10 occupations that are bad for your lungs - Part 1

Our lungs work hard for all of us - but
some occupations are worse than others.

Your lungs work hard. Most adults take more than 20,000 breaths a day. But just how well your lungs do their job may be affected by the job you do.

Chemicals. Germs. Tobacco smoke and dirt. Fibers, dust, and even things you might not think are dangerous can damage your airway and threaten your lungs.

"The lungs are complex organs," says Philip Harber, MD, MPH, professor of public health at the University of Arizona in Tucson. "Occupational and environmental exposures can lead to scarring or fibrosis, asthma, COPD, and infection or cancer."

The good news: Many on-the-job lung dangers are preventable. Depending on your line of work, making certain changes can be key: Improve ventilation, wear protective equipment, change the way you do your work, and learn more about hazards, for examples.

Here are 10 jobs where precautions may help you avoid work-related lung damage.

1. Bartending and Waitressing

Secondhand smoke has been linked to lung cancer. It remains a threat to workers in cities where smoking hasn't been banned in public places. Casino workers also can find themselves in a cloud of smoke.

Smoky environments put bartenders and
waiting staff at risk for lung disease. 

No one's going to wear a respirator while serving martinis or dealing a blackjack game. Separating smokers from nonsmokers, cleaning the air, and ventilating buildings won't keep nonsmokers from being exposed.

Short of working to change policy, the best solution may be to find another job.

"Unfortunately, the individual worker has limited options," says Susanna Von Essen, MD. She's a University of Nebraska Medical Center professor of internal medicine in the division of pulmonary, critical care, sleep, and allergy.

2. Housekeeping and Cleaning

Some cleaning supplies, even so-called "green" or "natural" products, have harmful chemicals that have been linked with developing asthma.

"Cleaners are reactive chemicals, meaning that they react with dirt and also with your lung tissues," Von Essen says.

Some release volatile organic compounds, which can contribute to chronic respiratory problems and allergic reactions. Read labels and follow instructions.

Consider using "simple cleaning agents like vinegar and water or baking soda," Von Essen says. Open windows and doors to keep the area well ventilated, too.

3. Health Care

Doctors, nurses, and other people who work in hospitals, medical offices, or nursing homes are at increased risk for lung diseases such as tuberculosis, influenza, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

Health care workers are at risk: Experts

So, health care workers should keep up with immunizations (including the flu vaccine) that the CDC recommends for them.

Health care workers may also develop asthma if latex is used in gloves or other supplies. Latex-free synthetic gloves are an alternative.

4. Hair Styling

Certain hair-coloring agents can lead to occupational asthma. Some salon hair-straightening products contain formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. It's also a strong eye, nose, throat, and lung irritant.

Good ventilation is important. Because wearing a respirator might cause appointments to cancel, know what's in the products you're working with. If they're not safe, find a safer product.

5. Manufacturing

Some factory workers risk getting asthma or making their existing asthma worse. Asthma not caused by work but made worse by it affects as many as 25% of adults with asthma, Harber says.

Factory workers can be exposed to everything from inhaled metals in foundries to silica or fine sand, which can lead to silicosis, a disease that scars the lung, or increased risk of lung cancer.

A lung disorder called "popcorn lung," or bronchiolitis obliterans, has been seen in plant workers exposed to some of the flavoring chemicals used to make microwave popcorn. Again, respirators and proper ventilation are key for those workers. (No risk of "popcorn lung" has been seen in people who eat that popcorn.)

Source: WebMD

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Smoking ban shows quick results

Research shows smoke-free public places
improve children's health, even before birth.

The number of premature births and children’s hospital visits for asthma dropped significantly in parts of the United States, Canada, and Europe barely a year after they enacted smoking bans, researchers reported in The Lancet recently.

The new analysis combined the results of 11 studies encompassing more than 2.5 million births and nearly 250,000 asthma attacks.

Experts called it the best evidence to date that legislation creating smoke-free public places and workplaces improves children’s health, even in the womb.

The results are “very impressive,” said Dr. Brian Mercer, chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, who noted that half a million American babies are born prematurely each year.

“If you could prevent 10 percent, you’d prevent nearly 50,000 premature babies in the U.S. alone each year,” said Dr. Mercer, who was not involved in the study.

After an exhaustive review of relevant studies spanning 38 years, the researchers analyzed five that looked at perinatal and child health after local smoking bans in North America and six studies conducted after national bans in Europe.

Hospital visits for childhood asthma and premature births both declined about 10 percent in the year after smoking bans took effect, the researchers found.

The investigators also pooled data from two studies and found a 5 percent reduction in the number of children born very small for their gestational age after the introduction of smoke-free laws.

An earlier analysis of the impact of smoking bans on adult health demonstrated a 15 percent reduction in cardiovascular events.

The new report offers “another very good reason to institute smoking bans in public places,” said Dr. Muktar Aliyu, an associate professor of health policy and medicine at Vanderbilt University who has studied birth outcomes linked to maternal smoking.

Only 16 percent of the world’s population is covered by comprehensive smoke-free laws, and 40 percent of children worldwide are routinely exposed to secondhand smoke.

About half of Americans are protected by complete smoke-free policies in workplaces, restaurants and bars, according to the Americans Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, a nonprofit group.

The new analysis did not prove that smoke-free laws caused the improvements in children’s health. And the researchers didn’t evaluate other factors, like taxation of tobacco products and advertisement bans, which could have contributed.

The authors note that further studies are needed to estimate the effect of smoke-free laws on respiratory tract infections in children, a major problem of secondhand smoke. The authors also cite a “pressing need” for studies of tobacco control laws in low- to middle-income countries.

Source: NY Times. This article has been edited for length.

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Smoke warnings saved millions of lives, report shows

Historic smoking report marks 50th anniversary

Fifty years ago, ashtrays seemed to be on every table and desk. Athletes and even Fred Flintstone endorsed cigarettes in TV commercials. Smoke hung in the air in restaurants, offices and airplane cabins. More than 42 percent of U.S. adults smoked, and there was a good chance your doctor was among them.

Cigarette smoke exposure can cause
cancer, health experts say.

The turning point came on Jan. 11, 1964. It was on that Saturday morning that U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry released an emphatic and authoritative report that said smoking causes illness and death — and the government should do something about it.

In the decades that followed, warning labels were put on cigarette packs, cigarette commercials were banned, taxes were raised, and new restrictions were placed on where people could light up.

"It was the beginning," said Kenneth Warner, a University of Michigan public health professor who is a leading authority on smoking and health.

It was not the end. While the U.S. smoking rate has fallen by more than half to 18 percent, that still translates to more than 43 million smokers. Smoking is still far and away the leading preventable cause of death in the United States Some experts predict large numbers of Americans will puff away for decades to come.

Nevertheless, the Terry report has been called one of the most important documents in U.S. public health history, and on its 50th anniversary, officials are not only rolling out new anti-smoking campaigns but reflecting on what the nation did right that day.

The report's bottom-line message was hardly revolutionary. Since 1950, head-turning studies that found higher rates of lung cancer in heavy smokers had been appearing in medical journals. A widely read article in Reader's Digest in 1952, "Cancer by the Carton," contributed to the largest drop in cigarette consumption since the Depression. In 1954, the American Cancer Society announced that smokers had a higher cancer risk.

But the tobacco industry fought back. Manufacturers came out with cigarettes with filters that they claimed would trap toxins before they settled into smokers' lungs. And in 1954, they placed a full-page ad in hundreds of newspapers in which they argued that research linking their products and cancer was inconclusive.

Cigarette sales rebounded

It was a brilliant counter-offensive that left physicians and the public unsure how dangerous smoking really was. Cigarette sales rebounded.

After Terry's report, health officials realized it would take more than one report.

In 1965, Congress required cigarette packs to carry warning labels. Two years later, the Federal Communications Commission ordered TV and radio stations to provide free air time for antismoking public service announcements. Cigarette commercials were banned in 1971.

The 1970s also saw the birth of a movement to protect nonsmokers from cigarette fumes, with no-smoking sections on airplanes, in restaurants and in other places. Those eventually gave way to complete smoking bans. Cigarette machines disappeared, cigarette taxes rose, and restrictions on the sale of cigarettes to minors got tougher.

Tobacco companies also came under increasing legal attack. In the biggest case of them all, more than 40 states brought lawsuits demanding compensation for the costs of treating smoking-related illnesses. The tobacco industry settled in 1998 by agreeing to pay about $200 billion and curtail marketing of cigarettes to youths.

Smoking today:

43M -- Americans who smoke today.
8.6M -- Americans living with a serious illness caused by smoking.
443,000 -- Americans who die prematurely each year from smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke.

In 1998, while the settlement was being completed, tobacco executives appeared before Congress and publicly acknowledged for the first time that their products can cause lung cancer and be addictive.

Experts agree that the Terry report clearly triggered decades of changes that whittled the smoking rate down. But it was based on data that was already out there. Why, then, did it make such a difference?

For one thing, the drumbeat about the dangers of smoking was getting louder in 1964, experts said. But the way the committee was assembled and the carefully neutral manner in which it reached its conclusion were at least as important, said Dr. Tim McAfee, director of the Office on Smoking and Health at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

At the same time, he and others said any celebration of the anniversary must be tempered by the size of the problem that still exists.

Each year, an estimated 443,000 people die prematurely from smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke, and 8.6 million live with a serious illness caused by smoking, according to the CDC.

Source: Tampa Bay / AP

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Study: Smoke-free laws do not hurt business

Anti-smoking laws protect workers and customers alike without adverse economic impact

Smoking bans may even have a positive
impact on businesses, data shows.

A large study on the economic impact of smoke-free laws, published in the scientific journal Preventing Chronic Disease, provides new evidence that such laws do not harm the restaurant and bar industry, even in regions with high smoking rates.

These findings came to light just weeks after the Township Liquor Industry Association (TOLIA) denounced new regulations that is expected to come into effect later this year that will ban smoking even in outside smoking areas, claiming that it will be detrimental to their businesses.

However, anti-tobacco groups claim that the tobacco and hospitality industries have used the same excuse when other smoking regulations were introduced, but it has never realized.

“The evidence is clear that smoke-free laws protect workers and customers alike from the proven dangers of secondhand smoke without harming business,” said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

The new study analysed economic data from 216 smoke-free cities and counties across nine US states.

The study found that smoke-free laws did not have an adverse economic impact on restaurants or bars in any of the states studied. In one state, West Virginia, the local smoke-free laws were actually associated with a small increase in restaurant employment.

The new study’s findings are consistent with those of other studies, all of which show that smoke-free laws at worst have a neutral impact on the restaurant and bar business and may even have a positive impact.

“These findings highlight why the public, policy makers and media need to be leery of adverse economic claims made by opponents of smoke-free laws. These claims are discredited time and again by impartial economic data,” said Myers.

Secondhand smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, including hundreds that are toxic and at least 69 that cause cancer. Secondhand smoke causes heart disease and lung cancer in non-smoking adults and respiratory problems, sudden infant death syndrome, low birth weight, ear infections and more severe asthma attacks in infants and children.

The study was conducted by RTI International and supported by the CDC Foundation.

Source: The South African Health News Service

Invite cleaner air to no-smoking establishments

Activated carbon and HEPA filters will remove
chemicals, odors and particles left behind by smoke.

Businesses that previously allowed smoking on their premises will have to make some changes once smoking bans come into effect.

Lingering tobacco odors may be noticeable, as the carcinogenic chemicals and smoke particles are known to stay behind for a long time.

Electrocorp offers business owners proficient air purifiers for large and small spaces, which feature the most comprehensive air filter systems available.

In order to deal with the effects of tobacco smoke, an air purifier needs a medical-grade HEPA filter and a deep-bed activated carbon filter to remove both particles and chemicals.

Please see Electrocorp's air purifiers for the hospitality industry, and contact Electrocorp for more information.

Study: Companies pay almost $6,000 extra per year for each employee who smokes

Photo: freedigitalimages.net

U.S. businesses pay almost $6,000 per year extra for each employee who smokes compared to the cost to employ a person who has never smoked cigarettes.

Researchers say the study is the first study to take a comprehensive look at the financial burden for companies that employ smokers.

By drawing on previous research on the costs of absenteeism, lost productivity, smoke breaks and health care costs, the researchers developed an estimate that each employee who smokes costs an employer an average of $5,816 annually above the cost of a person who never smoked. These annual costs can range from $2,885 to $10,125, according to the research.

Smoke breaks accounted for the highest cost in lost productivity, followed by health-care expenses that exceed insurance costs for nonsmokers.

The analysis used studies that measured costs for private-sector employers, but the findings would likely apply in the public sector as well, said lead author Micah Berman, who will become an assistant professor of health services management and policy in The Ohio State University College of Public Health on Aug. 21. Berman began this work while on the law faculty of Capital University in Columbus.

"This research should help businesses make better informed decisions about their tobacco policies," said Berman, who also will have an appointment in the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State. "We constructed our calculations such that individual employers can plug in their own expenses to get more accurate estimates of their own costs."

The study focuses solely on economics and does not address ethical and privacy issues related to the adoption of workplace policies covering employee smoking. Increasingly, businesses have been adopting tobacco-related policies that include requiring smokers to pay premium surcharges for their health-care benefits or simply refusing to hire people who identify themselves as smokers.

The researchers acknowledge that providing smoking-cessation programs would be an added cost for employers.

"Employers should be understanding about how difficult it is to quit smoking and how much support is needed," Berman said. "It's definitely not just a cost issue, but employers should be informed about what the costs are when they are considering these policies."

The research is published online in the journal Tobacco Control.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated a decade ago that productivity losses and medical costs amount to about $3,400 each year per smoker. However, the report looked at overall costs to the American economy from smoking-related deaths and did not try to identify those costs that would be borne by an employer, Berman noted.

The CDC says smoking accounts for nearly one in every five deaths – or about 443,000 – in the United States each year and increases the risk for such illnesses as coronary heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and other deadly lung illnesses.

The researchers used multiple studies that calculated a variety of specific costs to develop an estimate of the overall annual extra cost of each employee who smokes.

According to their annual estimates per smoker, excess absenteeism costs an average of $517 per year; "presenteeism," or reduced productivity related to the effects of nicotine addiction, $462; smoke breaks, $3,077; and extra health care costs (for self-insured employers), $2,056.

The analysis also took into consideration a so-called death "benefit" in terms of economics. For employers who provide defined benefit plans, meaning they pay retirees a set amount in pension each year, a smoker's early death could result in an annual cost reduction of an estimated $296. This occurs when smokers pay more into the pension system than they receive in retirement – in effect, subsidizing nonsmokers' pensions because they live longer.

"We tried to be conservative in our estimates, and certainly the costs will vary by industry and by the type of employee," Berman said. "Several of these estimates are based on hourly employees whose productivity can be tracked more easily."

He noted that the analysis takes into account the known disparity in pay for smokers versus nonsmokers. In the calculations, smokers' salaries were discounted by 15.6 percent to reflect their lower wages.

The researchers describe their findings as "needed factual context to discussions about workplace policies" intended to inform the debate over whether such policies should exist.

"Most of the places that have policies against hiring smokers are coming at it not just from a cost perspective but from a wellness perspective," Berman said. "Many of these businesses make cessation programs available to their employees.

"Most people who smoke started when they were kids and the vast majority of them want to quit and are struggling to do so. This is a place where business interests and public health align. In addition to cutting costs, employers can help their employees lead healthier and longer lives by eliminating tobacco from the workplace."
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Universities, colleges ponder smoking bans on campuses

Tobacco smoke is not the only indoor air pollutant
affecting students, faculty and staff.

Almost half of campuses in the United States are considering bans on tobacco in all its forms, or have already enacted such policies, according to a recent AP article in the Washington Post.

That means not only is smoking not allowed inside the buildings, but it may be banned from the entire campus as well.

Despite opposition from student smokers and some staff and faculty members, the bans are perhaps a natural result of the mounting evidence presented by researchers about the dangerous effects of tobacco smoke and secondhand smoke exposure.

The main reasons speaking for such bans are:

• Health risks
• Reduced costs of smoke-free dorms and facilities
• Minimizing enticements to form a dangerous lifelong habit

Universities in California, New York and Missouri are planning tobacco bans in the near future.

The surgeon general’s report for 2012 identified the ages of 18-26 as the most critical for young people to start smoking and become lifelong users.

About a quarter to a third of college students smoke, studies show.

However, campus tobacco bans have gained popularity across the nation, growing from pretty much zero a decade ago to more than 700 today.

Source: Washington Post

Improving indoor air quality in universities and schools

The ban on tobacco products is a good first step, but many universities, colleges and schools still suffer from poor indoor air quality, which can impede the students’ ability to retain information, lower their productivity and affect everyone’s health and well-being.

The air in the learning institutions often contains mold spores, dust, pollen, chemicals, VOCs, odors and other irritants, which can be removed by Electrocorp’s air cleaners for schools and universities.

The air cleaners feature the most complete air filtration system with activated carbon and HEPA as well as optional UV germicidal filtration to be able to tackle of all of the aforementioned pollutants.

Electrocorp has worked with hundreds of universities across North America, providing air cleaners to classrooms, laboratories, welding labs, office/administrative tracts, libraries and archives, painting and art studios as well as other environments.

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Anti-tobacco law inspires workers to quit smoking

Workers' smoking habits changed
when the ban came into effect.

A commonly enforced ban for smoking in public spaces has led to a progressive reduction in the percentage of smokers.

According to a Spanish study, 5 percent of workers gave up smoking when the law took effect, and the overall numbers were reduced from 40.3% to 35.3% of smoking workers.

Men and women of all ages and occupations quit smoking after the ban.

The study examined the consumption of tobacco in the working population during the first months of a smoking ban that forbade smoking in all public spaces, including bars and restaurants.

The study involved 413,473 workers of all ages and occupations and followed their smoking habits for two years ending in June 2011.

The study’s findings were published in the journal Revista Española de Salud Pública.

The study authors found that even amongst workers who continued to smoke, there was a decrease in the amount of tobacco consumed.

The researchers argue that the study proves the health benefits of regulatory and fiscal policies when it comes to smoking.

Source: FECYT – Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology

Provide better indoor air quality at the workplace

Bars and restaurants that previously allowed smoking may suffer from lingering odors and irritants that can spoil a customer’s experience.

Specially equipped air cleaners
can handle stale smoke and more.

These tobacco-smoke related toxins can remain on surfaces, in nooks and crannies for a long time and be slowly released into the ambient air.

Air freshening products do not provide a satisfactory solution because they can be irritants in themselves and they only cover up existing smells while contributing to indoor air pollution.

A better way to deal with lingering smoke odors is ventilation and air cleaning. The ventilation system itself may not be enough to handle the odors, but an air cleaner with many pounds of activated carbon and HEPA filters can help provide cleaner and healthier air.

Electrocorp has designed air cleaners for the hospitality industry that provide some of the largest adsorbent surface areas and longest-lasting filters in the industry.

Electrocorp also offers air cleaners for other commercial and industrial applications, helping workers in various industries to breathe cleaner air.

For more information and options, contact Electrocorp today!
 

Smoking in casinos – time for a ban?

Smoking in casinos is still allowed,
but health concerns spur debates.

Casinos have long been exempt from smoking bans that were implemented in other public places.

Many casino owners and patrons believe smoking and gambling go hand in hand.

Still, ever-mounting evidence of the negative health effects of smoke and exposure to secondhand smoke is causing lawmakers to reconsider their stance on the issue.

In Kansas, smoking has been banned in indoor settings except private residences, adult care homes, up to 20 percent of rooms in hotels, some private clubs, tobacco shops and casinos.

What carries higher costs - a ban or no ban?

A ban on smoking on casino floors could cost the casinos and the state millions of dollars, opponents of the ban say.

But didn’t restaurant owners say exactly the same thing? Most places are thriving now because people still go to restaurants and are not bothered by cigarette smoke.

According to the casinos, a large number of gamblers also smoke – and banning the cigarettes would be like banning popcorn at the movies, they say.

However, smoking does not only affect the smokers themselves, it also puts the casino workers at risk as well as the other non-smoking gamblers.

Tobacco smoke contains thousands of dangerous chemicals that cling to surfaces and constitute serious health risks, including higher risks of lung cancer, heart disease, bronchitis and asthma.

Source: Wichita Eagle

Improve the indoor air quality in casinos

Experts warn that ventilation systems in many casinos are simply unable to handle the tobacco smoke on the casino floors.

One way to improve the indoor air quality is by using suitably placed air filtration systems with activated carbon + HEPA and special smoke and tar filters.

Electrocorp offers portable as well as wall-mountable and HVAC-compatible air cleaners with the safest and most effective air filters for casinos, bars and restaurants.

Contact Electrocorp for more information.
 

