title: Quantification of recent smoking behaviour using proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry (PTR-MS).
abstract: Smoking is the most important single risk factor in current public health. Surveillance of exposure to tobacco smoke may be accomplished using environmental monitoring or in-vivo tests for smoking biomarkers. Acetonitrile exhaled in human breath has been described as a potential marker mirroring recent smoking behavior. The aim of this study was to determine exhaled acetonitrile levels in a sample of 268 volunteers (48 smokers, 220 non-smokers) attending a local health fair. Breath specimens were collected into inert sample bags, with parallel collection of ambient air. Subsequently, all samples were analysed using proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry (PTR-MS). Smokers had elevated levels of exhaled acetonitrile compared with non-smokers (p<0.001). Analysis using the receiver-operating-characteristic curve demonstrated that smoking can be predicted with a sensitivity of 79% and a specificity of 91%, using a cut-off concentration of 20.31 parts per billion of acetonitrile. This first field survey of exhaled acetonitrile in a large group of test persons demonstrates the feasibility of a rapid and non-invasive test for recent exposure to tobacco. We conclude that analysis of exhaled-breath acetonitrile may serve as a method of determining recent active smoking behaviour.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Clinical Division of General Internal Medicine, Leopold-Franzens University, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lirk
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bodrogi
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deibl
authors.forename: Christian M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Kähler
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Colvin
authors.forename: Berthold
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Moser
authors.forename: Germar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pinggera
authors.forename: Hartmann
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Raifer
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rieder
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schobersberger
mesh_terms: D000097:Acetonitriles / Q000032:analysis*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001944:Breath Tests; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention
chemical_list: D000097:Acetonitriles; D015415:Biomarkers; C032159:acetonitrile