Indoor Smoking of Shisha and Tobacco

Smoking indoors is prohibited in Jordan. However, this is often violated in many indoor environments in the country. In this study, shisha smoking and/or tobacco smoking was reported in three dwellings (GFA3, H1, and D1). It was not possible to separate the smoking events from the combustion processes used for heating or cooking. Therefore, the concentrations reported here were due to a combination of smoking and heating/cooking activities.

Tobacco smoking increased indoor aerosol concentrations as follows: the mean calculated PM2.5 concentrations were between 40 <sup>μ</sup>g/m<sup>3</sup> and 100 <sup>μ</sup>g/m3 (submicron PN concentrations between 9 <sup>×</sup> 104 cm−<sup>3</sup> and 1.5 <sup>×</sup> 105 cm−3). The corresponding mean calculated PM10 concentrations were between 160 μg/m<sup>3</sup> and 190 μg/m3 (mean coarse PN concentrations between 6 cm−<sup>3</sup> and 8 cm−3). Shisha smoking had a more pronounced impact on indoor aerosol concentrations compared to tobacco smoking. The mean calculated PM2.5 concentrations were between 60 μg/m<sup>3</sup> and 140 μg/m3 (submicron PN concentrations between 1.2 <sup>×</sup> 105 cm−<sup>3</sup> and 4 <sup>×</sup> 105 cm−3). The corresponding mean calculated PM10 concentrations were between 90 μg/m3 and 290 μg/m3 (mean coarse PN concentrations between 2 cm−<sup>3</sup> and 15 cm<sup>−</sup>3).

For shisha smoking, the tobacco is mixed with honey (or sweeteners), oil products (such as glycerin), and flavoring products. Charcoal is used as the source of heat to burn the shisha tobacco mixture. Usually, the charcoal is heated up indoors on the stove prior to the shisha smoking event. Shisha and cigarette smoking produces a vast range of pollutants in the form of primary and secondary particulate and gaseous pollution [49–58]. It was also reported that cigarette and shisha smoke may contain compounds of microbiological origin, in addition to hundreds of compounds of known carcinogenicity and inhalation toxicity [49].
