title: Elevated concentrations of endotoxin in indoor air due to cigarette smoking.
abstract: Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is an important worldwide public health issue. The present study demonstrates that cigarette smoke can be a major source of endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) in indoor environments. Gas-chromatography/mass-spectrometry was used to determine 3-hydroxy fatty acids as markers of endotoxin in air-borne house dust in homes of smokers and non-smokers. Air concentrations of endotoxin were 4-63 times higher in rooms of smoking students than in identical rooms of non-smoking students. The fact that cigarette smoke contains large amounts of endotoxin may partly explain the high prevalence of respiratory disorders among smokers and may also draw attention to a hitherto neglected risk factor of ETS.
authors: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Section of Medical Microbiology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 23, 223 62, Lund, Sweden.
authors: Aleksandra
authors: A
authors: Sebastian
authors: Christina
authors: C
authors: Pehrson
authors: Lennart
authors: L
authors: Larsson