Nicotine Exposure Lower for Children Exposed to Secondhand Vapor

FRIDAY, July 12, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Nicotine absorption is much lower in children who are exposed to secondhand vapor versus secondhand smoke, but it is still higher than among those exposed to neither, according to a study published online July 11 in JAMA Network Open.

Harry Tattan-Birch, Ph.D., from University College London, and colleagues compared nicotine absorption among children who are exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke only, those exposed to secondhand vapor only, and those exposed to neither using data from a nationally representative sample of U.S. households from 2017 to 2020. Data were included from 1,777 children aged 3 to 11 years with serum cotinine levels incompatible with current firsthand nicotine use (<15 μg/L).

The researchers found that children only exposed to secondhand smoke had the highest nicotine absorption, as indexed by serum cotinine level (0.494 μg/L), while those exposed only to secondhand vapor had an 83.6 percent lower nicotine absorption (0.081 μg/L). The geometric mean cotinine level was 0.016 μg/L among children with no reported secondhand exposure, which was 96.7 percent lower than for those with exposure to secondhand smoke. After adjustment for covariates, the results were similar.

“We found that nicotine absorption is much lower in children who are exposed to secondhand e-cigarette vapor versus secondhand tobacco smoke, but still approximately five times higher than in those exposed to neither,” the authors write. “This suggests that switching from smoking to vaping indoors may substantially reduce but not eliminate children’s secondhand exposure to nicotine and other noxious substances.”

Two authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text