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Non-smoking pregnant women and their fetuses are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke as a result of living in multiunit housing

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 27, pages 465–470 (2017)Cite this article

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Abstract

This study investigates whether pregnant women and their fetuses are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) as a result of living in apartments. We measured cotinine concentrations in serum, a biomarker of exposure to ETS, in non-smoking women’s umbilical cord blood collected at delivery and in maternal blood drawn shortly after delivering a baby. Concurrently, information was collected regarding the women’s housing situation, whether family members or co-workers smoked, and other potential exposure factors. Newborns whose non-smoking mothers lived in an apartment during pregnancy were more than three times (OR 3.17, 95% CI 1.62–6.21) more likely to have detectable levels of cotinine in their cord blood serum than babies whose mothers lived in a detached house. There is a strong association between detectable concentrations of cotinine in cord blood serum and living in an apartment, even after adjusting for confounders, such as exposure at home or at work. A similar association was observed between the detectable levels of cotinine in maternal serum and living in an apartment (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.03–3.71).

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Author notes

  1. Suzanna R Magee

    Present address: 4Present address: Landmark Medical Center, 115 Cass Ave., Woonsocket, RI, USA.,

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rhode Island Department of Health, State Health Laboratories, 50 Orms Street, Providence, 02904, Rhode Island, USA

    Christina I Orazine & Ewa King

  2. Rhode Island Department of Health, 3 Capitol Hill, Providence, 02908, Rhode Island, USA

    William A Arias

  3. Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, 111 Brewster Street, Pawtucket, 02860, Rhode Island, USA

    Suzanna R Magee

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  1. Christina I Orazine
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  2. William A Arias
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  3. Suzanna R Magee
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  4. Ewa King
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Correspondence to Ewa King.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Supplementary Information accompanies the paper on the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology website

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Orazine, C., Arias, W., Magee, S. et al. Non-smoking pregnant women and their fetuses are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke as a result of living in multiunit housing. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 27, 465–470 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2016.34

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2016.34

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