Respirable Particles and Carcinogens in the Air of Delaware Hospitality Venues Before and After a Smoking Ban

Abstract

How do the concentrations of indoor air pollutants known to increase risk of respiratory disease, cancer, heart disease, and stroke change after a smoke-free workplace law? Real-time measurements were made of respirable particle (RSP) air pollution and particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PPAH), in a casino, six bars, and a pool hall before and after a smoking ban. Secondhand smoke contributed 90% to 95% of the RSP air pollution during smoking, and 85% to 95% of the carcinogenic PPAH, greatly exceeding levels of these contaminants encountered on major truck highways and polluted city streets. This air-quality survey demonstrates conclusively that the health of hospitality workers and patrons is endangered by tobacco smoke pollution. Smoke-free workplace laws eliminate that hazard and provide health protection impossible to achieve through ventilation or air cleaning.

An experimental investigation of tobacco smoke pollution in cars

“…The present study reports conditions where peak exposure levels met or exceeded those reported in some of the smokiest bars and restaurants prior to the implementation of a smoking ban ( Repace, 2004 ;Travers et al, 2004Travers et al, , 2007. Peak levels in the conditions in which the windows were open did not reach the same levels, probably because open windows increase the number of air exchanges in the small space.…”

“…Reports of high levels of PM 2.5 exposure in restaurants and bars have been used by legislators to implement smoke-free policies Repace, 2004 ;Travers et al, 2004Travers et al, , 2007. The present study reports conditions where peak exposure levels met or exceeded those reported in some of the smokiest bars and restaurants prior to the implementation of a smoking ban ( Repace, 2004 ;Travers et al, 2004Travers et al, , 2007.…”

“…The Dustrak was used with a 2.5-micron impactor to measure PM 2.5 and was calibrated prior to each experimental session with an high effi ciency particulate air fi lter according to the manufacturer's specifi cations. The Dustrak was set to record the average PM 2.5 concentration every 60 s. A customized calibration factor of 0.32 was applied to the device, determined by calibrating the device in the present study with other light-scattering photometers measuring TSP Repace, 2004 ;Travers et al, 2004Travers et al, , 2007. Two other devices were placed in the car to monitor air quality parameters (e.g., carbon monoxide), but those data are not included in this analysis.…”

Strength of smoke-free air laws and indoor air quality

“…Tobacco smoke substantially contributes to indoor particle concentration in hospitality venues and can be greatly reduced by implementation of smoke-free air laws ( Lee et al, 2008 ;Lee, Hahn, Riker, Head, & Seithers, 2007 ;Ott, Switzer, & Robinson, 1996 ;Repace, 2004 ;Repace, Hyde, & Brugge, 2006 ;Semple, Creely, Naji, Miller, & Ayres, 2007 ;Travers, Cummings, & Hyland, 2004 ;Valente et al, 2007 ). When indoor PM 2.5 levels were measured in six pubs in Boston, the level decreased 96% ( Repace et al, 2006 ).…”

Modeling geographic and demographic variability in residential concentrations of environmental tobacco smoke using national data sets

“…Studies conducted before the introduction of smoking restrictions in public venues directly measured concentrations of ETS-PM using personal monitors, but the evidence from these studies cannot be used directly to construct exposure models in residential settings (Repace, 2004;Repace et al, 2006;Jenkins et al, 1996;Jenkins et al, 2001). Given increasing smoking restrictions in public places, the majority of the exposure and risk burden may shift to the residential environment, but no study to date has developed broad-based and generalizable models of ETS exposure inside homes.…”