Abstract
A new sampling method of nicotine in ETS was developed by using a semi-active sampler, which enables simultaneous collection of nicotine in the gas phase and that adsorbed on the fine particles in the ETS. The semi-active sampler is a tube-type sampler made of aluminum in which a polyurethane form (PUF) was placed as an adsorption medium for nicotine. Air sample is introduced to the sampler by the flow induced by a small fun installed at the outlet of the sampler. Nicotine of both gas phase and adsorbed on particulates in the sampled air would be captured onto the adsorbent, PUF. The PUF used as an adsorbent was pretreated with L-ascorbic acid, which improved the holding performance of the collected nicotine onto the PUF. The average concentration of nicotine in a smoking room sampled and determined by the active sampling method using XAD-4 showed a good linear relationship (R2 = 0.99) with the amount of nicotine collected by the semi-active sampling method. The sampling rate of the semi-active sampler was determined 578 mL/min, which is 60 times greater than that of a conventional passive sampler (modified MoNIC). The present method was applied to some field studies on the measurement of personal exposure to nicotine in the ETS, with which the inhaled cigarette equivalent (CE) by a passive smoker can be estimated.
