Secondhand smoke exposure in bars and restaurants in Guatemala City: before and after smoking ban evaluation

• Published in: Cancer causes & control 2011-01, Vol.22 (1), p.151-156
• Main Authors: Barnoya, Joaquin, Arvizu, Mariel, Jones, Miranda R, Hernandez, Juan C, Breysse, Patrick N, Navas-Acien, Ana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Air Pollution, Indoor - legislation & jurisprudence; Air sampling; Bans; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; BRIEF REPORT; Cancer Research; Cardiovascular disease; Chromatography, Gas; Cigarette smoking; Compliance; Cross-Sectional Studies; Employees; Epidemiology; Female; Gas chromatography; Guatemala; Hematology; Humans; Lung cancer; Lung neoplasms; Male; Neighborhoods; Nicotine; Nicotine - analysis; Oncology; pollution; Public Health; Public space; Restaurants; Restaurants - legislation & jurisprudence; Samplers; Sampling; Secondhand smoke; Smoke; Smoke-free environments; Smoking; Smoking - legislation & jurisprudence; Statistical median; tobacco; Tobacco smoke; Tobacco smoke pollution; Tobacco Smoke Pollution - analysis; Tobacco Smoke Pollution - legislation & jurisprudence; Tobacco smoking; Workplaces
• ISSN: 0957-5243; 1573-7225
• DOI: 10.1007/s10552-010-9673-8

Objective In February 2009, Guatemala implemented a comprehensive smoking ban. We assessed air nicotine levels in bars and restaurants 6 months after the ban (post-ban) and compared them with levels found in 2006 (pre-ban). Methods Exposure was estimated by passive sampling of vapor-phase nicotine using samplers (n = 50) placed for 7 working days in 10 bars and 11 restaurants in Guatemala City. Air nicotine was measured by gas chromatography, and the time-weighted average concentration in μg/m³ was estimated. Employees answered a survey about smoke-free workplaces (n = 32) and compared with pre-ban (n = 37) results. Results Nicotine was detectable in all bars pre- and post-ban. In restaurants, it was detectable in all pre- and 73% post-ban. Median nicotine concentrations in bars significantly decreased from 4.58 μg/m³ (IQR, 1.71, 6.45) pre-ban to 0.28 μg/m³ (IQR 0.17, 0.66) post-ban (87% decrease). In restaurants, concentrations significantly decreased from 0.58 μg/m³ (IQR, 0.44, 0.71) to 0.04 μg/m³ (IQR 0.01, 0.11) (95% decrease). Employees' support for a smoke-free workplace increased in the post-ban survey (from 32 to 81%, p < 0.001). Conclusion Six months after the implementation of a smoke-free law in Guatemala, nicotine levels were significantly decreased in bars and restaurants and workers' support for the law substantially increased.