Secondhand Smoke Emission Levels in Waterpipe Cafes in Doha, Qatar
| Author(s)
Ahmad Al Mulla, Nadia Fanous and Andrew Seidenberg Vaughan W. Rees
| | Presenter(s) |
Dr Ahmad Al Mulla Head of the Smoking Cessation Clinic, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar | Abstract Background: Smoke-free legislation in Qatar prohibits cigarette smoking inside public venues, but exempts tobacco waterpipe smoking. To date, limited research has been conducted on indoor air quality in waterpipe cafes in Qatar.
Methods: Particulate matter (PM2.5) levels were measured inside and outside of a sample of 40 waterpipe cafes and 16 smoke-free venues in Doha, Qatar between July and October of 2012. In addition, the number of waterpipes being smoked and the number of cigarette smokers were counted within each venue. Non-parametric bivariate statistics were used to assess differences in mean PM2.5 measurements between venue type (waterpipe vs smoke-free) and environment (indoor vs outdoor).
Results: The mean PM2.5 level inside waterpipe venues (476 μg/m3) was significantly higher than the mean PM2.5 level inside smoke-free venues (17 μg/m3; p<0.001), and significantly higher than the mean PM2.5 level outside (36 μg/m3; p<0.001). The mean PM2.5 level outside the smoke-free venues (30 μg/m3) was significantly greater than the mean PM2.5 level inside these venues (p=0.013).
Conclusions: Waterpipe café employees and patrons are exposed to elevated levels of particulate pollution in Doha, Qatar. Enforcement of comprehensive smoke-free policies, which should apply to all forms of combustible tobacco products, are needed to protect the public from the dangers of secondhand smoke.
| Source of funding: Hamad Medical Research Center
| Declaration of interest: None
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