Even if you’re a non-smoker, tobacco smoke can still cause many health problems.  Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS), also known as secondhand smoke or passive smoke, contains over 4,000 chemical compounds.  Over 60 of these chemicals are known or suspected of causing cancer.  These chemicals include ammonia, arsenic, cadmium and carbon monoxide.  ETS is classified as a "known human carcinogen" by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IRAC).

ETS is a combination of 2 forms of smoke:

• Mainstream Smoke - smoke exhaled by smokers
• Sidestream Smoke - smoke coming from the end of a lighted cigarette, cigar or pipe

ETS takes a tremendous toll on human life; an estimated 35,000 deaths occur in the United States from heart disease in individuals who are non-smokers that live with smokers.  In 2006, the U.S. Surgeon General published a report titled: "The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure To Tobacco Smoke".  Here are some of the important conclusions drawn from the report:

• Evidence indicates there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke
• Adults exposed to ETS experience immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system which can lead to coronary heart disease and lung cancer
• Children exposed to ETS are at greater risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

Studies have shown that ETS is especially dangerous for children.  Children that are routinely exposed to cigarette smoking are more likely to experience increased frequency of the following:

• Sinus infections
• Middle ear infections
• Asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and other lung diseases

If you live with a smoker who won’t stop smoking, there are ways you can protect yourself from the dangers of ETS.  One way is using a high quality residential air cleaner or smoke eater.  These robust units not only get rid of the smoke, but air purifiers that employ activated carbon can also remove the foul tobacco odor.  The key to selecting an effective smoke eater is to find instruments that offer a high CFM.  The secret to cleaning the air is moving the air.  A high rate of CFM will allow more air exchanges per hour, helping to provide you with clean, fresh smelling air.

I regularly have customers ask me about how effective a smoke eater can be for removing cigar smoke in their cigar bars, country clubs, lounges or retail outlets where they allow cigar smoking. Many question if a smoke eater unit can be effective enough to remove the smoke and odors to an acceptable level. Some have even commented that they have witnessed systems that do not perform up to par.

An important thing to remember, when you are selecting a smoke removal system for cigar smoke, is that cigar smoke is much more concentrated than cigarette smoke. Cigar smoke contains more particles and more chemical fumes and VOCs (Volitile Organic Compounds) than cigarette smoke.

There are two main things to consider when dealing with cigar smoke:

1. Choosing the Right Smoke Removal Technology

While electrostatic air cleaners work very well for cigarette smoke, most electrostatic units lack enough gas phase media to effectively remove the fumes and odors from cigar smoke. I always recomend a media based air cleaning system or at least a system with several pounds of granulated activated carbon and potassium permanganate.

The Everclear Deluxe HEPA Air Cleaner for example, has 44 pounds of gas phase media blend that is specially formulated to deal with heavy tobaco smoke. Some electrostatic units, such as the SE50 and Smokeeter LS systems do boast a decent ammount of granulated activated carbon, which can help reduce odors and exposure to toxic chemical fumes. Make sure to check and see that there are several pounds before selecting a model.

Many smoke eaters will advertise that they have carbon, some are merely a few grams of carbon embedded into a foam pad, this will not be enough to get the job done!

2. Properly Sizing the Smoke Removal System

Airflow is very important; the best unit in the world will not be effective if it is not delivering enough airflow. I would suggest a little overkill when dealing with cigar or pipe smoke. We use a formula to determine how many CFM (cubic feet per minute) are needed based on the volume of air in a particular establishment.

To do this, first figure out the total volume of air:

length X width X height = cubic feet of air

Next, divide the total cubic feet by 60 (as in 60 minutes in an hour)

The answer is how many CFM are require to do one complete air exchange.

For cigar smoke we like to achieve between 14 and 20 air exchanges per hour, depending on how many smokers and the desired results.

Multiply the number of desired air exchanges per hour, this will be the number of CFM you will need from your smoke eaters.

Below I give an example using a 25′ X 25′ room with 10′ ceilings. I want to achieve 16 air exchanges per hour to deal with my average of 4-5 smokers at a time:

25X25X10= 6,250 cubic feet
6250/60 = 104.167 cfm for one air exchange

104.167 X 16 = 1666.667 CFM

So I will need about 1667 CFM to deal with my smoke problem.

Secondhand smoke is a mixture of smoke, from both the burning of the tobacco and the smoke exhaled from the people smoking the cigarette or cigar. The EPA has categorized secondhand smoke as a known cancinogen that claims the lives of nearly 40,000 people each year. People that are exposed to secondhand smoke are 25% more likley to have cancer and/or heart disease. It is for these reasons as well as the fact the secondhand smoke is very irritating to non-smokers, that there has been so much public rage over allowing smoking in public places.

It seems like most urban areas have either implimented a non-smoking policy or will soon impliment one. Part of the blame has to be put on the shoulders of the bar and restaurant owners who did nothing for years to protect their employees and patrons from secondhand smoke. While no smoke eater, or any other method of air purification or exhaust, can completely rid an indoor area of smoke, smoke eaters can greatly reduce the exposure and the complaints.

It is proven that disallowing smoking in bars, greatly reduces business. Many bars have found loopholes, by declaring themselves private clubs. Bar owners in areas that have not yet outlawed smoking should take serious steps to show their customers and their city council members that secondhand smoking is a concern that is being addressed. I personally know of several bar owners who have presented their local government with information about the steps they have taken to reduce secondhand smoke exposure, some of them have stated that they felt it made a difference.

I urge any bar and restaurant owners who have not yet taken steps, to do so. For the good of your employees, your health, the health of your patrons and… for the good of your business, at least check into taking steps to reduce secondhand smoke. If you don’t do it now, you soon will be sorry.

This post is to start off the Secondhand Smoke Category.