Abstract
Studies about the measurement of outdoor tobacco smoke (OTS) are limited to a few very recent studies. In many countries around the world, within public buildings, smoking is prohibited by law. However, these prohibitions often drive smokers to move to the border of the areas where smoking is forbidden, typically the entrances of buildings, in order to smoke. When many smokers stand outdoors near the entrances, a significant “wall” of smoke is generated. This condition exposes nonsmokers to smoke and contaminates the indoor environment too. Such a situation is amplified if the outdoor external area is covered. This paper presents a work carried out in a university campus, near building entrances, with the aim of studying the second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure in outdoor conditions. Measurements of particulate matter in specific environmental conditions are evaluated to estimate the OTS impacts on the students and the academic staff. The results showed that the exposure to tobacco can be very high and even comparable to values found when tests were carried out indoors, at the same distances from the smokers. A discussion about forbidding smoking near the entrances of public buildings is reported, including considerations about the environmental and public health concerns induced by SHS exposure and the smoking activity.
Highlights
The World Health Organization [1,2] classifies smoking as a chronic, progressive disease which is “contagious” and considered as a neurobiotic addiction
The higher concentrations near the building entrances can be attributed to the allocation of the baskets for the collection of cigarette butts, located exactly in front of thec)entrance of the building. Similar to these findingsd)are the results reported by Sureda et al [30] who measured PM2.5 at various indoor and outdoor locations, in which smokni.nsmgoiksinpg rohibited inside but allowed exactly outsni.dsemtohkiengbuilding
Passive smoking in a covered area, albeit outside, contributes to the increase in average concentrations of PM10 frequently exceeding the 24 h guideline value established by the World Health Organization (WHO)
Summary
The World Health Organization [1,2] classifies smoking as a chronic, progressive disease which is “contagious” and considered as a neurobiotic addiction. The focus on smoking-related health problems and neurocognitive deficits has expanded to include the study of “second-hand smoking” ( known as “passive smoking”—wherein a person who does not smoke, inhales tobacco smoke either via side-stream smoke or via smoke being blown directly into the face) Research in this area has focused on the exposure to second-hand smoke of those who have never smoked and examined a range of health problems associated with direct smokers. These include lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, as well as deficits in neurocognitive function. By 2030, this disease is probably going to be one of the top three causes of mortality [13,14]
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