title: Non-smoking pregnant women and their fetuses are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke as a result of living in multiunit housing.
abstract: This study investigates whether pregnant women and their fetuses are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) as a result of living in apartments. We measured cotinine concentrations in serum, a biomarker of exposure to ETS, in non-smoking women's umbilical cord blood collected at delivery and in maternal blood drawn shortly after delivering a baby. Concurrently, information was collected regarding the women's housing situation, whether family members or co-workers smoked, and other potential exposure factors. Newborns whose non-smoking mothers lived in an apartment during pregnancy were more than three times (OR 3.17, 95% CI 1.62-6.21) more likely to have detectable levels of cotinine in their cord blood serum than babies whose mothers lived in a detached house. There is a strong association between detectable concentrations of cotinine in cord blood serum and living in an apartment, even after adjusting for confounders, such as exposure at home or at work. A similar association was observed between the detectable levels of cotinine in maternal serum and living in an apartment (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.03-3.71).
authors.affiliation: Rhode Island Department of Health, State Health Laboratories, 50 Orms Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02904, USA.
authors.forename: Christina I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Orazine
authors.affiliation: Rhode Island Department of Health, 3 Capitol Hill, Providence, Rhode Island 02908, USA.
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Arias
authors.affiliation: Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, 111 Brewster Street Pawtucket, Rhode Island 02860, USA.
authors.forename: Suzanna R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Magee
authors.affiliation: Rhode Island Department of Health, State Health Laboratories, 50 Orms Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02904, USA.
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: King
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood; D005333:Fetus / Q000187:drug effects*; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D011247:Pregnancy; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014026:Nicotiana
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution