Even as the government claimed that the recent odd-even plan brought down pollution and proposed to bring it back, here is something to gulp down. A new research has indicated that the air quality inside the venues in India that allow smoking is worse than outdoors.
Carried out in six cities with dangerous levels of air pollution including, Delhi, Islamabad (Pakis-tan), Denpasar (Indones-ia), N’Djamena (Chad), Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Mexico City (Mexico), the study, published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research and co-authored by tobacco control experts at the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease [The Union] and the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, gathered air quality data by measuring fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in around 100 hospitality venues in each of the six cities. While, the National smoke-free legislation — banning smoking in indoor public places — is in force in each of the locations, readings were taken in cafes, bars and restaurants to reveal levels of compliance with smoke-free rules. Also, during the same time period, air quality was also measured outside.
In all cities — with the exception of Mexico City — the average outdoor air pollution exceeded safe levels specified by the WHO’s 24-hour Air Quality Guidance for PM2.5 (25 microgra-ms/m3), the study found. And across all cities, where smoking was observed in venues, the indoor air quality was on an average substantially poorer than the outdoor air.
“These six countries already have legislation to prohibit smoking in bars, cafes and restaurants — it is now time to make sure it is implemented to protect people from cancers and cardiovascular diseases caused by breathing in second-hand tobacco smoke. The data clearly shows that if smoke-free laws are poorly enforced then people remain exposed to high levels of second-hand smoke with well-recognised health risks,” said author Dr Angela Jackson-Morris, senior grants officer at The Union’s department of tobacco control.
Over the 626 visits made, smoking was observed in almost one-third of venues, from five per cent of sites in India to 72 per cent in Chad. Fine particle (PM2.5) levels were some 34 micrograms/ m3 higher in venues where smoking occurred compared to venues where smoking was not observed.
Experts found that signage was not evident in the majority of venues visited in India, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Chad. “The current Indian law is weaker than that in Bangladesh in permitting Designated Smoking Areas within larger hospitality venues like restaurants and hotels, yet the majority of venues in this study sample were below this threshold,” it said.
