title: Indoor air quality due to secondhand smoke: Signals from selected hospitality locations in rural and urban areas of Bangalore and Dharwad districts in Karnataka, India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tobacco smoke has compounds that are known as human carcinogens. With every breath of secondhand smoke we inhale thousands of chemicals. The Government of India in the interest of public health has enacted the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, which bans smoking in all the public places including hotels and restaurants. The purpose of this study was to observe and record air pollution in smoke free and smoke observed locations and thereby find out whether the owners/managers of hotels, restaurants, and bars comply with rules of COTPA.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objectives of the study were to measure and compare the level of particulate air pollution from secondhand smoke (PM2.5) in smoking and nonsmoking venues.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted from September 2009 to March 2010 in Karnataka, India following a nonrandom sample of 79 locations, which included restaurants, bars, cafes, hotels, and tea stalls in two districts. The concentration of PM2.5 was measured using a TSI SidePak AM510 Personal Aerosol Monitor.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In Karnataka out of the 79 hospitality locations, smoking was observed in 58% places and only 28% had displayed the required "No Smoking" signage. Places where indoor smoking was observed had high levels of air pollution with average 135 PM2.5, which were 3.1 times higher than the average 43 PM2.5 in smoke-free locations and 14 times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) target air quality guideline for PM2.5. The average PM2.5 levels in different locations ranged from 11 to 417 μg/m(3) and was lower in the case of apparently compliant designated smoking area (DSR).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The patrons and the workers in the hospitality sector continue to be exposed to secondhand smoke despite the enactment of COTPA, which bans smoking in public places. This situation demands stringent measures for effective implementation of the Smoke Free Act and negative response to smoking among civil society.
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Travers
authors.affiliation: Department of Centre for Multi-Disciplinary Development Research, Dharwad, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Nayanatara S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Nayak
authors.forename: Vinod B
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Annigeri
authors.forename: N Narayan
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Billava
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D012424:Rural Population; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution