Control of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in restaurants and bars

On March the 1st 2000 the Finnish Tobacco Act was amended, and now includes restrictions on smoking in restaurants and bars. Establishments can reserve a maximum of 50% of their service area for smokers, and the spreading of tobacco smoke into non-smoking areas must be prevented. In addition, the working areas at bar counters have to be smoke-free. 16 restaurants and bars participated in the study both before and after the introduction of the Finnish Tobacco Act. The average airborne nicotine concentration corrected with smoked cigarettes was lower in 9 (out of 16) establishments after the introduction of the Act. At bar desks the nicotine concentration was lower in 10 establishments. Improvements in the ETS levels were seen in establishments that had introduced changes into the ventilation system. When placing non-smoking areas in existing establishments knowledge about the ventilation is of utmost importance.