Spanish Study on Smoking Outside

It seems with each year that passes laws against smoking in public and private places become stricter. There is hardly a state that still allows smoking cigarettes in bars and restaurants; in most places one cannot smoke in front of such establishments.

A new Spanish study suggests that when people smoke in front of entrances to bars and restaurants the smoke often drifts inside.

The study's researchers are calling for more laws that restrict smoking outside private establishments to protect against secondhand smoke. Researchers found that smoking on terraces and in the entrances to restaurants and bars heightens the concentration of nicotine and particulate matter inside the restaurant, News-Medical.net reports.

In 2011, Spain created a smoking ban inside restaurants and bars. Since implementation, researchers found that there has been a 90 percent decrease in nicotine and particulate matter in the inside air of these venues. After the law was passed, nicotine and particulate concentrations were significantly higher close to the entrance, according to Nicotine & Tobacco Research.