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Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in German restaurants, pubs and discotheques

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 18, pages 262–271 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

In contrast to other countries, there is an on-going debate but still no smoke-free legislation in Germany. Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in hospitality venues is assumed to be high, but air quality data are lacking. Therefore, the aim of our study was to perform a comprehensive exposure assessment by analysing the indoor air concentration of toxic or carcinogenic ETS compounds in restaurants, pubs, and discotheques. Active sampling of indoor air was conducted for 4 h during the main visiting hours in 28 hospitality venues. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), volatile organic compounds (VOC), aldehydes/ketones, and cadmium were analysed. In addition, particle mass concentration was assessed with two different methods and particle number concentration (PNC) was determined. Median nicotine levels were 15 μg/m3 in restaurants, 31 μg/m3 in pubs, and 193 μg/m3 in discotheques. Across these three sampling site categories median levels of 3-ethenylpyridine ranged from 3 to 24 μg/m3, median levels of benzene from 8 to 20 μg/m3, median levels of cadmium from 3 to 10 ng/m3, and median levels of the sum of 16 PAH according to US-EPA from 215 to 375 ng/m3, respectively. Median PM2.5 mass concentration assessed gravimetrically varied between 178 and 808 μg/m3 and PNC between 120,000 and 210,000 particles per cm3 in restaurants, pubs, and discotheques. The majority of the particles had a size of 0.01–0.5 μm. Concentrations of ETS compounds were always highest in discotheques. The strong correlation between ETS-specific markers (nicotine, 3-ethenylpyridine) and PM2.5, PAH, VOC, aldehydes/ketones, and cadmium indicated ETS as main source of these toxic or carcinogenic substances. In conclusion, indoor air concentrations of ETS constituents were high in German hospitality venues and represented a substantial health threat. Effective measures to protect patrons and staff from ETS exposure are necessary from a public health point of view.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the managers of the hospitality venues for their cooperation and Andreas Pfaller for excellent analyses of aldehyde and ketone concentrations. The study was funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Health, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleissheim, Germany

    Gabriele Bolte, Mandy Kiranoglu & Hermann Fromme

  2. Department Analytical Laboratories and Evaluation of Chemicals, Bavarian Environment Agency, Augsburg, Germany

    Dieter Heitmann, Juergen Diemer & Wolfgang Koerner

  3. Institute and Outpatient Clinic for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany

    Rudolf Schierl

Authors
  1. Gabriele Bolte
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  2. Dieter Heitmann
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  3. Mandy Kiranoglu
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  4. Rudolf Schierl
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  5. Juergen Diemer
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  6. Wolfgang Koerner
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  7. Hermann Fromme
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Correspondence to Gabriele Bolte.

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Bolte, G., Heitmann, D., Kiranoglu, M. et al. Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in German restaurants, pubs and discotheques. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 18, 262–271 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jes.7500590

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jes.7500590

Keywords

  • second-hand smoke, PM2.5
  • polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
  • volatile organic compounds
  • nicotine
  • indoor air quality

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