Indoor Air Nicotine, Nitrogen Dioxide Exposure, and COVID-19 Outcomes in a Great Plains Tribal Community

Details

• Journal Article:
  Indoor Air
• Personal Author:
  Tillery, Anna ; O'Leary, Rae ; Pisanic, Nora ; Youpee, Brittany ; Aherrera, Angela ; Kruczynski, Kate ; Farlee, Jaylynn ; Wilks, Megan ; Hovhannisyan Romero, Erena S. ; Cajero, Miranda ; Duran, Jacob ; Heaney, Christopher D. ; Rule, Ana M. ; Erdei, Esther
  More +
• Description:
  Introduction: Indigenous communities in the United States have disproportionately high tobacco use and reliance on propane for heating and cooking fuel compared to other demographic groups. Of concern is exposure to air nicotine (AN) and NO2 in indoor environments and their potential impact on respiratory infections. Objective: The objective of this study is to assess indoor air pollution and COVID-19 infection outcomes in multigenerational households within the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (CRST). Methods: The COVID-19 Wayakta He? ("Are you on guard against COVID-19?") Study recruited 290 multigenerational households with two adults at least 9 years apart. All participants responded to a questionnaire on COVID-19 outcomes, housing conditions, and environmental health factors. Households deployed passive AN and NO2 air monitors in their homes for 1 week. Each participant provided saliva samples for COVID-19 serological testing. Results: The geometric mean AN concentration was 0.052 µg/m3 (range: 0.017-5.35); 40.1% of households had AN detected. The geometric mean NO2 concentration was 10.5 ppb (range: 0.65-138). The odds of previous COVID-19 infection were 1.21 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.51) times higher for those exposed to AN; the odds of self-reported long COVID-19 disease were 3.69 (95% CI: 1.11, 16.6) times higher for those exposed to NO2. Conclusion: Indoor air exposures to AN and NO2 increased the odds of having COVID-19 infection and long COVID-19 outcomes. The combination of toxic chemical exposures, increased prevalence of existing chronic diseases, and structural social problems placed Indigenous communities at increased risk of having COVID-19 infections. High exposures to household AN and NO2 and the occurrence of COVID-19 disease highlight the importance of consistently including exposure assessments to design targeted interventions in Tribal communities. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Air Pollution, Indoor
  • COVID-19
  • Nicotine
  • Occupational Health
  • Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome
  • Safety
• Keywords:
  • Indoor environments; Nicotine; Nitrogen dioxide; Indoor air pollution; COVID-19; Long COVID; Respiratory infections; Community health; Exposure assessment;
  • Author Keywords: air pollution; community-engaged research; COVID-19; indoor air; Tribal communities
• Source:
  Indoor Air 2026 Mar; 2026:7749725
• ISSN:
  0905-6947
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Dallas Region OSHA ; Denver Region OSHA ; Maryland ; New Mexico ; New York ; New York City Region OSHA ; Pennsylvania ; Philadelphia Region OSHA ; South Dakota
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  11 pdf pages
• Volume:
  2026
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071618
• Contact Point Address:
  Anna Tillery; Environmental Health Sciences Department, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York, USA
• Email:
  at4153@cumc.columbia.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  • (-)-Nicotine (CAS RN 54-11-5)
  • Nitrogen dioxide (CAS RN 10102-44-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• Performing Organization:
  Johns Hopkins University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• End Date:
  20280630
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/259393/cdc_259393_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1008.29 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:99b707e035bc2808183467a7da70c458b6e56cdb905ce51910123bd3b240e190958a5d27661f21708669853cde5bdd5735235da6cb09e7f400d517c02f01d3ff