Air More Polluted in Smoky Bars.. Um... Duh!

By Rachelle Bowden in News on May 17, 2005 12:16PM

File this under "No Shit, Really?" - Air pollution is 6 times higher in restaurants and bars that allow smoking. Wow, you don't say! We would have never guessed! We'd like to thank the National Conference on Tobacco or Health for this information.

The organization conducted its survey earlier this month at 37 Chicago bars around downtown, Rush St., Little Italy & the West Loop. They found that at non-smoking places the average harmful particles were 21 micrograms/cubic meter of air. In bars & restaurants that allow smoking the average was 128 micrograms. So what, you say? Well, the averages include readings from both smoking and nonsmoking sections and to compare, the US EPA says it's only safe to have up to 65 micrograms/cubic meter. And what of these microparticles? These are the bitches that lodge into your lungs and cause cancer and respiratory problems. So having on average double the amount deemed safe in the air - not so great, unless you really like lung cancer.

So how about that public smoking ban, Chicago?

Image via BBC