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- Health Information for a Better Life
Ventilation of Second-hand
Smoke
Some of the people who oppose smoking restrictions suggest that
ventilation can clear second-hand smoke from restaurants, bars and
other public places. They wonder why anyone would advocate
smoke-free indoor spaces when ventilation systems can do the job.
Well, they can’t. Contrary to what you may have heard, no
ventilation system can completely remove second-hand smoke.
Indeed, they can’t even remove secondhand smoke fast enough to make
a significant difference. Electronic air cleaning systems would need
to increase the air exchange rate a thousand fold to be effective --
resulting in gale force winds!
The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning
Engineers (ASHRAE) set standards for ventilation rates in North
American and beyond. ASHRAE maintains that there is no acceptable
ventilation process for second-hand smoke. That is, no ventilation
system is capable of making the air meet clean air quality
standards. Since 1999, ASHRAE’s standards apply only to air that
doesn’t contain cigarette smoke.
Increasing ventilation can dilute the smoke in a room, but will not
make it safe since there is no known safe level of exposure to the
carcinogens in cigarette smoke. Because there is no acceptable level
of second-hand smoke, removing the source – the smoke – is really
the only solution.
Restricting smokers to a separate room will only help the
non-smokers in the other room if the smoking room has its own
ventilation system, and if the room is completely isolated with no
connecting doors. Still, separately ventilated smoking rooms still
means these smokers are being exposed to the harmful effects of
second-hand smoke. Why would establishment owners want to create an
unsafe environment for their customers, their staff and themselves?
More than 45,000 people will die this year in Canada from tobacco
use. More than 1,000 of them will be non-smokers.
Ventilation systems don’t protect people from the many harmful
effects of secondhand smoke. An inferior option, such as
ventilation, is not a healthy option at all. Worse, it might give
non-smokers a false sense of protection.
Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada (2001). Questions and Answers on
Ventilation of Second-Hand Smoke – fact sheet.
Health Canada (2002). Go Smokefree! The Facts About Tobacco,
www.gosmokefree.ca.
