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An evaluation of the indoor air quality in bars before and after a smoking ban in Austin, Texas
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

An evaluation of the indoor air quality in bars before and after a smoking ban in Austin, Texas

Michael S Waring and Jeffrey A Siegel
Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology, v 17(3), pp 260-268
May 2007
PMID: 16804559
url
https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jes.7500513View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

Air Pollution, Indoor - analysis Air Pollutants - analysis Air Pollution, Indoor - legislation & jurisprudence Environmental Monitoring Humans Environmental Exposure - prevention & control Smoking - legislation & jurisprudence Environmental Exposure - analysis Carbon Dioxide - analysis Smoking Prevention Restaurants - legislation & jurisprudence Tobacco Smoke Pollution - legislation & jurisprudence Particulate Matter - analysis Texas Carbon Monoxide - analysis Air Pollution, Indoor - prevention & control Program Evaluation Tobacco Smoke Pollution - analysis Tobacco Smoke Pollution - prevention & control
This study assessed differences in the indoor air quality and occupancy levels in seventeen bars due to a city-wide smoking ban that took effect on September 1, 2005 in Austin, Texas, USA. We measured the following in each venue before and after the smoking ban: mean number of occupants, mean number of lit cigarettes, temperature, relative humidity, room volume, and PM(2.5), CO, and CO(2) concentrations. Additionally, VOC measurements were conducted at three of the venues. There was not a statistically significant change in occupancy, but the best estimate PM(2.5) concentrations in the venues decreased 71-99%, a significant reduction in all venues, relative to the pre-ban levels; CO concentrations decreased significantly in all but one venue; and concentrations of VOCs known to be emitted from cigarettes decreased to below the detection limit for all but two common compounds. These results suggest that the smoking ban has effectively improved indoor air quality in Austin bars without an associated decrease in occupancy.

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60 citations in Scopus

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Web of Science research areas
Environmental Sciences
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Toxicology
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