicotine using liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry and isotope dilution (LC-MS/MS). In a paired t-test, Burt’s Bees gave comparable results to the standard method (p> 0.05) with a R2 of 0.901. Bausch and Lomb (R2 = 0.770) and Optix 55 (R2 = 0.786) were significantly lower in the paired t-test (p< 0.05). These findings indicate that Burt’s Bees Eye Makeup Remover pads, a commercially available wipe, show promise of collecting surface bound nicotine as a marker of THS. Considering that surface wipe is an important tool of thirdhand smoke pollution assessment, the use of these wipes can make THS exposure assessment accessible and advance tobacco control.
