Smoking ban and indoor air quality in restaurants in Mumbai, India

Abstract

Background:Second-hand smoke contains several toxic chemicals that are known to pollute the air and harm people's health. In India, smoking in public places has been prohibited since October 2008 as a way to reduce second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure. The purpose of the present study was to assess the implementation of smoke-free policies and its impact on indoor air quality by measuring the PM2.5 levels in bars and restaurants, restaurants, country liquor bars, hookah restaurants and pubs in Mumbai.Materials and Methods:Air quality measurements at 50 venues were conducted by using a “SIDEPAK™ AM510 Personal Aerosol Monitor” during April to May 2009. Average concentration of PM2.5 (μg/m3) particles was calculated separately for each venue.Results:Smoking was observed in 36% of the surveyed venues during an hour of data collection. The PM2.5 levels ranged from 16.97 to 1101.76 μg/m3. The average level of PM2.5 among non-smoking venues was 97.19 μg/m3 and among smoking venues was 363.04 μg/m3.Conclusion:Considerable scope for improvement in implementation of smoke-free policies exists. The PM2.5 levels were exceedingly high in venues where smoking was observed.