Identifying Secondhand Smoke and Vaping Aerosol Exposure Risks in Puerto Rico

A factsheet about the health risks of secondhand smoke and aerosols from vaping was recently published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In it, the agency warns that smoking tobacco or marijuana, and vaping with e-cigarettes or other devices, can release harmful chemicals into the air in homes and buildings.

People around the smoker or vaper are also exposed to these chemicals and this is known as secondhand exposure. For secondhand tobacco smoke, the EPA reports it contains more than 7,000 chemicals. It can cause lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke, and exposure can result in early deaths among nonsmokers. Secondhand tobacco smoke can also cause health problems in infants and children. These include sudden infant death syndrome, and respiratory and ear infections. Secondhand smoke can also cause more frequent and severe asthma attacks in children with asthma.

Secondhand marijuana smoke is described by the EPA as a mixture of the smoke from a burning marijuana product and the smoke a smoker breathes out. It can expose bystanders to potentially harmful chemicals. In fact, secondhand marijuana smoke has many of the same toxic and cancer-causing chemicals as tobacco smoke, some of them in higher amounts.

EPA also cautions that e-cigarettes and other electronic smoking products that heat a liquid create an aerosol that is a mix of tiny particles and/or droplets in the air. Some of the harmful substances emitted in secondhand e-cigarette aerosols are the same as those emitted in secondhand tobacco smoke. The aerosols from electronic smoking products can include possibly dangerous chemicals, including nicotine, formaldehyde, and metals. Some of which cause cancer and other harmful health effects.

At Zimmetry, we help property owners, facility managers, homebuyers, and prospective tenants identify secondhand smoke, aerosols, odors, and residue exposure risks, said Harry Pena, President of Zimmetry Environmental. Throughout Puerto Rico and the surrounding region, we offer testing services for environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), nicotine residues, marijuana smoke contamination, particulate matter, and a wide range of other airborne and surface pollutants. If test results are positive, Zimmetrys experts can provide recommendations for cleaning, ventilation, and filtration changes which can help to eliminate or mitigate future exposure concerns.

Zimmetry also recently sponsored an educational video about the EPAs list of health risks from secondhand smoke and aerosols that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/XmvT4fCToto

To learn more about this or other indoor air quality, building science, and environmental compliance testing and consulting services, please visit www.zimmetry.com, call (787) 995.0005, or email info@zimmetry.com.

About Zimmetry Environmental
Since 2002, Zimmetry Environmental has been providing environmental consulting services to building owners and managers, architects, engineers, EHS professionals, and Fortune 500 companies. The company is based in Puerto Rico and provides services across the Caribbean and Central America. The professionals at Zimmetry offer environmental compliance, indoor air quality, asbestos, lead-based paint, Phase I ESAs, and general environmental consulting services.