Quantification of Outdoor Tobacco Smoke Exposure at Outdoor Smoking Facilities

Abstract

Introduction: The implementation of indoor smoke-free policy has compelled smokers to go outdoors to smoke. Outdoor smoking facilities were installed to designate outdoor smoking area. The purposes of the study were to identify factors of outdoor tobacco smoke (OTS) around open type outdoor smoking facility and to compare the OTS exposure by the type of outdoor smoking facility.

Methods: Outdoor concentrations of particulate matter smaller than 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) were measured at 3 different distances (0, 1, and 3 m) from the entrance of the open-type outdoor smoking facility with a simulated smoking source. For field measurements, PM2.5 concentrations of inside and outside of 33 operating outdoor smoking facilities were simultaneously measured for 30 min.

Results: For the smoking simulation, the outside PM2.5 concentrations and the peak occurrence rates increased significantly as the number of cigarettes smoked increased, the distance from the entrance decreased, and the wind speed increased (p < .0001). For the field measurement, the inside PM2.5 concentration of the outdoor smoking facilities varied significantly by types of the outdoor smoking facility (p = 0.022). The outside PM2.5 concentrations were not significantly different by types of outdoor smoking facility.

Conclusions: OTS in an open type outdoor smoking facility were detected at 3 m away from the entrance of the smoking facility. Outdoor smoking facility should have a buffer zone to reduce OTS exposure of pedestrians. Many smokers were observed outside of the outdoor smoking facility not inside. Management and education of smokers to smoke inside the facility is needed.

Implications: The study showed the effects of the outdoor smoking facility. Outdoor smoking facility should be installed with a sufficient buffer zone. Closed or semi-enclosed outdoor smoking facilities should not be installed. It could be used as a base data to set an outdoor smoking area on the populated area such as the city center and to establish an installation location of an outdoor smoking facility in the designated outdoor smoking area.