Dutch to use air samples in smoking ban enforcement

The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) is going to use portable devices to take air samples to help inspectors determine whether the national cafe smoking ban has been violated. 

This is based on research by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). The solution was proposed as a way of enforcing a ban violated by as many as a third of all cafes in the country.

These devices can take air samples which can be analyzed in the laboratory. The tobacco smoke concentration is then determined by analyzing the ambient air against the substances 3-Ethenylpyridine and nicotine, both of which are found in tobacco smoke.

The RIVM recommends further research to determine how the sampling method can best be applied in practice.

The smoking ban was established to prevent exposure to tobacco smoke in the workplace, public transport and public spaces. In order to better enforce the smoking ban, the NVWA is seeking support detection methods that can be used in checks.