title: Secondhand smoke exposure in hospitality venues in Europe.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although in the last few years some European countries have implemented smoking bans in hospitality venues, the levels of secondhand smoke (SHS) in this occupational sector could still be extremely high in most countries.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to assess exposure to SHS in hospitality venues in 10 European cities.
  
  
  METHODS
  We included 167 hospitality venues (58 discotheques and pubs, 82 restaurants and cafeterias, and 27 fast-food restaurants) in this cross-sectional study. We carried out fieldwork in 10 European cities: Vienna (Austria), Paris (France), Athens (Greece), Florence and Belluno (Italy), Galway (Ireland), Barcelona (Spain), Warsaw and Lublin (Poland), and Bratislava (Slovak Republic). We measured vapor-phase nicotine as an SHS marker.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We analyzed 504 samples and found nicotine in most samples (97.4%). We found the highest median concentrations in discos/pubs [32.99 microg/m(3); interquartile range (IQR), 8.06-66.84 microg/m(3)] and lower median concentrations in restaurants/cafeterias (2.09 microg/m(3); IQR, 0.49-6.73 microg/m(3)) and fast-food restaurants (0.31 microg/m(3); IQR, 0.11-1.30 microg/m(3)) (p < 0.05). We found differences of exposure between countries that may be related to their smoking regulations. Where we sampled smoking and nonsmoking areas, nicotine concentrations were significantly lower in nonsmoking areas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hospitality venues from European cities without smoking regulations have very high levels of SHS exposure. Monitoring of SHS on a regular basis as well as a total smoking ban in hospitality sector would be needed.
authors.affiliation: Evaluation and Intervention Methods Unit, Public Health Agency of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. mjlopez@aspb.es
authors.forename: Maria J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lopez
authors.forename: Manel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nebot
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Albertini
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Birkui
authors.forename: Francesc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Centrich
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chudzikova
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Georgouli
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gorini
authors.forename: Hanns
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Moshammer
authors.forename: Maurice
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mulcahy
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pilali
authors.forename: Eulalia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Serrahima
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tutka
authors.forename: Esteve
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fernandez
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D012147:Restaurants; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution