SimSmoke

Neil,
My congratulations to you for setting up SIMSMOKE. It must have been a huge effort. I look forward to having a wander around.

I have previously downloaded your pilot study of real time monitoring of outdoor ETS and found it very absorbing and useful. Your committment to open source knowledge and putting this work on line was appreciated.

At the moment I am interested in comparisons of ETS in typical homes and cars. Some very useful data about this is in the California Air Resources Board assessment of ETS. And I am sure there will be more in Simsmoke when I start using it.

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) has just designated secondhand tobacco smoke as a toxic agent, according to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle (there is also a shorter piece):

''The designation...places secondhand smoke in the same category as the poisons arsenic and benzene.''

''[Tobacco] smoke contains hundreds of harmful compounds, including carcinogens. Each year, California smokers put into the environment 40 tons of nicotine, 365 tons of small particles of pollution and 1,900 tons of carbon monoxide.''

This is a pretty big development with large implications for tobacco control policy.

A similar article on this development is on the Monsters and Critics website.

You may be interested in reading the original ARB press release or downloading the ARB report.

According to an article in the Akron Beacon Journal [ed update: Article now archived and needs registration for access], extremely high particle levels over 2,000 μg m^-3 have been recorded in a bar in Ohio. Mark Travers of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, who is an expert in measuring secondhand smoke levels, called it "the single most polluted bar we've seen in the U.S". Many states around the country are starting to enact bans on smoking in indoor workplaces to protect workers.

What conditions might lead to the observed particle levels? Try to simulate them using the new bar and restaurant model.

OK, I've made the simulations available to both registered and unregistered users. We'll see how it works.

The American Lung Association has an article in their Breathe Easy magazine on Californians who apparently are becoming accustomed to smoke-free indoor and outdoor environments.

Two reports have been released on the magnitude of outdoor tobacco smoke levels in typical locations, including private patios, airports, restaurants, and hospitals. The first report completed at Stanford University describes measurements made using real-time particle monitoring instruments that were carried by investigators to different locations where smokers were present. The second report (Part A, Exposure Assessment, Chapter V, page V-7 and Appendix C) completed by the California Air Resources Board describes integrated nicotine measurements and simultaneous counts of smokers. Nicotine is a unique indicator of the presence of tobacco smoke.

An article in the San Francisco Chronicle describes efforts by counties and cities to ban smoking in public outdoor areas, such as parks, bus stops, and hiking trails. Do you think these are justified?

Today there appeared an article in the Washington Times describing efforts to stop parents from legally smoking around children. The focus seems mostly on foster parents. Should we try to legislate smoking in the home? Is this a privacy issue? We are willing to legislate against child abuse and legislate the use of child restraints in cars. Is protecting a child from exposure to secondhand smoke in the home any different? Your comments are welcome.

Important Change in Access: I've decided for the time being to disable the guestbook feature due to spam. Also, simulations will only be available to registered users to avoid overloading the servers. It is easy to register!

I've created a basic two-zone simulation for houses where the interior space is best modeled by two well-mixed rooms rather than one. Run it here.

I am working on improving the simulation output.