Partial Ban on Smoking in Hotels Doesn't Protect Non-Smokers

According to a new research, non-smokers staying at hotel rooms with partial smoking bans have an increased risk of being exposed to tobacco. Researchers say that non-smokers need to choose smoke-free hotel rooms.

"Guests who wish to protect themselves from exposure to tobacco smoke should avoid hotels that permit smoking and instead stay in completely smoke-free hotels," the authors write.

Smoking causes many types of cancers, including those of the lung, bladder, kidneys, mouth and ovaries. Previous research has established that second-hand smoke could just be as dangerous. In the present study, researchers evaluate the presence of third-hand smoke.

In the study, researchers analyzed surfaces of hotel rooms for the presence of tobacco in random hotel rooms in San Diego, California. In this sample, about 10 hotels had a complete ban on smoking in the rooms, and about 30 had partial smoking bans.

Researchers then took blood and finger wipe samples from non-smokers who spent a night in any of these hotels. The study team specifically looked for the presence of nicotine and a cancer-causing agent in cigarette smoke called as NKK.

Study results showed that partial smoking bans didn't prevent non-smokers from being exposed to tobacco in these hotel rooms. Researchers found a significant level of air nicotine in rooms of hotels with partial smoking bans.

Surface nicotine levels in non-smoking rooms of hotels that partially ban smoking were twice as high as hotels that had a complete ban on smoking, researchers found. The smoke levels in air of these hotels were almost 7 times as high as hotels with a complete smoking ban.

"Our findings demonstrate that some non-smoking guest rooms in smoking hotels are as polluted with [third hand smoke] as are some smoking rooms. Moreover, non-smoking guests staying in smoking rooms may be exposed to tobacco smoke pollutants at levels found among non-smokers exposed to second hand smoke," the authors write.

The study is published in the journal Tobacco Control.