RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: The workplace remains a significant source of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure. This pollutant is known to be associated with respiratory and cardiovascular problems, but its effects on specific pulmonary function parameters remain largely unexplored. The objectives of this study were to measure SHS exposure among non-smoking employees of bar and restaurants in Santiago, Chile and to evaluate the effects of such exposure on pulmonary function. METHODS: Cross-sectional design. The study sample included non-smoking workers from 57 restaurants and bars in Santiago, Chile. The outcome variable was pulmonary function and the exposure variables were urine cotinine concentration, a biomarker for current SHS exposure, and years of SHS exposure in the workplace as proxy of chronic exposure. Personal and occupational variables were also recorded. Data analysis was performed using linear regression models adjusted by confounders. RESULTS: The median age of the workers was 35 years and the median employment duration at the analysed venues was 1 year. Workers in smoking facilities reported greater SHS exposure (36 hours per week) than workers in smoke-free locations (4 hours per week). Urine cotinine levels were inversely correlated with forced vital capacity, but the finding was not statistically significant (ß=-0.0002; 95% CI -0.007 to 0.006). Years of exposure to SHS showed to be significantly associated with forced expiratory flow25/75 (ß=-0.006; 95% CI -0.010 to -0.0004). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that cumulative exposure to SHS at work may contribute to deterioration of pulmonary function in non-smoking employees.
Assuntos
Poluentes Atmosféricos/efeitos adversos , Poluição do Ar em Ambientes Fechados/efeitos adversos , Pulmão/efeitos dos fármacos , Exposição Ocupacional , Restaurantes , Poluição por Fumaça de Tabaco/efeitos adversos , Local de Trabalho , Adulto , Chile , Cotinina/urina , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Humanos , Pulmão/fisiologia , Pulmão/fisiopatologia , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Pico do Fluxo Expiratório , Testes de Função Respiratória , Fumaça/efeitos adversos , Nicotiana , Capacidade Vital , Adulto JovemRESUMO
The smoke-free legislation implemented in Spain in 2006 imposed a partial ban on smoking in public and work places, but the result did not meet expectations. Therefore, a more restrictive anti-smoking law was passed five years later in 2011 prohibiting smoking in all public places, on public transport, and the workplace. With the objective of assessing the impact of the latter anti-smoking legislation on children's exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS), we assessed parent's smoking habits and children's urine cotinine (UC) concentrations in 118 boys before (2005-2006) and after (2011-2012) the introduction of this law. Repeated cross-sectional follow-ups of the "Environment and Childhood Research Network" (INMA-Granada), a Spanish population-based birth cohort study, at 4-5 years old (2005-2006) and 10-11 years old (2011-2012), were designed. Data were gathered by ad-hoc questionnaire, and median UC levels recorded as an objective indicator of overall SHS exposure. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between parent's smoking habits at home and SHS exposure, among other potential predictors. An increase was observed in the prevalence of families with at least one smoker (39.0% vs. 50.8%) and in the prevalence of smoking mothers (20.3% vs. 29.7%) and fathers (33.9% vs. 39.0%). Median UC concentration was 8.0ng/mL (interquartile range [IQR]: 2.0-21.8) before legislation onset and 8.7ng/mL (IQR: 2.0-24.3) afterwards. In the multivariable analysis, the smoking status of parents and smoking habits at home were statistically associated with the risk of SHS exposure and with UC concentrations in children. These findings indicate that the recent prohibition of smoking in enclosed public and workplaces in Spain has not been accompanied by a decline in the exposure to SHS among children, who continue to be adversely affected. There is a need to target smoking at home in order to avoid future adverse health effects in a population that has no choice in the acceptance or not of SHS exposure-derived risk.