New policy: Hospital turns smoking job applicants away

Hospital will screen job seekers for signs
of smoking, even second-hand smoke.

A Pennsylvania hospital is planning to implement a no-nicotine policy on Feb. 1, which involves testing job applicants for signs of nicotine and turning them away if they are smokers.

The applicants will receive some help to quit the habit and they can re-apply after six months, hospital officials said.

The hospital already has a smoke-free policy in place on the facility’s grounds, and the new guidelines are aimed at increasing the number of staff members that do not smoke.

The hospital’s measures may seem a bit extreme to some, but the facility is within its rights to implement such as policy – and other employers may follow.

The United States Bureau of Labor and Statistics says 19 states allow employers to screen job applicants for signs of smoking. Pennsylvania is one of those states.

Existing employees won’t be affected by the new policy.

Hospital administrators point out that workers who smoke take more breaks and reduce their working hours. They may also increase health care costs over the long run.

A clinic in Ohio implemented a similar program in 2007.

Source: CNN

   

Air cleaners for the healthcare industry and hospitals

  
Even without the dangers of tobacco smoke, the indoor air quality in hospitals may be compromised by a wide range of pollutants, including bacteria and viruses, mold, chemicals, gases, odors, particles and dust.

Source control, ventilation and air cleaning can all help in making sure the air is healthy and breathable.

Well-placed air filtration systems (stand-alone or attached to existing ventilation systems) with many pounds of activated carbon as well as high efficiency particle filters (HEPA) and optional UV germicidal filtration can remove the widest range of indoor air pollutants.

Electrocorp has designed a variety of air cleaners for hospitals and healthcare facilities that require stringent hygiene standards, infection control and comprehensive protection to meet occupational health and safety standards.

Contact one of our IAQ experts for more information and options.

Related articles

• Smoking bans in hospitals need consideration: Researchers
• Researchers develop new cleaning technique for hospital rooms
• Hospital workers and patients breathing polluted air

   

Dental practices take steps toward better IAQ

The air quality in dental practices or dental labs can be poor.

It’s always heartening to hear about companies or professionals going the extra mile to protect their clients’ health and well-being.

In the case of a dental practice in New York State’s Fredonia, the doctors are collaborating with a Tobacco Free Program and banning smoking outdoors as well to improve the overall indoor air quality in the building and to model good behavior to youngsters.

Even in smoke-free buildings, secondhand smoke can remain a pollution factor when people are allowed to smoke outside the building.

The smoke often enters the building through windows, cracks, vents and doors and impacts the indoor air quality.

Tobacco smoke contains thousands of chemicals and toxins that have been linked to serious health conditions and, of course, cancer.

Since smoking represents a high risk for the development of oral cancer as well, the dentists plan to make their practice a healthier place.

Dental practices are not the only ones taking non-smoking efforts very seriously.

An article in the Observer estimated that at least 400 locations across NY State have joined the movement of tobacco free outdoor areas, including Times Square and Central Park in New York City.

Improve indoor air quality in dental labs

Tobacco smoke is not the only pollutants that dental labs and dental practices should be concerned about.

A dental environment has the potential to contain anesthetic gases, chemical fumes, dental materials and even pathogenic microorganisms aerosolized from the patient, dental staff and equipment they use.

The I-6500 is a cabinet-style air cleaner
for high efficiency air purification.

Electrocorp has designed affordable, portable and highly efficient air cleaners for dental labs that can work around the clock to remove the widest range of indoor air pollutants.

The air cleaners feature a multistage filtration system with many pounds of activated carbon for the adsorption of gaseous pollutants and odors, a HEPA filter to trap particles and dust and optional UV germicidal filtration to help neutralize contaminants such as bacteria, viruses and mold.

Dental clinics can easily improve their indoor air with air cleaners such as the RAP Series, the AirMedic+ Series or the I-6500 Series.

For more information and options, please contact an Electrocorp representative.
     

Bars still invaded by smoke, study shows

Bars and other establishments could expose patrons to
secondhand smoke even if a smoking ban is in effect: Study

Bars and pubs that have implemented a smoking ban have taken steps into the right direction, but their patrons may still be exposed to secondhand smoke, a Wellington (New Zealand) study shows.

Even years after smoking bans came into effect, the bars’ indoor air quality may suffer from smoke seeping into the indoor environment from outdoor smoking areas.

The Wellington researchers tested the air quality in seven establishments, seven years after the bans were implemented and measured the particulate levels in the outdoor smoking areas, inside the bar close to the area and further inside the bar.

The results showed poor air quality for all those areas, at higher pollution levels than recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The exposure to smoke affected bar patrons but also especially bar staff, the researchers say.

Based on the study’s results, the researchers said outdoor areas require tighter regulations, too.

Source: Waikato Times

Bars, restaurants and other establishments benefit from good IAQ

Air cleaners can be hidden or mounted to the ceiling to
help purify the air.

Poor indoor air quality not only affects patrons’ and staff’s health and well-being, it can also lead to disappointing stays and subsequent avoidance of the establishments.

For the most effective odor and smoke control, bar owners and operators need to take source control (an effective ban), ventilation and air cleaning into account.

Electrocorp’s line of industrial-strength air cleaners for the hospitality industry can help remove odors and chemical as well as particulate pollutants from the ambient air, which often tend to cling to indoor surfaces even after active smoking has been banned.

The air cleaners are so effective because they combine proven and trustworthy air filters, including a large activated carbon filter for odors and gaseous pollutants, HEPA filters for up to 99.97% of particles at 0.3 microns and UV germicidal filtration for enhanced protection against mold, bacteria and viruses.

Want more information? Contact Electrocorp between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST at 866-667-0297 or any time by e-mail: info@electrocorp.net.
  

Smoking bans in hospitals need consideration: Researchers

Indoor air quality in hospitals is an
important health issue.

The indoor air quality in hospitals should be the best and healthiest possible. That's a given.

But it may not be as simple as banning smoking from indoors and around entrances or parking lots, a new study shows.

The researchers enrolled 186 participants (82 patients and 81 health care professionals) at two large hospitals in Canada.

They found that despite the ban and prohibiting signs, patients and staff continued to smoke on hospital grounds, probably because strict bans don’t take into account that some tobacco users are actually addicted.

Patients and staff identified safety concerns over leaving the hospital wards to smoke. The researchers say that hospitals need to view the tobacco smoking ban as a treatment issue and offer support and guidance to manage tobacco withdrawal symptoms and abstain from smoking during the hospital stay.

Source: Canadian Medical Association Journal

Clean air in hospitals

Even when smoking is banned, the indoor air in hospitals can be polluted – and conventional heating and ventilation systems are generally not enough to filter out contaminants.

Portable, stand-alone air cleaners with activated carbon + HEPA + UV can help clean the air by removing many chemicals, odors, dust, particles, bacteria, viruses and mold. Electrocorp has specifically designed air cleaners for hospitals and healthcare environments.

Contact Electrocorp for more information and recommendations.

Indoor air quality improves with restaurant smoking bans

A Michigan-wide smoking ban has led to much
better indoor air quality in restaurants, study shows.

Restaurants in Michigan are serving up much cleaner and healthier air these days.

After 18 months of a no-smoking rule, a study found a 93 percent reduction in indoor air pollution from secondhand smoke, the Michigan Department of Community Health says.

The study tested 77 restaurants from 13 cities before the law was passed, in the time between 2005 and 2008.

The cities include Ann Arbor, Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Marquette, Midland, Novi, Saginaw, Sault Ste. Marie, Traverse City and West Branch.

The law came into effect on May 1, 2010, and the restaurants were then re-tested, the agency said.

The study included three casinos from Detroit. Casinos are exempt from the smoking ban, which is why the study results were not 100 percent reduction of indoor air pollutants, they say.

The agency hopes for better health outcomes because of the ban as well and plans another study to measure hospitalizations and heart problems. Another study is planned to measure the overall impact of the Smoke-Free Air Law and economic results.

Another year-long study by the American Cancer Association showed that more than 90 percent of residents support the ban.

Source: Holland Sentinel

Persistent tobacco smells can be cured with an air cleaner

The cigarettes may be gone, but the smells may still be there.

Tobacco smoke toxins have a habit of infiltrating every nook and cranny of a room, making it extremely difficult to remove odors after the fact.

An air cleaner that promises to be able to handle lingering stale tobacco smoke odors and other smells in restaurants and bars needs a complete air filter system with activated carbon and HEPA.

