Exposición a humo de tabaco ajeno en lugares públicos de la Ciudad de México, Guadalajara y Monterrey

Objective: To quantify environmental tobacco smoke exposure in public places in Mexico to promote policies of 100% smoke-free environments. Materials and Methods. In hospitals, schools and public offices of Monterrey, Guadalajara and Mexico City 20% of inner areas were monitored. Median nicotine concentrations were estimated by city, type of public space and type of inner area. Results: Median concentration in areas where nicotine was detected was 0.06 μg/m³ (P₂₅=0.03, P₇₅=0.12 μg/m³). Higher concentrations were found in Mexico City and in public offices. Nicotine was not detected in 75% of monitored areas. Conclusions: Monitoring environmental nicotine is a useful tool to evaluate compliance of public places with the smoke-free environments legislation, and could constitute an important source of information to strengthen implementation efforts.