Smoking and exposure to tobacco smoke at medium-sized and large-scale workplaces

Background The objective of the present study was to assess the smoking pre valence of workers, the attitudes toward smoking, and exposure to environme ntal tobacco smoke (ETS) in different work environments. Methods A questionnaire survey and indoor air quality (IAQ) measurements in cluding the concentration of gaseous nicotine in indoor air were performed in 10 medium-sized and large-scale workplaces representing industrial, serv ice, and office environments. The questionnaire was distributed to all work ers (n=1471) in 10 workplaces. IAQ measurements were performed in 4-7 locat ions in each workplace. Results Altogether 1027 (70%) employees, of whom 31% were women, responded to the questionnaire. Prevalence of daily smokers Was 28.3% (32.3% for men and 22.9% for women). The prevalence was highest among workers in the servi ce sector (32.7%) and lowest in offices (21.6%). Among smokers, 86% of men and 75% of women smoked inside the building. Exposures greater than one hou r to ETS were highest in industry (66.3%) and lowest in services (42.6%). N on-smokers complained more often than the regular smokers about the spreadi ng of tobacco smoke to non-smoking areas, and they felt that workplace smok ing was a significant discomfort. Mean concentration of nicotine was highes t in service environments (3.0 mu g/m(3)) and lowest in offices (0.6 mu g/m (3)). Conclusions According to the present questionnaire survey and IAQ measureme nts, smoking habits and exposure to tobacco smoke varied considerably depen ding on the position of the employees and the type of the workplace. (C) 20 00 Wiley-Liss, Inc.