MONTREAL - Even on an outdoor patio, second-hand cigarette smoke can produce air quality comparable to a smoggy day in Los Angeles or even a forest fire, new research contends.

The findings are based on a series of air quality tests performed on Montreal patios.

Ryan Kennedy, a university researcher, said he found poor air quality even there was a breeze and no restrictions blocking the flow of air, such as an awning or umbrella.

"I think what's important is for us to remember that tobacco smoke is a Class A carcinogen, and any level of exposure bears a risk," Kennedy, based at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., said in an interview Saturday.

Anti-tobacco advocates are hoping the findings help make the case for a patio smoking ban in Quebec, and across the country.

Several provinces have already banned smoking on patios, including Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Alberta. Yukon has also introduced a ban, along with Ottawa and a number of municipalities on Vancouver Island and in the lower mainland of British Columbia.

Quebec is among the provinces that has so far resisted going that route.

Montreal, in particular, is well-known for its sidewalk cafes and bars.

Bar owners are worried a ban would mean losing patrons, just as they did after smoking was banned inside restaurants and bars.

Peter Sergakis, the head of the province's bar owner association, said he's skeptical of the study and plans to conduct his own tests.

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Study finds second-smoke a risk even on patios

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MONTREALEven on an outdoor patio, second-hand cigarette smoke can produce air quality comparable to a smoggy day in Los Angeles or even a forest fire, new research contends.

The findings are based on a series of air quality tests performed on Montreal patios.

Ryan Kennedy, a university researcher, said he found poor air quality even there was a breeze and no restrictions blocking the flow of air, such as an awning or umbrella.

I think what's important is for us to remember that tobacco smoke is a Class A carcinogen, and any level of exposure bears a risk, Kennedy, based at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., said in an interview Saturday.

Anti-tobacco advocates are hoping the findings help make the case for a patio smoking ban in Quebec, and across the country.

Several provinces have already banned smoking on patios, including Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Alberta. Yukon has also introduced a ban, along with Ottawa and a number of municipalities on Vancouver Island and in the lower mainland of British Columbia.

Quebec is among the provinces that has so far resisted going that route.

Montreal, in particular, is well-known for its sidewalk cafes and bars.

Excerpt from:
Second-hand smoke a risk even on patios, says study

CTVNews.ca Staff Published Friday, August 2, 2013 9:33PM EDT Last Updated Friday, August 2, 2013 11:09PM EDT

Air quality scientists and anti-smoking advocates are renewing calls to ban smoking on all patios in Canada after newly released research showed that patrons lounging near smokers can be exposed to high levels of second-hand smoke, even while sitting outdoors.

The study, which focused on restaurant patios in Montreal, found that second-hand smoke inhaled by patrons and servers is akin to sitting next to a forest fire.

What we registered were concentrations that would be similar to someone experiencing a forest fire, like the fires Kelowna (B.C.) had a few years ago, said Ryan Kennedy, an air quality scientist who measures smoke pollution on patios.

While the research found that the large patio umbrellas trap smoke, it also showed that those sitting on open-air patios -- without any umbrella, awning or walls -- are still feeling the effects of second-hand smoke.

Concentrations of pollution on a smoky patio can be high -- can be very high -- and its completely possible to regulate it, Kennedy said.

Provinces like Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Alberta ban smoking on patios, and other cities such as Ottawa, Saskatoon and Vancouver have adopted the same rules.

In Winnipeg, smoking is still allowed as long as there are no walls or awnings trapping the smoke.

Holly Kolevris, a manager of Saffrons Restaurant in Winnipeg, said lawmakers should not be getting further involved in an owners business affairs.

Theyre too controlling, she said. They need to let us operate the way we operate.

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Second-hand smoke even a danger on open-air patios, study says

Anti-tobacco advocates are using a new study to make the case for a smoking ban on bar and restaurant patios.

A researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland found harmful levels of second-hand smoke in a survey of Montreal bar patios.

The study found that a single lit cigarette could create air quality levels comparable to a smoggy day in Los Angeles.

Professor Ryan Kennedy, who conducted the study, says the tests suggests second-hand smoke can be harmful outdoors, even on a windy day.

"Even if a patio is completely uncovered smoking on a patio can generate very high concentrations of fine particles those which penetrate deep into the lungs," Kennedy said.

However, the president of the Quebec bar-owners union, Peter Sergakis, says he doesn't believe the study's findings.

He says he plans to commission his own research.

Sergakis says his businesses have not recovered after smoking was banned inside restaurants and bars in Quebec in 2006.

"When they stopped smoking inside, we lost about 25 per cent of the business," he said. "Our clientele is smokers and drinkers."

The provincial Tobacco Act is expected to be studied later this month by members of the government committee on health and social services.

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Harmful levels of second-hand smoke found on Montreal patios

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