Objective To compare environmental tobacco smoke density in 8 restaurants in a district of Shanghai before and after the implementation of Shanghai Regulation on Public Places Smoking Control for effectiveness assessment, and to provide reference for further amendment to this regulation.
Methods AM510 personal aerosol monitor was used to measure PM2.5 concentrations in 8 restaurants in April 2008 (pre-ban) and December 2010 (post-ban) through purposive sampling.
Results The average indoor PM2.5 concentrations of the 8 restaurants were 147.76 μg/m3 before implementation and 125.15 μg/m3 after the implementation. The peak indoor concentrations were 363.20 μg/m3 (pre-ban) and 272.00 μg/m3 (post-ban). The difference values between indoor and outdoor PM2.5 concentrations were 80.44 μg/m3 (pre-ban) and 70.53 μg/m3 (post-ban). However, no significant differences were found (P > 0.05).
Conclusion The findings of the current study indicate no obvious changes in PM2.5 concentrations of indoor space of the selected restaurants since the implementation of Smoking Control Regulation. Currently, there are no effective smoke-free measures in restaurants of Shanghai. Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke is still a serious concern demanding strict and effective actions for tobacco smoke pollution control.
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