Do air conditioning systems work in removing environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) from indoor areas?
No. The use of ventilation to remove ETS from hospitality venues has been promoted by some as a way to achieve safe levels of exposure for employees and patrons. However numerous studies have demonstrated that the efficiency of these systems diminishes over time and none have the capacity to remove many of the invisible gases found in ETS. General air conditioning systems have also been found to be ineffective in removing ETS, and threaten to undermine the value of having non-smoking areas in certain parts of a venue by circulating ETS contaminated air to restricted areas. The World Health Organization (2000) along with many other eminent bodies have concluded that there is no safe level of exposure to ETS and that a complete ban on smoking in indoor areas is the most effective and low cost strategy to remove ETS from enclosed places.
