Our Mission
Our mission is to prevent, reduce, and eliminate tobacco’s toxic legacy of environmental pollution and harms to human health caused by decades of commercial tobacco sales and use.
Who We Are
The Center for Tobacco and the Environment is an applied research center based at San Diego State University (SDSU). The Center is dedicated to investigating the toxic legacy of commercial tobacco in indoor and outdoor environments. We bring together communities and researchers from a wide range of backgrounds to prevent, reduce, and eliminate tobacco-related harm that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations and the environments in which they live, work, and play.
What We Do
We investigate how tobacco product waste and second- and thirdhand smoke affect the health and safety of our communities. Our work includes studying how tobacco waste accumulates and re-accumulates in neighborhoods, as well as testing water and soil for tobacco-related pollutants. We also examine surface wipe, air, and dust samples to better understand how smoke residue contaminates indoor environments, and we test homes, cars, hotel rooms, workplaces, and other spaces for harmful chemicals and carcinogens linked to tobacco use.
Beyond environmental testing, we engage directly with the public—educating and surveying parents, renters, home buyers, homeowners, real estate professionals, used-car sellers and buyers, restaurant owners, travelers, and others impacted by tobacco exposure. Our goal is to assess whether current strategies and public policies adequately protect vulnerable populations and sensitive environments, and to identify where changes may be needed to ensure long-term protection from tobacco-related pollutants.
Policy Research Center
The Policy Research Center for Tobacco and the Environment is a multidisciplinary collaboration between SDSU and our community partner non-profit SAY San Diego that began in 2023.
Thirdhand Smoke Resource Center
The Thirdhand Smoke Resource Center is part of the California-wid Collaborative Consortium on Thirdhand Smoke. The Resource Center investigates the chemical residue left behind by smoking and vaping in indoor environments and its impact on human health.
Public Health Projects
Investigators affiliated with CTE are involved in a wide range of public health studies addressing the broad environment impact of commercial tobacco.
Our Work Has Been Funded By
- California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP)
- California Department of Public Health
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- National Institutes of Health (NIH): National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) World Health Organization (WHO)