Qualidade do ar interior em estabelecimentos da restauração após a entrada em vigor da lei portuguesa de controlo do tabagismo

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Introduction A study carried out in the city of Braga, in February 2008 (shortly after the entry into force of Law 37/2007 of August 14 of tobacco control), in hospitality venues revealed that there are establishments that allow smoking inside their facilities. This raised the problem of knowing what the concentration of nicotine in the air present in these venues is (an indicator of pollution by tobacco smoke). Participants and methods The air quality was assessed in March 2009, in six hospitality venues, of the city of Braga: two smoke free restaurants under 100 m 2; two coffees less than 100 m 2 (a smoke free coffeehouse and another that does not allow consumption); a smoke free night bar with less than 100 m 2 and a nightclub with a smoking area and a non-smoking room, separated by a curtain of air. Measurement of vapor phase nicotine in air was done by active monitoring, through the use of monitors, using the methodology applied by Hammond 1. Particles (PM 2.5) were measured with a Side Pack. Results The average concentration of nicotine inside the smoke free coffeehouses and restaurants is 6.29 mg/m 3, while inside the coffeehouses where smoking is not allowed is 1.1 mg/m 3. The concentration of nicotine in the night bar has a very high value (9.42 mg/m 3). At the disco, the concentration of nicotine is the highest recorded in enclosed spaces (19.1 mg/m 3 in the area where smoking is forbidden and 10.2 mg/m 3 in a smoke free area). Conclusions The results suggest that in the hospitality venues, where smoking is permitted, there is a high air contamination by Environmental Tobacco Smoke, which are particularly exposed workers. More studies are needed to clarify the situation of tobacco consumption in the hospitality sector.