Assessment of Exposures of New Zealand Hospitality Workers to Environmental Tobacco SmokeDate of publication: March 2001
Summary
The purpose of this project was to obtain an estimate of the exposure of non-smoking bar and restaurant workers in New Zealand to Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) over the course of a typical work-shift. Three samples of non-smoking workers in Wellington city were recruited as participants. These samples were (1) staff who worked in hospitality premises (bars and restaurants) that permitted smoking by customers; (2) staff who worked in hospitality premises that did not permit customers to smoke; and (3) employees of Government departments and ministries. Hospitality worker participants met with a member of the study team before they began their shift, and again after they completed their shift; government employee participants met with a member of the study team shortly after they began work in the morning and again towards the end of their working day. At each of their two meetings with the interviewers, participants answered questions from a standardised questionnaire and supplied a sample of saliva for analysis.
Saliva samples were analysed for the concentration of cotinine they contained. For each participant, the difference between the first and second saliva cotinine sample concentrations could be considered to be an indication of the degree of exposure to ETS over the course of the work shift or work day. Data on changes in cotinine levels were analysed in conjunction with answers to questions in the questionnaire.
Main results from this study suggest that bar and restaurant workers who work in premises that allow smoking by customers are significantly more exposed to environmental tobacco smoke than workers in places with no-smoking policies. Furthermore workers in hospitality premises where there were no restrictions on customer smoking were more highly exposed to environmental tobacco smoke than workers in hospitality premises which permitted smoking by customers in designated smoking areas. Overall, this analysis shows a clear association between ETS exposure and smoking policy.
The study also found that there was a tendency for workers in premises permitting customer smoking to have a higher prevalence of respiratory and irritation symptoms than workers in smoke-free workplaces. Other research has shown that non-smokers who are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke experienced increased risks for a number of smoking-related diseases, including cancer, heart and lung diseases and stroke.
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