With smoking banned in bars, restaurants and public building, patios are seen by many as one of the last havens for smokers to enjoy their habit outside their home.
"It's one of those necessary evils," said Adi Menon, who was enjoying a cigar on the patio at Oliver & Bonacinis on Front St. Saturday.
But a new study suggests that even on an outdoor patio, second-hand cigarette smoke can produce air quality comparable to a smoggy day in Los Angeles or even a forest fire.
The findings are based on a series of air quality tests performed on Montreal patios.
Earlier this fall, the Toronto health board recommended the city look into extending its smoking ban to include patios, public squares, building entrances and hospital grounds.
Nancy Groff, who was enjoying her meal in the non-smoking section of a patio, said she'd support a ban on smoking on patios.
"It's good to eat your food without the smell of smoke coming across your face," she said.
But not all non-smokers favour the restriction. Some feel cigarette smoke is just one of those things you have to deal with outside, like litter or inclement weather.
"Most of our close friends smoke and we don't, it's the only way we can socialize with them," said Michelle Ashdown who was sitting at a table with smokers and non-smokers alike.
"I value their friendship more than I'm worried about the smoking."
The study was conducted by Ryan Kennedy, a university researcher, who said he found poor air quality even when there was a breeze and no restrictions blocking the flow of air, such as an awning or umbrella.
"I think what's important is for us to remember that tobacco smoke is a Class A carcinogen, and any level of exposure bears a risk," Kennedy, based at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., said in an interview Saturday.
Anti-tobacco advocates are hoping the findings help make the case for a patio smoking ban in Quebec, and across the country.
Flory Doucas, a spokeswoman for the Quebec Anti-Tobacco Coalition, said businesses will need to adapt.
Doucas said wait staff are especially vulnerable under the current rules.
"In the case of workers, they are walking back and forth across these areas filled with smoke. This is a health issue," she said.
Several provinces have already banned smoking on patios, including Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Alberta. Yukon has also introduced a ban, along with Ottawa and a number of municipalities on Vancouver Island and in the lower mainland of British Columbia.
Kennedy said some of the air quality measurements he recorded on patios were on par with with levels recorded in Kelowna, B.C.
With files from The Canadian Press
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Second-hand smoke a risk even on patios, says study - Toronto Star
Dengan url
http://goartikelasik.blogspot.com/2013/08/second-hand-smoke-risk-even-on-patios.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Second-hand smoke a risk even on patios, says study - Toronto Star
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Second-hand smoke a risk even on patios, says study - Toronto Star
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar