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Updated: Oct 23, 2025

Comparing the Effects of Electronic Cigarette Vapor and Cigarette Smoke in a Novel In Vivo Exposure System
Published on: May 24, 2017
Hand Nicotine and Cotinine In Children Exposed to Cigars: A Pilot Study
E Melinda Mahabee-Gittens1, Georg E Matt1, Roman J Jandarov1
1E. Melinda Mahabee-Gittens, Professor, Division of Emergency Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States. Georg E. Matt, Professor, Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States. Roman J. Jandarov, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Health, Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States. Ashley L. Merianos, Associate Professor, School of Human Services, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States.
Objectives:
Past research has not examined secondhand and thirdhand smoke (THS) exposure in children of cigar smokers. We examined hand nicotine and cotinine levels in children of cigar smokers to explore the contribution of cigar smoke to tobacco smoke exposure (TSE).
Methods:
Participants were children (N = 24; mean (SD) age = 6.5 (3.6) years) whose parents smoked cigars only or poly-used cigars and/or cigarettes. Primary outcomes were hand nicotine and urinary cotinine levels.
Results:
All children had detectable hand nicotine (range: 7.6-312.5ng/wipe) and cotinine (range: 0.3-100.3ng/ml). Positive correlations were found between hand nicotine and cotinine (r = 0.693, p = .001), hand nicotine and parents who also smoked cigarettes (r = 0.407, p = .048), and hand nicotine and number of smokers around the child (r = 0.436, p = .03). Hand nicotine (r = -0.464, p = .02), but not cotinine (r = -0.266, p = .26), was negatively correlated with child age. Multiple regression results indicated a positive association between hand nicotine and cotinine (p = .002; semi-partial r2 = 0.415), irrespective of child age.
Conclusions:
The significant association of hand nicotine with urinary cotinine suggests that THS pollution should be assessed in evaluating children's overall TSE to cigars and other tobacco products, and hand nicotine may be a proxy for overall TSE. Younger children may have increased THS pollutant uptake.
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