Impact of “Designated Smoking Area” Policy on Nicotine Vapor and Particle Concentrations in a Modern Office Building

Abstract

A series of measurements of nicotine vapor and particle concentrations were carried out in a modern office building. The measurement program was designed to document the impact of the new smoking policy (e.g. smoking restricted to two specific areas) on air quality in various parts of the building. Measurements at over 30 locations examined areas where smoking was restricted, where smoking was permitted, and where an air handler shared the load of a designated smoking area. These measurements were taken at the same locations before and after the policy was implemented. The measurement results indicated that: After the policy was implemented, general employee exposure to nicotine vapor (as a surrogate for all environmental tobacco smoke) was reduced by about 98 percent on most floors. Other patterns related to spillover from designated smoking areas and changes in the designated smoking areas themselves are described in the paper. Substantial reductions in exposure to nicotine vapor were found even for those general office areas which had the highest concentrations after the policy was implemented.