An epidemiologic study comparing fetal exposure to tobacco smoke in three Southeast Asian countries

The high prevalence of smoking in Southeast Asia (SEA) means pregnant women face exposure to tobacco smoke that may affect the health of their fetus. This study determined fetal exposure to tobacco smoke by meconium analysis for cotinine in 3 locations in SEA: Bulacan Province, Philippines (N=316), Bangkok, Thailand (N=106) and Singapore City (N=61). Maternal exposure to tobacco smoke was 71.1% (1.3% active; 69.8% passive) in Bulacan, 57.5% (0.9% active; 58.6% passive) in Bangkok and 54.1% (11.5% active; 42.0% passive) in Singapore. Fetal exposure to tobacco smoke (by meconium analysis) was 1.3% (Bulacan), 4.7% (Bangkok) and 13.1% (Singapore); however, a large proportion of infants who tested positive for cotinine (65%) were born to mothers who gave no history of either active or passive exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. Fetal exposure to tobacco smoke is a major health problem.