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Evaluation of a smoke-free law on indoor air quality and on workers' health in Portuguese restaurants

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dc.contributor.authorMadureira, J.
dc.contributor.authorMendes, A.
dc.contributor.authorTeixeira, João Paulo
dc.date.accessioned2015-02-03T13:56:20Z
dc.date.available2015-02-03T13:56:20Z
dc.date.issued2014
dc.description.abstractWorkplace bans on smoking are interventions to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) to try to prevent harmful health effects. The Portuguese Government on January 1, 2008, introduced the first national law banning smoking in public workplaces, including restaurants. The main aim of this study was to examine the impact of this law on indoor air quality (IAQ) in restaurants and on the respiratory and sensory health of restaurant workers. Concentrations of respirable suspended particulate matter (RSP), total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), carbon monoxide (CO), and carbon dioxide (CO2) in 10 restaurants were measured and compared before and after the ban. Benzene (C6H6) concentrations were also measured in all restaurants. Fifty-two and twenty-eight restaurant workers, respectively, answered questionnaires on exposure to SHS, and respiratory and sensory symptoms in the pre- and post-ban phases. There was a statistically significant decrease in RSP, CO, TVOC, and C6H6 concentrations after the ban. Additionally, in both phases the monitored CO2 concentrations greatly exceeded 1800 mg x m(-3), suggesting inefficient ventilation of the indoor spaces. Between pre- and post-ban phases a significant reduction in self-reported workplace SHS exposure was also observed after the enforcement of the law, as well as a significant marked reduction in dry, itching, irritated, or watery eyes, nasal problems, sore or dry throat, cough, wheeze, and headache. This study provides, in a single investigation, comparison of IAQ and respiratory health in Portugal before and after the introduction of the smoke-free law, the first data reported in the literature to our knowledge. Our findings suggest that a total workplace smoking ban results in a significant reduction in indoor air pollution and an improvement in the respiratory health of restaurant workers. These observations may have implications for policymakers and legislators currently considering the nature and extent of their smoke-free workplace legislation and could provide a useful contribution to the implementation of public health prevention programs.por
dc.identifier.citationJ Occup Environ Hyg. 2014;11(4):201-9. doi: 10.1080/15459624.2013.852279por
dc.identifier.doi10.1080/15459624.2013.852279.
dc.identifier.issn1545-9624
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/2756
dc.language.isoengpor
dc.peerreviewedyespor
dc.publisherTaylor & Francis: STM, Behavioural Science and Public Health Titlespor
dc.relation.publisherversionhttp://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15459624.2013.852279#tabModulepor
dc.subjectIndoor Air Qualitypor
dc.subjectSmokepor
dc.subjectSmoking Banpor
dc.subjectSHS Exposurepor
dc.subjectRespiratory Symptomspor
dc.subjectRestaurantspor
dc.subjectAr e Saúde Ocupacionalpor
dc.subjectPortugal
dc.titleEvaluation of a smoke-free law on indoor air quality and on workers' health in Portuguese restaurantspor
dc.typejournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.citation.endPage209por
oaire.citation.startPage201por
oaire.citation.titleJournal of Occupational and Environmental Hygienepor
oaire.citation.volume11(4)por
rcaap.rightsembargoedAccesspor
rcaap.typearticlepor

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