A study of the Spanish society of Epidemiology (SEE) confirms that the new law on tobacco (Act 42/2010) has been reduced by 90% the levels of exposure to second-hand smoke of tobacco in the premises of hospitality.
Barcelona, December of 2011- A study of the Spanish society of Epidemiology (SEE) confirms that the health measures against smoking law 42/2010 has managed to drastically reduce the levels of exposure to environmental smoke of workers in the catering. The main objective of this law which entered into force in January 2011 was the extension of the ban on smoking in enclosed spaces already in force since 2006, in line with the ratification by Spain, in December 2004, of the framework Convention for Tobacco Control of the who. The new smoking law amended the Act of 2005 banning smoking in all premises of hospitality, which had been considered as an exception by the previous Act.
During the first year of implementation of the new rules, widely accepted by the vast majority of society, has been a study for exposure markers purposes, to analyze the real impact on the levels of environmental tobacco smoke in local hospitality. Environmental tobacco smoke is a carcinogen recognized by the international agency to research on cancer of who that is present in high concentrations in places where there is smoking. The study, carried out by the smoking of the Spanish society of epidemiology group with funding from the Ministry of health, Social Affairs and equality, has been in three autonomous communities (Galicia, Madrid and Catalonia). In different populations of these communities (including Barcelona, Madrid, Santiago de Compostela and Terrassa) bars and restaurants that allow smoking were studied. In them, measurements were conducted in air samples during the two months prior to the implementation of the law (November-December 2010) were repeated during the second quarter of 2011 (April-May 2011). As environmental tobacco smoke markers measured nicotine in phase steam on all the selected premises and, in a subsample of premises, the particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5).
Preliminary results, based on 140 measurements of nicotine and 58 measurements of PM2.5, show that the median concentration of nicotine has declined by more than 90 per cent, from 5.74 mg/m3 before the law to 0.54 mg/m3 after its implementation. The percentage change in the case of PM2.5, 5 also exceeds 90%, from a median concentration of 235,62 mg/m3 to 20.40 mg/m3 after the Act. In fact, the concentration of PM2.5 before the new law was approximately 10 times higher than the limit proposed by the EU (25 mg/m3) for air pollution.
The study confirms that the law 42/2010 new has had a very important impact on the reduction of the levels of environmental smoke on the premises of hotel and catering business Spanish. These data imply a considerable decrease of the risk to which they were exposed customers and workers in this sector.
Even so, researchers have found detectable levels of environmental tobacco smoke in the majority of measurements taken after the Act, which mostly comes from tobacco at the gates of the same, as the own study finds.
In the future, it would be important to maintain continuous surveillance and monitoring systems, as well as recommend not smoking at the gates of these establishments. In addition, the Spanish society of epidemiology points out that alongside the maintenance without setbacks of the current legislation, should promote both preventive measures aimed at avoiding consumption in young people and measures to promote and facilitate the abandonment of tobacco, with the ultimate goal of ensuring a fundamental right of all citizens as it is health.
The Spanish society of epidemiology participates in the national tobacco prevention Committee since its foundation in 1996. In addition, it has had an important role in the advancement of standards for the regulation of spaces without smoke, through reports and scientific studies, including the monograph for assessment of the previous law (law 28/2005), which was funded by the Ministry of health, Social Affairs and equal.
