Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Jan-Mar;40(1):27-32.
doi: 10.4103/0970-0218.149266.

Air nicotine levels in public places in ahmedabad, India: before and after implementation of the smoking ban

Jingyan Yang  1 , Bhavesh V Modi  2 , Stephen A Tamplin  3 , Mira B Aghi  4 , Paresh V Dave  5 , Joanna E Cohen  3
Affiliations

Air nicotine levels in public places in ahmedabad, India: before and after implementation of the smoking ban

Jingyan Yang et al. Indian J Community Med. 2015 Jan-Mar.

Abstract

Aim: To compare air nicotine levels in public places in Ahmedabad, India, before (June 2008) and after (January, 2010) the implementation of a comprehensive smoking ban which was introduced in October 2008.

Materials and methods: Air nicotine concentrations were measured by sampling of vapor-phase nicotine using passive monitors. In 2008 (baseline), monitors were placed for 5-7 working days in 5 hospitals, 10 restaurants, 5 schools, 5 government buildings, and 10 entertainment venues, of which 6 were hookah bars. In 2010 (follow-up), monitors were placed in 35 similar venues for the same duration.

Results: Comparison of the overall median nicotine concentration at baseline (2008) (0.06 μg/m(3) Interquartile range (IQR): 0.02-0.22) to that of follow-up (2010) (0.03 μg/m(3) IQR: 0.00-0.13), reflects a significant decline (% decline = 39.7, P = 0.012) in exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS). The percent change in exposure varied by venue-type. The most significant decrease occurred in hospitals, from 0.04 μg/m(3) at baseline to concentrations under the limit of detection at follow-up (%decline = 100, P < 0.001). In entertainment venues, government offices, and restaurants, decreases in SHS exposure also appeared evident. However, in hookah bars, air nicotine levels appeared to increase (P = 0.160).

Conclusion: Overall, SHS exposure was significantly reduced in public places after the smoke-free legislation came into force. However, nicotine concentrations were still detected in most of the venues indicating imperfect compliance with the comprehensive ban.

Keywords: Air nicotine monitoring; second-hand smoke; smoke-free law; smoking ban.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Air nicotine concentrations (μg/m3) in public places before and after the smoking ban
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Eriksen M, Mackay J, Ross H. Ch. 1. 4th ed. Atlanta: American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation; 2012. The Tobacco Atlas.
    1. Jha P. Avoidable global cancer deaths and total deaths from smoking. Nat Rev Cancer. 2009;9:655–64. - PubMed
    1. Mackay J, Eriksen M, Shafey O. The Tobacco Atlas. 2nd ed. Brighton: American Cancer Society; 2006.
    1. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US); 2006. Office on Smoking and Health (US) - PubMed
    1. Wang JB, Jiang Y, Wei WQ, Yang GH, Qiao YL, Boffetta P. Estimation of cancer incidence and mortality attributable to smoking in China. Cancer Causes Control. 2010;21:959–65. - PubMed