Managing Quartz Exposure in Apartment Building and Infrastructure Construction Work Tasks.

The present report describes exposure to respirable silica and dust in the construction industry, as well as means to manage them. The average exposure in studied work tasks (n = 148) amounted to 64% of the Finnish OEL value of 0.05 mg/m3. While 10% of exposure estimates exceeded the OEL, the 60% percentile was well below 10% of the OEL, as was the median exposure. In other words, exposure was low in more than half of the tasks. Work tasks where exposure was low included construction cleaning, work management, installation of concrete elements, rebar laying, driving work machines equipped with cabin air intake filtration, and landscaping, in addition to some road construction tasks. Excessive exposure (>OEL) was related to not using respiratory protection at all or not using it for long enough after the dusty activity ceased. Excessive exposures were found in sandblasting, dismantling facade elements, diamond drilling, drilling hollow-core slabs, drilling with a drilling rig, priming of explosives, tiling, use of cabinless earthmoving machines, and jackhammering, regardless of whether the hammering took place in an underpressurized compartment or not. Even in these tasks, it was possible to perform the work safely, following good dust prevention measures and, when necessary, using respiratory protection suitable for the job. Furthermore, in all tasks with generally low exposure, one could be significantly exposed through the general air or by making poor choices in terms of dust control.

Exposure to tobacco smoke and prevalence of symptoms decreased among Finnish restaurant workers after the smoke-free law.

INTRODUCTION: The impact of tobacco legislation and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in bars and restaurants were assessed in a national survey. METHODS: Questionnaire surveys among restaurant workers were conducted in 2007 before the smoking ban, and in 2009. RESULTS: The exposure to ETS decreased significantly after the launch of the 2007 smoke-free law. During 2007-2009, the prevalence of those restaurant workers with no exposure increased from 54% to 82% (P-value < 0.0001), and among bartenders from 10% to 70% (P < 0.0001). Employees exposed daily for more than 4 hr decreased from 24% to 4% (P < 0.0001) and from 67% to 9% among bartenders (P < 0.0001). The prevalence of respiratory symptoms decreased from 18% to 4% (P < 0.0001) and of eye symptoms from 23% to 6% (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The reform of tobacco legislation in 2007, which prohibited smoking in restaurants and bars, significantly decreased the exposure to ETS and the prevalence of symptoms among restaurant workers.

Total prohibition of smoking but not partial restriction effectively reduced exposure to tobacco smoke among restaurant workers in Finland.

OBJECTIVES: To assess work-related exposure to tobacco smoke in Finnish restaurants, a series of nationwide questionnaire surveys were conducted among restaurant workers and the levels of indoor air nicotine concentrations were measured in restaurants. The survey aimed to evaluate the impact of the smoke-free legislation in general and in particular after the total smoking ban launched in 2007. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 2003-2010, four national questionnaire surveys were conducted among restaurant workers and the concentration of nicotine in indoor air was measured in different types of restaurants, bars and nightclubs. RESULTS: Between 2003 and 2010, the proportion of restaurant workers reporting occupational exposure to tobacco smoke dropped from 59% to 11%. Among pub workers, the decrease was from 97% to 18% and in workers of dining restaurants from 49% to 10%, respectively. The median concentration of nicotine in indoor air of all restaurants decreased from 11.7 µg/m(3) to 0.1 µg/m(3). The most significant decrease was detected in pubs where the decrease was from 16.1 µg/m(3) to 0.1 µg/m(3). Among all restaurant workers, in 2003-2010 the prevalence of daily smokers was reduced from 39% to 31% in men and from 35% to 25% in women. CONCLUSION: Total prohibition of smoking but not partial restriction in restaurants was effective in reducing work-related exposure to tobacco smoke. Strict tobacco legislation may partly be associated with the significant decrease of daily smoking prevalence among restaurant workers.

Environmental tobacco smoke in Finnish restaurants and bars before and after smoking restrictions were introduced.

