AAAR 32nd Annual Conference
September 30 - October 4, 2013
Oregon Convention Center
Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
Comparison of the Particle Size Distributions of Narghile-Waterpipe and Cigarette Mainstream Tobacco Smoke
EZZAT JAROUDI, Alan Shihadeh, SOCAAR, University of Toronto
Abstract Number: 417 Working Group: Health Related Aerosols
Abstract Recent studies prompted by the global upsurge in waterpipe tobacco smoking have shown that WP smoke contains alarming quantities of carcinogenic and toxic compounds. These findings suggest that WP smoke poses potential health hazards, and contradict the widespread belief that WP smoke is a low-risk activity.
Lung dosimetry models can be helpful in assessing the potential for significant uptake of these toxicants, but there is little reliable data available on the particle size distribution of mainstream WP smoke. Because of the differing combustion process, residence time, and transport mechanisms, WP particle size distribution likely varies from that of cigarettes. The aim of the current study is to measure the particle size distribution of WP and compare it to that of a common cigarette brand.
Smoke was generated using a smoking machine. Mainstream smoke particle size distributions were obtained using a TSI 3090 Engine Exhasut Particle sizer (EEPS) in series with a TSI 3302A Aerosol Diluter set at 1:250 dilution ratio. While the WP smoke was directly sampled into the EEPS, cigarette smoke was transported into the instrument via a sliding sampler diluter to accommodate the lower puff flow rate that characterizes cigarette smoking.
While the average number concentrations for cigarette smoke were higher, the total number of particles and smoke volume inhaled per session were considerably higher for WP. The average diameter for WP smoke was found to be slightly higher (155nm versus 123nm). With similar particle sizes, WP smoke and cigarette smoke are likely to be delivered to the lungs with equal efficiency estimated at 20% by the ICRP model. These findings indicate that a significant fraction of particle-phase WP smoke toxicants can be delivered to the lung.