Factors associated with secondhand smoke exposure among non-smoking employees in the workplace: A cross-sectional study in Qingdao, China

Objective The study was designed to describe secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure among non-smoking employees in the workplace and identify factors that related exposure in Qingdao. Methods The study subjects covered the key non-smoking places stipulated in the “Qingdao City Smoking Control Regulations”. Airborne nicotine concentration in the workplace and saliva cotinine concentration of employees were measured. Questionnaire included employees’ demographics factors, smoke-free measures in the workplace, the employer’s tobacco hazard knowledge and attitudes towards smoke-free policy. Results A total of 222 non-smoking employees and 46 employees were included in the study. The median concentrations of airborne nicotine and salivary cotinine were 0.389 μg/m 3 and 0.575 ng/ml. Educational status, average number of smokers per day and exposure time of SHS in the workplace, whether to divide smoking and non-smoking areas were related to the airborne nicotine concentration significantly. Age, educational status, exposure time of SHS in the workplace, tobacco control training and publicity and whether the employers support the “Qingdao Tobacco Control Regulation” were related to the salivary cotinine concentration significantly. Conclusions Exposure to SHS is highly prevalent among non-smoking employees in the workplace. Interventions to reduce SHS exposure in the workplace are urgently needed.