title: Assessment of secondhand smoke in international airports in Thailand, 2013.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure in Thai international airports using a fine particulate indicator, particulate matter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5), and to compare with 2012 exposure findings in international airports in the USA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Smoking rooms in the four largest international airports that serve the most travellers and with the most operating designated smoking rooms (DSRs) were monitored using PM2.5 monitoring equipment following an approved research protocol for assessing fine particle pollution from tobacco smoke. Monitoring was conducted inside and just outside DSRs and throughout the airport terminals in all four airports. Altogether 104 samples were taken to assess SHS exposure in four airports. Simultaneous samples were taken multiple times in a total of 11 DSRs available for sampling in the research period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Levels of PM2.5 in DSRs were extremely high in all four airports and were more dangerous inside DSRs than in the US airports (overall mean=532.5 vs 188.7 µg/m(3)), higher outside DSRs than in the US airports (overall mean=50.1 vs 43.7 µg/m(3)), and at comparable levels with the US airports in the terminals away from DSRs (overall mean=13.8 vs 11.5 µg/m(3). Findings show that travellers and employees in or near DSRs in the airports assessed in Thailand are being exposed to even higher levels of SHS than in US airports that still have DSRs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Extremely high levels of SHS in and adjacent to DSR show that these rooms are not providing safe air quality for employees and travellers. These high levels of exposure are above those levels reported in US airports and show the need for remedial action to ensure safe air quality in international airports in Thailand.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Nipapun
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kungskulniti
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Naowarut
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Charoenca
authors.affiliation: Tobacco Control Research and Knowledge Management Center, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Jintana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peesing
authors.affiliation: Tobacco Control Research and Knowledge Management Center, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Songwut
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Trangwatana
authors.affiliation: Tobacco Control Research and Knowledge Management Center, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hamann
authors.affiliation: Tobacco Control Research and Knowledge Management Center, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Siriwan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pitayarangsarit
authors.affiliation: Thailand Health Promotion Institute, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Hatai
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chitanondh
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D059028:Airports; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis*; D012907:Smoking / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D013785:Thailand; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution