The 2025-2026 Policy Research Center Pilot Project Funding Application is now available. Learn more here.

Public Health Projects

Current Projects

cigarette butts in the water wafting chemicals and microplastics

Assessing Fate and Toxicity of Microplastics under Coast Environment Conditions

Tobacco and cannabis litter, like cigarette butts and vaping pods, contain plastics. When these break down in the environment, they can introduce harmful microplastics. The research goals of this project are to understand how these microplastics are aging and affecting the coastal and aquatic environment.

group of children with a doctor

Thirdhand Smoke Disparities, Harm and Risk in Children

The overall aim of this project is to investigate and quantify disparities in thirdhand smoke exposure and harm in a diverse sample of children, and to provide evidence and tools to reduce thirdhand smoke exposure to children in indoor spaces.

a living room with a magnifying glass showing thirdhand smoke residue on the couch

Thirdhand Smoke in Homes: Fate, Characterization, and Remediation

Thirdhand smoke can contaminate many surfaces in our homes. This project attempts to characterize and understand the variability of different thirdhand-smoke-contaminated household surfaces, including the level of contamination and depth of penetration of different materials. Then, continuing tests will determine how effective cleaning methods are in removing this thirdhand smoke.

a silhouette of a person vaping

Silicone Wristbands to Measure Secondhand Exposure to Tobacco, E-Cigarettes, and Cannabis

This project will evaluate whether a community-friendly and simple silicone wristband can be worn and used as a sampler to absorb and record exposure to tobacco smoke, e-cigarettes, and cannabis.

two apartment building with people on the balconies and by the windows

Reducing Exposure to Thirdhand Smoke in Multiunit Housing

The goal of this project is to determine best practices for sampling, exposure assessment, remediation, and verification of thirdhand smoke-polluted multiunit housing, and to translate these findings to the people this affects.

a boy with red hair playing a game on his phone

Simulation for Environmental Exposure Education (S3E): A Serious Game Platform for Environmental Health Literacy

The goal of this project is to develop and test a mobile game for middle school students that will introduce them to environmental health issues related to residential tobacco and carbon monoxide exposure

Secondhand Smoke web page on a mobile phone

Designing a Mobile Personal Exposure Toolkit (PET) with Youth

A big focus of the Center's projects is community involvement and engagement. The major goals of this project are to design, develop and test a tool to measure real-time tobacco exposure to support policies for smokefree housing and outdoor dining.

icons of people, a megaphone, and a briefcase

Thirdhand Smoke Research Consortium: Messaging for Priority Populations

Similar to the "Testing Anti-Tobacco Messages" Project, this project also tests the effectiveness of messaging. However, this project is specifically focused on thirdhand smoke messaging in the context of the Endgame.

Testing Anti-Tobacco Messages for California’s Tobacco Endgame Among Diverse and Underserved Communities

One way that the Center is assisting the state’s Tobacco Endgame is by exploring the best ways to communicate about the Endgame. The major goal of this project is to develop and test the various tobacco endgame messaging strategies among diverse and underserved communities.

smartphone with map marking locations of cigarette butts

Engaging Communities in the Tobacco Endgame: Mapping Tobacco Product Litter in the Neighborhood

California is gearing up to end the tobacco epidemic by 2035. You can see the state's resources here. This app will educate, map, record, and share observations of tobacco waste in local neighborhoods, before it is evaluated for its effectiveness in increasing understanding of tobacco waste.

a cigarette butt with a teal backdrop and the letters TPWRP

Tobacco Product Waste Reduction Project

We’ve all seen cigarette butts lying on the street or sidewalk. Cigarette butts, e-smoking pods, and cannabis trash can all contain cancer-causing chemicals. The Tobacco Product Waste Reduction Project helps communities reduce this harmful waste.

Imperial Valley Youth for a Tobacco-Free Environment

SDSU has teamed up with Comite Civico del Valle (CCV) in Imperial County, CA to involve high schoolers in tobacco-related research and education. This project’s goals include determining how to involve community residents in the planning, conducting, and use of research to change local rules and policies around tobacco use.

group of children

Prevalence and Clinical Correlates of Thirdhand Smoke Exposure in a Pediatric Patient Population

It is well established that children face the greatest risks of harm from tobacco exposure. This project aims to identify children exposed to thirdhand smoke only and evaluate how this exposure may be affecting their health.

Thirdhand Smoke’s Contribution to Overall Tobacco Smoke Exposure in Pediatric Patients

Thirdhand smoke is only one method of tobacco exposure. This project is investigating how home smoking behaviors contribute to thirdhand smoke and overall tobacco smoke pollution and exposure.

Previous Projects

a cannabis farm and a polluted river. a farmer sprays pesticides

Surface Water Emissions from Cannabis Cultivation Sites: Quantity, Quality, Toxicity, and Relationships to Farmers’ Practices

This project will survey cannabis and other crop growers for self-reported farm practices, analyze pesticide residue from local dispensary products versus other crops, and sample and analyze waters downstream of farms for quality and toxicity. The goal is to assess cannabis farming practices for their environmental effect.

Economic Costs of Tobacco Product Waste

This project is developing an economic mode that evaluates the cost of tobacco waste product throughout several CA cities.

icons of urine and blood samples with a document

Using Biomarkers to Distinguish Types of Smoke Exposure in Children

Biomarkers are chemicals that we can measure to estimate other harder-to-measure exposures. In this case, this project uses public use datasets of multiple biomarkers for tobacco exposure to differentiate between second- and thirdhand smoke, as well as e-cigarette smoke. Children are a population of particular concern because they are more vulnerable to the harms of tobacco exposure.

bird next to a cigarette butt

Pilot Investigation of Tobacco, E-Cigarette, and Cannabis Contaminants in an Urban Natural Reserve

This pilot project will investigate the toxicity of tobacco product waste in an urban natural reserve and establish sampling and analytical methods for assessing this environmental pollution.

two apartment buildings with people coughing

Exposure to Tobacco, E-Cigarette, and Marijuana in Multiunit Housing

Do you live in multiunit housing, like an apartment or condominium complex? Your neighbor’s tobacco and cannabis smoke can travel from between units and affect your health, even if you and the people you live with don’t smoke. The Tobacco, E-Cigarette, & Marijuana Project surveys residents and samples their homes to better understand traveling toxic smoke.

an apartment building with people in the windows

Remediation of Tobacco Toxicants Polluting Low-Income Multiunit Housing

This project aims to determine the extent to which low-income multiunit housing in San Diego County is polluted with thirdhand smoke. The study will evaluate the effectiveness of household dust and surface cleaning interventions on thirdhand smoke pollutant concentration.