Vascular Aging Is Accelerated in Flight Attendants With Occupational Secondhand Smoke Exposure

To determine whether early vascular aging may be present in flight attendants with remote in-cabin secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure.

Twenty-six flight attendants with a history of in-cabin SHS exposure prior to the airline smoking bans were recruited. Pulse wave analysis, peripheral arterial tonometry, and brachial artery reactivity testing evaluated their arterial compliance and endothelial function.

Flight attendants with remote in-cabin SHS exposure have normal blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, and reactive hyperemia index, but abnormal pulse pressure, augmentation index, flow-mediated dilation, and hyperemic mean flow ratio.

These preliminary findings suggest that flight attendants with remote in-cabin SHS exposure have preclinical signs of accelerated vascular aging and raise new questions about the relationship between remote SHS exposure and vascular health.