Activated carbon is the most efficient and affordable filtration media to adsorb chemicals, gases and odors, while HEPA is the gold standard in particle and dust filtration. Together, the filters can help keep the air clean and patrons happy and comfortable.

For more information on Electrocorp’s air cleaners for restaurants, bars and the hospitality industry as well as other customizable options, please contact Electrocorp (toll-free): 866-667-0297.
 

Smoke-free workplaces save lives, study finds

Smoke is a poor IAQ offender.

A Mayo Clinic study confirms that keeping a workplace smoke-free reduces the risk of heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths.

In fact, the research shows that the incidence for heart attack and sudden cardiac deaths was cut in half after a smoking ban went into effect for workers in Olmsted County, Minn.

The smoking ban had other effects as well. Adult smoking rates decreased by 23 percent, while other risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity remained stable or increased.

The population-based study showed that during the 18 months before Olmsted County's first smoke-free law for restaurants was passed in 2002, the regional incidence of heart attack was 212.3 cases per 100,000 residents.

In the 18 months following a comprehensive smoke-free ordinance in 2007, in which restaurants and workplaces became smoke-free, that rate dropped to 102.9 per 100,000 residents -- a decrease of about 45 percent.

Additionally, during these two time periods, the incidence of sudden cardiac death fell from 152.5 to 76.6 per 100,000 residents -- a 50 percent reduction.

"We are going to use this information to help us convince corporations -- convince countries -- that this is the right thing to do to protect the health of their workers and their citizens," said Richard Hurt, M.D., director of Mayo Clinic's Nicotine Dependence Center in a news release.

Breathe cleaner, healthier air at work

Tobacco smoke is one of the worst offenders when it comes to indoor air quality, so banning smoking at the workplace is a good first step to better health and safety conditions.

RAP Series: Versatile air cleaners

However, workers may be exposed to a range of other indoor air pollutants such as VOCs, particles, mold and more.

Poor indoor air quality can affect the workers’ productivity, health and well-being.

For better IAQ, companies need to implement a good IAQ management strategy consisting of source control, improved ventilation and air cleaning.

Electrocorp specializes in industrial-strength air cleaners for virtually any industry segment. The air cleaners remove chemicals, gases, odors, particles, dust, pathogens, mold and allergens with a deep-bed activated carbon + HEPA filter combination.

Contact us to find out more.

Restaurants paid for being smoke free

Restaurants benefit from good indoor
air quality, experts say.

Oklahoma is instituting a new program designed to reduce the number of restaurants that allow smoking in their establishments.

The “Restaurant Smoking Room Rebate Program” has been introduced by the Oklahoma State Department of Health to reduce exposure of restaurant employees and customers to secondhand smoke.

The department is acting on studies that have shown that even brief exposures to secondhand smoke can have a negative health impact.

"We are pleased to offer this rebate program because we recognize many restaurant owners wanted to do the right thing to improve the health of their employees and customers, but needed assistance in making the conversion to be completely smoke free," State Health Commissioner Dr. Terry Cline was quoted in an article by NewsOn6.

The program means that restaurant owners can receive a rebate of 50 percent of the capitalized expenditures for some smoking room construction costs, minus any depreciation taken from the expenditures.

For more information, contact the OSDH at 405-271-3619, or 1-800-522-0203.

Source: NewsOn6

Indoor air quality in restaurants and dining rooms

It’s often easy to tell if a restaurant or dining room had hosted smokers before – the persistent smells coming from tobacco smoke chemicals and particles seep into every nook and cranny and stubbornly cling to textiles, carpets and other surface areas.

Short of renovating the entire space, an easy and cost-effective IAQ solution is a portable industrial air cleaner with a large activated carbon filter and HEPA.

The multistage filtration systems from Electrocorp can remove a wide range of indoor air pollutants, including chemicals, odors, gases, particles, bacteria, viruses and mold.

With a diverse product line and the ability to customize air cleaners to target specific pollutants (such as those stemming from tobacco smoke), Electrocorp is able to offer an indoor air cleaning system for virtually any IAQ concern.

Contact Electrocorp for more information and have a look at our air cleaners for

• Hospitality (Restaurants, Hotels, Motels, Casinos, Diners, and more)
• Odor Control
• Various industrial applications

Phone: 1-866-667-0297
E-mail: info@electrocorp.net