OBJECTIVES: The Finnish Tobacco Act was amended on 1 March 2000 to include restrictions on smoking in restaurants and bars. To evaluate the effectiveness of the restrictions, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) concentrations in restaurants and bars were measured prior and after the amended Act entered into force. The Act was enforced in stages so that all stages were effective on 1 July 2003. According to the Act, smoking is prohibited in all Finnish restaurants and bars with certain exceptions. Smoking may be allowed in establishments where the service area is not larger than 50 m(2) if the exposure of employees working there to ETS can be prevented. On premises with larger service area, smoking may be allowed on 50% of the service area, provided tobacco smoke does not spread into the area where smoking is prohibited. At bar counters or gambling tables smoking is not allowed, if the spreading of tobacco smoke cannot be restricted to the employee side of the counter. Therefore, according to the Act all areas where smoking is prohibited are to be smoke-free. METHODS: Establishments with a serving area larger than 100 m(2) were selected for the present study. The evaluation both before and after the enforcement of the Act included the following: The ventilation rate was first measured in each establishment. Then 3-5 area samplers, depending on the layout, were placed in locations that best described the establishment and the working areas of the personnel. The measurements were performed twice at each establishment, during peak hours. The sample collection time was 4 h during which the guests and the cigarettes smoked were counted. The air samples were analysed for nicotine, 3-ethenylpyridine (3-EP) and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) by thermodesorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Altogether 20 restaurants and bars situated in three Finnish cities participated in the study out of which 16 participated during all four measurement periods. None of the establishments had introduced a total ban on smoking and they all had reserved only the smallest area allowed by the Finnish Tobacco Act as the smoke-free area. The measured geometric mean (GM) nicotine concentration in all participating establishments was 7.1 microg m(-3) before the amended act was in force and 7.3 microg m(-3) after all stages of the Act had been enforced. The GM concentration of nicotine in food and dining restaurants was 0.7 microg m(-3) before and 0.6 microg m(-3) after the enforcement of the Act, in bars and taverns the concentrations were 10.6 and 12.7 microg m(-3), and in discos and night-clubs 15.2 and 8.1 microg m(-3), respectively. The GM nicotine concentrations measured in the smoke-free sections varied between 2.9 and 3 microg m(-3). 3-EP concentrations measured correlated well with the nicotine concentrations and were approximately one-fifth of the nicotine concentrations. The measurements showed higher TVOC values in the smoking sections than in the smoke-free sections, but because there are many other sources of TVOC compounds in restaurants and bars TVOC cannot be regarded as a marker for ETS. CONCLUSIONS: The overall air nicotine concentration decreased in 10 out of the 18 establishments that participated in the study both before and after all stages of the amended Act had been in force. Structural changes or changes to the ventilation systems had been carried out in nine of these establishments, i.e. the smoke-free sections were actually non-smoking and were mainly separated from other sections by signs and very little was done to keep the smoke from spreading into the smoke-free sections. In four establishments, the highest air nicotine concentration was measured in the smoke-free section. In 10 establishments, the air nicotine concentration at bar counters had dropped after the Act. Exposure of the workers and the public to ETS was, therefore, not reduced as intended by the Finnish legislature. Thus, it seems obvious from the present study that improving ventilation will not be a solution to restricting tobacco smoke from reaching smoke-free areas and physical barriers separating smoking from smoke-free areas are required.

Occupational exposure of non-smoking restaurant personnel to environmental tobacco smoke in Finland.

BACKGROUND: Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure levels in different restaurant types in Finland were assessed before the National Tobacco Act restricting smoking in restaurants was activated. METHODS: Exposure to ETS was determined by measuring nicotine in the breathing zone of non-smoking restaurant workers and by quantification of the nicotine metabolites cotinine and 3-hydroxycotinine in the urine of these workers during one whole work week. Altogether 23 workers from 15 restaurants were included in the study. RESULTS: The geometric mean (GM) breathing-zone nicotine level was 3.9 microg/m(3) (3.7 microg/m(3) in pubs, 1.4 microg/m(3) in dining restaurants, and 10.2 microg/m(3) in nightclubs). The GM cotinine and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine level in urine were 3.3 ng/mg((creatinine)) and 15.3 ng/mg((creatinine)), respectively. The exposure to ETS of restaurant workers in dining restaurants was clearly lower than that of workers in pubs and nightclubs as indicated by all ETS-markers used in the present study. During the work week, the cotinine and 3'-hydroxycotinine levels in urine of the study subjects increased. The correlation between breathing zone nicotine and urine cotinine and hydroxycotinine was 0.66 for both compounds. Post-shift cotinine and hydroxycotinine levels were not significantly higher than the pre-shift levels. CONCLUSIONS: If 9 ng cotinine/mg((creatinine)) is considered as the level above which heavy exposure has occurred, then this level was exceeded by 14 (approximately 60%) subjects at least once during the work week. Nicotine metabolite concentrations in the urine increased during the work week in 80% of the subjects, and the increase was especially noticeable for subjects working in both pubs and nightclubs. The study indicates that measures to restrict ETS exposure in restaurants are needed.