BMJ  2007;335:630 (29 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.39346.507778.3A

Letters

Banning smoking

Confessions of an accordion cleaner

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Haw and Gruer document the reduction in exposure to secondhand smoke since the implementation of smoke-free legislation in Scotland.¹ We report further evidence of reduced exposure to secondhand smoke in Irish pubs since the legislation in the Republic of Ireland.^{2 3}

The pub session (or seisiún in Gaelic), where musicians gather to play traditional music together, is commonplace throughout bars in Ireland. Instruments include the accordion, concertina, melodeon, and Uilleann (or Irish) bagpipes, all of which are bellows driven instruments.

There is anecdotal evidence that the interiors of accordions played regularly in smoke filled environments are dirtied as a result of the trapping of contaminant particles circulating in the air as it filters through the instrument. We conducted a telephone survey of all workers involved in the cleaning, repair, maintenance, and renovation of accordions in the Republic of Ireland. We managed successfully to contact six out of seven such workers.

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¹ Pulmonary and Sleep Disorders Unit, St Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin 4, Republic of Ireland, ² Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, ³ Pulmonary and Sleep Disorders Unit, St Vincent's University Hospital

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Changes in exposure of adult non-smokers to secondhand smoke after implementation of smoke-free legislation in Scotland: national cross sectional survey

Sally J Haw and Laurence Gruer
BMJ 2007 335: 549. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]