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TABLE 7-1.
|
Nonsmoking Section | |||
---|---|---|---|
Middle Boundary |
Remote2 | ||
NONSMOKING FLIGHTS | 10 | 11 | |
Optical | |||
Gravimetric | 59 | 69 | |
Average of all four values | 37 | ||
SMOKING FLIGHTS | Smoking Section1 |
||
Domestic | |||
Optical | 182 | 39 | 17 |
Gravimetric | 181 | 70 | 48 |
Average | 181 | 54 | 33 |
Net (average RSP values on smoking flights minus nonsmoking flights) |
144 | 17 | -- |
International | |||
Optical | 143 | 46 | 26 |
Gravimetric | 129 | 51 | 39 |
Average | 136 | 49 | 33 |
Net (average RSP values on smoking flights minus nonsmoking flights) |
99 | 12 | -- |
1 Rear of cabin for nonsmoking flights
2 Average value for middle and remote sections
3 The optical measurements for RSP may be lower than actual.
The Gravimetric measurements for RSP may be higher than actual.
The results of both were averaged.
See Section 5.0 for further discussion on the results of RSP sampling.
The principal medium of exposure to RSP is via the air, so that inhalation is the primary exposure route of interest. Accordingly, the amount of RSP inhaled depends on respiratory rates, known to be variable for males and females, and for different states of physical activity. Respiratory rates have been determined for a range of conditions (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1989b). For this risk assessment, it is assumed that passengers are in a resting state throughout a flight, corresponding to an average respiratory rate of 0.5 m3/h (males 0.7; females 0.3). It is assumed that cabin crewmembers are engaged in moderate exercise, corresponding to an average respiratory rate of 2.1 m3/h (males 2.5; females 1.6).
Flying habits are also a critical determinant of exposure and risk. They include (a) the accumulated period of lifetime during which an individual flies, (b) the number of flights taken in that period, expressed as a yearly average, (c) the seat location chosen, and (d) the cumulative accounting of seat position over the course of the entire period of flying.
In determining exposures (and later risks), it is important to understand the terms of reference used to calculate quantitative estimates.
Proportion of space in each section of the aircraft is a unitless dimension. It is the fraction of the total cabin space that is dedicated to each of the smoking, boundary, and nonsmoking sections. Proportion of time in each section of the aircraft is similarly unitless. It is, by definition, identical to proportion of space on the assumption that as the space dedicated to one section varies, so does the time spent in that section by the equivalent of one individual. Flight hour is the time spent in flight during which smoking is permitted. Flight hours per year is the time spent in flight, during the course of one calendar year, during which smoking is permitted. RSP concentration is the amount of RSP, in ug, contained in one m3 of air. Duration of exposure is the number of years which one flies on smoking flights. For example, an individual who takes his or her first flight on an aircraft where smoking is permitted at age 20 and whose most recent flight on an aircraft where smoking is permitted occurred at age 40, has been flying for 20 years. An exposure coefficient,. in the context of this investigation, is the average amount of RSP (generated by ETS and used as a surrogate for ETS), in ug, inhaled by an individual during one hour of time in an airline cabin when smoking is permitted, and annualized over the period of a calendar year. (Further explanation of this term is described later in this section). A person-year is the equivalent of one year's worth of time (365 days, not necessarily consecutive) for the equivalent of one person. Ten people, each exposed to ETS for 36.5 days, are equivalent to one person exposed for 365 days. A risk coefficient, in the context of this investigation, is the incremental number of premature deaths due to lung cancer among 100,000 nonsmokers exposed to ETS on flights where smoking is permitted.
TABLE 7-2.
|
Domestic | International | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Nonsmoking Section |
Passenger | Cabin Crew |
Passenger | Cabin Crew |
Middle and Remote Rows |
0.84 |
0.75 |
0.82 |
0.65 |
Boundary Rows |
0.11 |
0.10 |
0.13 |
0.10 |
Smoking Section |
0.05 |
0.15 |
0.05 |
0.25 |
Relative proportions of size among the smoking section, the nonsmoking section, and the boundary section between them were calculated for the 61 domestic flights on which smoking was permitted and the 8 international flights in this investigation. The proportions of space in each of the smoking, boundary and nonsmoking sections for each flight were averaged across all 61 domestic flights as the proportions of space in each of the smoking, boundary, and nonsmoking sections. Similar averages were calculated among all 8 international flights. These size proportions were assumed to be directly applicable as proportions of relative time that passengers and cabin crew members spend in each section throughout the period of lifetime that they are in aircraft cabins, as presented in Table 7-2.
By consolidating the ambient air concentrations of RSP, the appropriate respiratory rates, and the proportion of time spent in each section of the aircraft cabin, exposures can be estimated, as presented in Table 7-3 for domestic flights and Table 7-4 for international flights. The values in these tables are expressed as one-hour exposures during which time smoking in the aircraft cabin is permitted.
To produce the exposure values, first each proportion of time in a particular cabin section (from Table 7-2) is multiplied by the RSP concentration corresponding to the same section (from Table 7-1). The three multiplied values, each representing exposure in one of the three aircraft sections, are added together to produce a cumulative value, as illustrated in the footnotes to Tables 7-3 and 7-4. The cumulative value is then multiplied by the appropriate respiratory rate (cabin crew member or passenger) to produce a cabin-crew-specific or passenger-specific exposure (micrograms of RSP) inhaled during each flight hour that smoking is permitted.
TABLE 7-3.
(ug/person/flight hour)
|
Passenger |
Cabin |
|
---|---|---|
RSP concentration aggregated by time |
9.01 | 23.32 |
Respiratory rate (m3/hr) |
0.5 | 2.1 |
Exposure (ug/flight hour) |
4.53 | 48.94 |
Cancer risks are usually associated with long periods of time, i.e., several years of exposure to a carcinogen. The reasons for this are embedded in the prevailing theories of the mechanism of carcinogenesis. While this exposure may be greater or lesser at various times throughout the exposure interval, it is averaged out over a long time span to accommodate brief periods of higher or lower exposure, and the intervals during which no exposure may occur. Accordingly, cancer risk is usually expressed as the risk per unit of average daily exposure to a carcinogen, day after day and year after year (i.e., an annualized average). In this investigation, the unit of exposure per flight hour, as presented in Tables 7-3 and 7-4, must be made compatible with the "annualized daily averaging" concept that is used to construct cancer dose-response graphs and which is used to express cancer risk. This is accomplished by dividing the RSP exposure in one flight hour by 365 days per year to provide a value that represents an average exposure, during one hour when smoking is permitted on an aircraft, for any given day of the year. The result is an expression of an exposure coefficient. An exposure coefficient in this investigation is defined as the average daily amount of RSP inhaled by one individual during one flight hour, averaged over the course of a year. This is a conceptual construct that is necessary in order to make the exposure unit consistent with the dose-response unit in the calculation of risk.
TABLE 7-4.
|
(ug/person/flight hour) | Passenger | Cabin Crew |
---|---|---|
RSP concentration aggregated |
6.5 1 | 26.0 2 |
Respiratory rate (m3/hr) | 0.5 | 2.1 |
Exposure (ug/flight hour) | 3.3 3 | 54.6 4 |
Accordingly, the exposure values presented in Tables 7-3 and 7-4 must be annualized into an average daily exposure by dividing them by the 365 days in one year. Therefore, the exposure coefficients in this investigation, expressed as annual averages, are:
These values are used in combination with cancer risk coefficients, derived from cancer dose-response graphs described below in Section 7.2.3, to produce exposure-specific expressions of risk.
It should be noted that the proportions of time spent in various sections of the aircraft cabin by cabin crewmembers, as indicated in Table 7-2, do not include time spent in galleys. Galleys have their own sources of ventilation. Consequently, those galleys located adjacent to the smoking sections of aircraft cabins may contain ambient air concentrations of ETS constituents that are different from concentrations measured in the smoking sections. The exposure of cabin crew members in the galley, therefore, may be different than in other sections of the aircraft, but this exposure could not, be estimated because aircraft galleys could not monitored for ambient air concentrations of ETS in this investigation.
A prominent feature of risk assessment is characterization of the toxicologic dose-response relationship. In the context of this investigation, it is the relationship between the amount of RSP inhaled and the number of lung cancer deaths that the inhaled RSP produces. The greater the RSP inhalation, the greater the amount of response in the form of increased number of lung cancer deaths. Graphically, the relationship is represented by a line, which can be expressed as a mathematical constant known as the coefficient of risk:
Risk coefficient = Number of lung cancer deaths per 100,000 persons at risk per milligram of RSP (annual average) per day
Risk coefficients are frequently referred to as unit cancer risks in these analyses. The level of risk corresponding to a particular level of exposure can be determined by using the appropriate risk coefficient.
For this investigation, a number of dose-response models for the relationship of ETS to lung cancer deaths were considered, each having its own characteristic risk coefficient. These are described in Table 7-5.
The advantages and disadvantages of each model were weighed according to three criteria:
Two models were selected for this investigation because they most closely approximated the desirable traits embodied in the selection criteria: the Phenomenological Model (Repace and Lowrey, 1985) and the Armitage and Doll Model (Armitage and Doll, 1961), modified for less-than-lifetime exposure (Ginevan and Mills; 1986), and known as LesLife.
Repace and Lowrey estimate that the excess exposure of 1 mg/day increases lifetime lung cancer risk by 5 deaths per 100,000 person-years (PY) exposure. The Phenomenological model, though simple, is based on a fairly sizable body of data, and if it is inaccurate, would likely understate risk. These arguments have been fully developed by Repace and Lowrey (1985) and are briefly reviewed below.
The general Phenomenological Model is based on observed differences in lung cancer mortality between groups of never-smokers who were members of the Seventh Day Adventist Church and those who were not (Phillips et al. 1980 a,b). Because of their religion, which proscribes smoking, Seventh Day Adventists are less likely to encounter ETS, and 40 percent of the Seventh Day Adventist cohort worked for church-run organizations. The non-Seventh Day Adventists were a demographically comparable group of lifelong nonsmokers, among the general population, who resided in the same geographical area as the Seventh Day Adventists. The difference in lung cancer rates between Seventh Day Adventists and non-Seventh Day Adventists was taken to be due to their differential exposure to ETS, and the ratio of mortality differential to exposure differential was taken as the risk coefficient. The mortality rates among Seventh Day Adventists were based on 109 lung cancer deaths, and were therefore quite well determined. Moreover, Repace and Lowrey assumed that ETS exposure in Seventh Day Adventists was zero and thus based their dose-response coefficient on the maximum possible exposure. Since some Seventh Day Adventists were undoubtedly exposed to ETS in the workplace, this assumption is conservative in that it overstates the differential exposure and thus understates the actual dose-response.
The Modified Armitage and Doll Model is based on consideration of what the multistage theory of carcinogenesis predicts about age-specific risks of exposure to a fixed concentration of a carcinogen for a fixed duration of time. This risk assessment approach converts the ambient air data to a risk-equivalent dose. There are several underlying assumptions to this approach:
TABLE 7-6.
|
Parameter | Phenomenological Model |
Modified Armitage and Doll Model |
---|---|---|
Age of first exposure |
Fixed at age 20 | Adaptable to any age |
Duration of exposure |
45 years | Variable |
Linearity | Linear at low doses |
Linear at low doses |
Stages of carcinogenesis |
None assumed | 5 |
Concurrence of risk coefficients |
5 lung cancer deaths/100,000 exposed/mg exposure-day |
6.45 lung cancer deaths/100,000 exposed/mg/exposure-day |
A detailed discussion of this methodology, including a sensitivity analysis of the model, is presented in Appendix A. The principal advantage of this modeling approach is that it permits the user to explicitly specify such important factors as age at commencement of exposure and duration of exposure. At the same time, as demonstrated in the sensitivity analysis contained in Appendix A, the lung cancer risk data for ETS exposure are sufficiently abundant and consistent that altering parameters of this modeling approach does not alter the conclusions about risk in any significant way.
A comparison of the basic features of the two models is contained in Table 7-6. Both models have undergone peer review. The risk coefficients presented by these two models are:
Using these risk coefficients, the risk of death from lung cancer as a result of exposure to ETS in airliner cabins was determined as a function of number of years flown. For the Modified Armitage and Doll Model, the risk of death from cancer is dependent on the age of first exposure to ETS as a potential carcinogen. Therefore, each commencement age warrants its own unique exposure-response relationship, as depicted in Figure 7-2 for the Modified Armitage and Doll Model. The exposure-response relationship for the Phenomenological Model is presented in Figure 7-3. The graphs in these figures serve as risk nomograms, allowing an individual to determine his or her appropriate unit of risk according to the number of years of flight (i.e., the number of years of exposure). In the case of the age-dependent Modified Armitage and 'Doll Model, the appropriate curve representing the age at which flying commences is selected prior to determination of the risk coefficient.
Once the risk coefficient is determined, it is multiplied by the appropriate exposure coefficient presented in Section 7.2.2 (on domestic flights -- 0.00001233-mg/h/exposure day for passengers and 0.00013400 mg/h/exposure day for cabin crewmembers; on international flights--0.00000904 mg/h/exposure day for passengers and 0.00015000 mg/h/exposure day for cabin crew members) to determine exposure-specific risk. The final expression is the incremental risk due to premature lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers, ascribable to ETS on smoking flights.
TABLE 7-7.
|
Example 1 | Example 2 | Example 3 | |
---|---|---|---|
Cabin occupant | Crew Member |
Business Passenger |
Casual Passenger |
Hours per year in flight 1 | 900 | 450 | 45 |
Number of years flown | 20 | 30 | 40 |
Age at start of flying2 | 25 | 35 | 25 |
Exposure coefficients (mg/h/exposure day) |
|||
Domestic |
0.00013400 |
0.00001233 |
0.00001233 |
International |
0.00015000 |
0.00000904 |
0.00000904 |
Risk coefficients3 |
|||
Phenomenological Model |
100 |
150 |
200 |
Modified Armitage and Doll Model |
123 |
49 |
150 |
Risk4 |
|||
Domestic |
|||
Phenomenological Model |
12.06 |
0.83 |
0.11 |
Modified Armitage and Doll Model |
14.86 |
0.27 |
0.08 |
International |
|||
Phenomenological Model |
13.46 |
0.61 |
0.08 |
Modified Armitage and Doll Model |
16.59 |
0.20 |
0.06 |
The procedure for determining risk can be illustrated in the following three examples, the parameters and results of which are summarized in Table 7-7. These examples are intended to represent occupational and non-occupational profiles of flying habits. Typical flight frequency and duration for cabin crewmembers were used for one example in the occupational setting. Flight frequencies and durations for passengers (representing profiles of a frequent flyer and a non frequent flyer) used for the two examples in the non-occupational setting are likely to be at the high end of the range. Risks for a range of other scenarios are presented in Appendix B. Data on the number of cabin crewmembers who smoke were not available. However, it is known that approximately 29 percent of U.S. adults aged 20 or older smoke (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1989).
Example 1. Risk determination for a cabin crewmember who flies ours per month or 960 hours per year (see Table 6-1) on domestic flights: The total number of hours is reduced by 6.25. percent as an approximation of the flight time during which the no-smoking light is illuminated, resulting in 900 flight hours when smoking is permitted. The period of flying is 20 years, commencing at age 25. These values were chosen because they represent the career length and career commencement for a large percentage of cabin crewmembers (Association of Flight Attendants 1988). The exposure coefficient for cabin crewmembers on domestic flights is 0.00013400 mg/h/day. Referral to Figure 7-3 produces a unit cancer risk, for a 20-year duration of exposure, of 100-lung cancer deaths/mg RSP/day/100,000 exposed nonsmokers (who, in this case, are exposed nonsmoking cabin crewmembers on smoking flights). A final multiplication of the exposure coefficient (0.00013400 mg/h/day) by the unit cancer risk (100 lung cancer deaths/mg RSP/day/100,000 individuals) yields a risk of lung cancer deaths amounting to 0.0134/100,000 for every hour flown in a smoking environment. Since cabin crew members are estimated to fly 900 hours per year during smoking periods, the incremental risk of premature death from lung cancer ascribable to ETS on smoking flights is 12.06/100,000 exposed cabin crew members, or 1 in every 8,292 cabin crew members according to the Phenomenological Model of cancer deaths, as presented in Table 7-7. A similar calculation using the Modified Armitage and Doll Model in Figure 7-2 produces an incremental risk of premature death from lung cancer amounting to 14.86/100,000 nonsmoking cabin crew members on smoking flights, as presented in Table 7-7,or 1 lung cancer death per 6,729 nonsmoking cabin crew members.
Example 2. Risk determination for a passenger who is representative of a frequent flyer: This individual logs 480 hours per year (reduced to 450 hours per year for the 6.25 percent of time when the no-smoking light is assumed to be illuminated). This is approximately covalent to an average of four round-trip coast-to-coast flights per month. The individual is assumed to continue this pattern of flying for 30 years commencing at age 35, to constitute what is likely an upper limit on the amount of time spent in an airliner cabin environment during a lifetime. The exposure coefficient for passengers on domestic flights is 0.00001233 mg/h/exposure day. The unit cancer risk for this individual, according to the Phenomenological Model in Figure 7-3, is 150 lung cancer deaths/mg RSP/day/100,008 exposed non-smokers. Taking into account the exposure coefficient and period of flying, the incremental risk is 150 x 0.00001233 x 450, or 0.83 premature lung cancer deaths ascribable to ETS for every 100,000 exposed nonsmoking passengers on smoking flights, according to the conditions in this example, or 1 in 120,482 nonsmoking passengers. The Modified Armitage and Doll Model produces a risk of 49 x 0.00001233 x 450, equal to an incremental risk of premature lung cancer death of 0.27104,000 nonsmoking passengers on smoking flights as presented in Table 7-7, or lung cancer death per 370,370 nonsmoking passengers.
Example 3. Risk determination for a passenger who is representative of a non-frequent flyer: Flight time of 48 hours per year, adjusted for no-smoking periods, is assumed to be 45 hours per year for 40 years, commencing at age 25. The annual flight frequency was assumed to be one-tenth that of the frequent flyer in example 2, occurring on a casual basis throughout adult life. The exposure coefficient is 0.00001233 mg/h/exposure day and the Phenomenological Model unit cancer risk is 200 lung cancer deaths/mg RSP/day/100,000 exposed nonsmokers. The incremental risk is therefore 200 x 0.00001233 x 45, or 0.11 lung cancer deaths ascribable to ETS for every 100,000 exposed nonsmoking passengers on smoking flights, according to the conditions in this example, or 1 in 900,091 nonsmoking passengers. The Modified Armitage and Doll Model produces an incremental risk of 150 x 0.00001233 x 45, equal to an incremental risk of premature lung cancer death of 0.08 as presented in Table 7-7, or 1 premature lung cancer death per 1,250,000 nonsmoking passengers.
For passengers, the risk of premature lung cancer death can be expressed on a population basis. In 1987, 418 million domestic enplanements occurred (U.S. Department of Transportation, 1987), the average flight time was 1.84 hours (based on analysis of data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration) and smoking was permitted on 54.3 percent of all flight hours. It follows that, for current conditions under which a ban on smoking exists for flights with durations of two hours or less, estimates for passengers on domestic flights are:
Passenger hours flown/year | = | 418 million x 1.84 | = | 769 million |
Passenger hours flown/year on smoking flights | = | 769 million x 54.3 % | = | 418 million |
Reduced 6.25% for the time that the no-smoking light is assumed to be illuminated on a flight | = | = | 391 million hours per year | |
Number of individuals flying 45 hours per year (from Example 3 above) | = | 391 million / 45 | = | 8.7 million |
Number of "lifetimes" of flying 40 years (from Example 3 above) | = | 8.7 million / 40 | = | 0.217 million passengers/yr. |
Expected population-based risk (based on a risk of 0.11 lung cancer deaths per 100,000 exposed nonsmokers according to the Phenomenological Model in Example 3 above, or 1.1/million) | = | 0.217 million x 1.1/million | = | 0.238 premature lung cancer deaths per year. |
A similar calculation for passengers on international flights, using 62 million enplanements per year (U.S. Department of Transportation 1987), an average flight time of 4.75 hours per flight (based on analysis of data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration), a flight frequency of 45 hours per year, a duration of flying of 40 years, and a risk of 0.08 premature lung cancer deaths per 100,000 exposed nonsmokers (from Example 3 above) results in a population-based risk of 0.122 premature lung cancer deaths per year. (In this calculation, all flights are presumed to be smoking flights, so that the fraction of flight hours on which smoking is permitted is reduced only by the time that the no-smoking light is illuminated -- assumed to be 6.25 percent.)
For cabin crew members on domestic flights, the calculation is somewhat different, based on the number of individuals logging approximately 960 hours per year (80,000; see Table 6-1), and the proportion who fly on domestic (0.7) and international (0.3) flights. Using 54.3 percent as the percent of flight hours during which smoking is permitted under the two-hour ban enacted in 1988, then:
Number of cabin crewmembers flying on domestic flights | = | 80,000 x 0.7 | = | 56,000 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Of these, number of cabin crewmembers flying onsmoking flights | = | 56,000 x 0.583 | = | 30,408 |
Number of "lifetimes" flying 20 years (from Example 1 above ) | = | 30,408 / 20 | = | 1520 |
Expected population-based risk (based on a risk of 12.06 lung cancer deaths per 100,000 exposed nonsmokers in Example 1 above) | = | 1520 x 12.06/100,000 | = | 0.183 premature lung cancer deaths per year. |
For cabin crew members on international flights the calculation is:
Number of cabin crew members flying on international flights | = | 80,000 x 0.3 | = | 24,000 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Number of "lifetimes" flying 20 years (from Example 1 above) | = | 24,000 / 20 | = | 1200 |
Expected population-based risk (based on a risk of 13.46 lung cancer deaths per 100,000 exposed nonsmokers according to the Phenomenological Model in Example 1 above) | = | 1200 x 13.46/100,000 | = | 0.162 premature lung cancer deaths per year. |
All international flights in this case are presumed to be smoking flights, so that no reduction in the number of flights to account for those that are nonsmoking is necessary.
TABLE 7-8.
|
Risk Coefficient (Cancer Potency Factor) |
Cancer Classification1 |
|
---|---|---|
ETS (Phenomenological Model) | 5 x 10-5 | |
ETS (Modified Armitage and Doll Model) |
6 x 10-3 commencing at 5 years |
|
4 x 10-4 commencing at 35 years |
||
Acrylonitrile | 2.4 x 10-1 | B1 |
Arsenic and compounds | 5 x 101 | A |
Benzene | 2.6 x 10-2 | A |
B1s(chloromethyl)ether | 9.3 x 103 | A |
1,2-Dichloroethane | 3.5 x 10-2 | B |
Ethylene oxide | 3.5 x 10-1 | B1/B |
Nickel and compounds | 1.19 | A |
Tetrachloroethylene | 1.7 x 10-3 | B |
Trichloroethylene | 4.6 x 10-3 | B |
Polynuclear aromatic compounds | 6.11 | - |
Vinyl chloride | 2.5 x 10-2 | A |
1. As determined by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. Classifications A and
B (human carcinogen and animal carcinogen, respectively) usually result
in regulatory
action.
The cancer risk coefficient for 45 years of exposure to RSP as a surrogate for ETS is 5 premature lung cancer deaths per 100,000 (5 X 10-5) nonsmokers per mg RSP, ascribable to ETS, as derived from the Phenomenological Model by Repace and Lowrey (1985). The counterpart age-dependent risk coefficients using the Modified Armitage and Doll Model range from 40 premature lung cancer deaths per 100,000 (4 x 10-4) nonsmokers, for exposure commencing at 35 years of age, to 600 premature lung cancer deaths per 100,000 (6 x 10-3) nonsmokers for exposure commencing at 5 years of age. For comparison, risk coefficients for other chemicals that present a potential for inhalation exposure are presented in Table 7-8. All of the substances listed in this table are regulated by the EPA under its various statutes.
The risks calculated here are well within the spectrum of risks from other carcinogen exposures. The risks derived from the Phenomenological Model and the Modified Armitage and Doll Model suggest that two approaches which differ in both design and database give nearly the same result. The major divergence is for the case of exposure early in life using the Modified Armitage and Doll Model where risk is elevated by an order of magnitude, relative to risks from exposure commencing later in life. This is because exposure to first-stage carcinogens is especially damaging to the young. While making other assumptions regarding stage of action would generally reduce these risks, it would generally elevate risks in older travelers, who constitute the majority of the traveling public (Murdoch and Krewski 1988). Thus the fundamental results obtained here are not "conservative" in the sense that they overstate actual risk. Rather, they are the best estimates implied by the database and the models selected. Worst-case, upper bound, estimates such as are often used in a regulatory context could well be a factor of five higher.
The most common complaint from exposure to ETS-based carbon monoxide and nicotine is upper respiratory tract and ocular irritation, as verified by the descriptions of prior investigations in Section 7.1.1. Two studies provide empirical dose-response measures of respiratory and ocular irritation from exposure to various levels of carbon monoxide (Cain et al. 1987) and nicotine (Mattson et al. 1989). These dose-response relationships were applied to the carbon monoxide and nicotine levels obtained in this investigation to determine whether these pollutants, at their observed concentrations, constitute sources for health effects.
Carbon monoxide (CO) was measured continuously during all flights. This presented an opportunity to disclose peak concentrations that might have appeared at various times throughout flight. Short-term CO concentrations have been tested as surrogates for the acute respiratory irritant properties of ETS in smoking environments. Therefore, peak concentrations of CO as a surrogate for ETS as a short-term respiratory irritant are of interest in the aircraft cabin environment. Accordingly, continuous 30-minute averages of CO concentrations were plotted as a function of their cumulative frequency in the smoking, boundary, and nonsmoking sections, as presented in Figure 7-4. Thresholds for discom fort as described by Cain et al. (1987) for 2 ppm and 5 ppm CO were superimposed over the concentration-frequency plots as an indication of the levels of CO and frequencies with which discomfort to eyes, nose, and throat might occur from exposure to these levels. These researchers determined that the 2 ppm level of CO produced dissatisfaction among 12 percent of individuals exposed for 60 minutes, while the 5 ppm of CO produced dissatisfaction among 18 to 30 percent of individuals exposed for 60 minutes (this range includes eye, nose, and throat irritation). It is apparent from Figure 7-4 that approximately 32 percent of the 30-minute CO averages exceeded 2 ppm in the smoking section of the aircraft cabin. Applying the data of Cain et al., this implies that on 32 percent of the flights where CO levels exceeded 2 ppm, 12 percent of the occupants sitting in the smoking section would experience respiratory discomfort after 60 minutes of exposure to CO from ETS. Similarly, on 5 percent of all flights tested, the 30-minute CO averages exceeded 2 ppm in the boundary and nonsmoking sections. This implies that on 5 percent of the flights, 12 percent of the nonsmokers in these sections would be dissatisfied. It should be noted that in the Cain et al. study, 25 percent of the individuals tested were smokers. In addition, odor perception, over a 60-minute time period, for occupants of a space containing 2 ppm or 5 ppm CO as a surrogate for ETS (e.g., passengers or cabin crew members in an aircraft cabin containing ETS would be less sensitive than for visitors to that space (e.g., the flight engineer who leaves the flight deck to visit the cabin.
Integrated samples of nicotine were taken on 61 domestic smoking and 8 international smoking flights. The results of sample analysis for domestic flights are presented in Figure 7-5, as the percentages of flights with nicotine concentrations at or below the plotted values. For domestic flights, nicotine was below the detection limit in the smoking section on 5 percent of flights, lower than detectable in the boundary section on 62 percent of flights and lower than detectable in the nonsmoking section an 75 percent of flights. Recognizing that integrated samples do not reveal peak short-term concentrations during flight, average concentrations of nicotine never exceeded 2 ug/m3 in the nonsmoking section and 5 ug/m3 in the boundary section. Nicotine concentrations obtained on international flights and in a recent study by Mattson et al. (1989) presented too few data points to construct valid plots.
The level of discomfort from ETS measured as ETS-generated nicotine aboard aircraft, observed by Mattson et al. (1989), was superimposed over the concentration data in Figure 7-5. These researchers determined that no subjects reported moderate or mild sensory response of the nose and eye at a concentration of 4 ug/m3. Using this value as a threshold
for response in the present study, nicotine in the boundary and nonsmoking sections did not reach concentrations that would provoke nose and eye irritation on any flights. Nicotine concentrations did exceed this threshold concentration in the smoking section on 65 percent of the domestic flights that were monitored. Subjects in the Mattson et al. study reported marked sensory response at nicotine concentrations of approximately 16 Ug/m3. This value significantly exceeded nicotine levels in the boundary and nonsmoking sections of all domestic flights that were monitored, so that marked sensory responses from nicotine would not be expected. However, nicotine concentrations in the smoking sections of 35 percent of all domestic flights monitored reached levels that would evoke a marked sensory response in the eye and nose.
While ETS has been shown as an etiologic agent of cardiovascular disease (Wells, 1988), no definitive data exist on the quantitative relationship between ETS and ischaemic heart disease, particularly for individuals with preexisting cardiovascular illness, as acknowledged by the National Research Council (1986a) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1983). Simply put, not enough is known about the physiology and etiology of ETS-induced cardiovascular disease to postulate a dose-response model.
Scientific evidence suggests that CO impacts the cardiovascular system (causing angina and cardiac ischemia) and implies that nicotine also has an effect. In the case of C0, a recent multi-center investigation has demonstrated that 3 percent carboxyhemoglobin contributes to the expression of angina (Health Effects Institute, 1988), which is a symptom of cardiac effect but not necessarily indicative of coronary heart disease. In that study, an exposure chamber CO concentration of 9 ppm for up to 50 minutes produced 3 percent carboxyhemoglobin. The EPA has estimated that in the ambient air environment, 2.7 percent (at rest) or 2.9 percent (with moderate exercise) carboxyhemoglobin is equivalent to breathing an ambient air CO concentration of 20 ppm for 8 hours, based on the Coburn equation (Federal Register, 1985). Similarly, 2 percent carboxyhemoglobin is equivalent to breathing 35 ppm CO for one hour (with moderate exercise) or 15 ppm CO for 8 hours (at rest). This is the basis of an EPA 8-hour standard of 9 ppm for CO (Federal Register 1985). However, the contribution of CO in ETS to nonsmoker carboxyhemoglobin is unknown. Smokers self-dose with ETS-derived CO to a level of 3 to 8 percent carboxyhemoglobin; the nonsmokers' ETS-induced carboxyhemoglobin levels are presumably less. Endogenous carboxyhemoglobin levels (in the absence of ambient air CO) in the U.S. population are approximately 0.5 percent. The CO levels measured aboard aircraft in this study, including the peak concentrations, were considerably less than 9 ppm.
Children, asthmatics, and individuals with preexisting cardiovascular disease constitute populations of special concern for the health effects of ETS.
Although there is evidence to suggest that the respiratory system of children is affected by chronic exposure to ETS (based on studies of children in homes of smoking parents), given the small number of hours that children fly, the risk from exposure to ETS in aircraft cabins is likely to be small.
Currently available data are insufficient to quantify the impact of carbon monoxide on asthmatics. A recent review by the EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1989a) on the current status of knowledge regarding the health effects of CO demonstrates a lack of information in this area. There are indications in individual research papers of what conceptually may be the effects of exposure to CO by asthmatics (e.g., decrease in lung cell function and degradation of epithelial cell integrity). Any quantitative observations as to where the threshold for acute respiratory effects of CO on asthmatics lies, and whether it is likely to be lower and the symptomatic response larger than for non-asthmatics, are currently considered to be speculative. Similarly, the quantitative impact of CO on preexisting ischaemic heart disease or other cardiovascular illness at the levels observed in airliner cabins' currently cannot be estimated because health data are insufficient.
The impact of nicotine on the respiratory system of asthmatics is even more poorly understood than for carbon monoxide. No empirical quantitative data are available to determine the level of nicotine that would provoke an asthmatic response, or whether the level causing respiratory irritation in non-asthmatics is different from that causing irritation in asthmatics.
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