10th International Aerosol Conference September 2 - September 7, 2018 America's Center Convention Complex St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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Waterpipe Tobacco Smoke Toxicity: The Impact of Pipe Height and Hose Characteristics
KAREN K. BERND, Hannah Stadtler, Jenna Reed, Alexander Dawes, Emilie Uffman, Mary Catherine Thomson, Cindy DeForest Hauser, Davidson College
Abstract Number: 859 Working Group: Health Related Aerosols
Abstract Waterpipe tobacco smoking continues to show increasing popularity, especially among individuals between 18 and 24 years old. The waterpipe tobacco smoke (WTS) produced is mixture of UFPs formed from the combustion of the charcoal heat source and volatilization and humidification of the tobacco +humectant +flavoring substrate known as shisha or mu’assel. As such, variables in the height of the waterpipe and length and composition of the hose would likely affect the particles produced. In this study, we focus on the effects of waterpipe configuration on the cytotoxicity of the smoke produced. Shisha and puff topography were held constant while the height of the waterpipe was varied between 11.5, 21, and 46.5 cm, and the length and composition of the hose were varied between 94 and 184 cm and Tygon® 2375 and commercial hookah plastic-wrapped metal wire, respectively. Unlike others, our research incorporates cellular exposure at the air-liquid interface at airflows more similar to those in the alveolae and allows chemical and physical effects of smoke on the epithelial cells to be studied. L2 cells (type II pneumocytes) were seeded at 106 cells per Transwell filter and exposed to WTS generated from different waterpipe configurations and following a modified Beirut smoking protocol. After a 24hr recovery period with the air-liquid interface maintained, the treatments’ effects were analyzed by normalizing the average value for three technical replicates against that of mock-exposed cells from the same experimental run and determining the average normalized value of separate three biological replicates. Two cell viability metrics were used, membrane permeability (CellTiter Fluor, Promega) and Neutral red dye uptake (NRU). As indicated by variances, one way ANOVA or Kruskal Wallis rank sum test statistical analyses were performed to understand the differences due to the different conditions and whether the smoke produced met the NIH definition of a toxic substance.