Determining the Effectiveness of Breathe Easy at FSU

In 1985, the Florida Legislature enacted the Florida Clean Indoor Air Act (FCIAA) to reduce “involuntary smoking” and exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS), protecting people from the associated negative health affects. In 2003, the FCIAA was amended with a smoke-free law prohibiting smoking in all enclosed indoor workplaces. To extend the goals of the FCIAA and promote a healthier campus environment, Florida State University's Office of Health Promotion began the Breathe Easy Program in 2006. This affords campus buildings the option to adopt the Breathe Easy policy, prohibiting smoking within 50 feet of building entrances and air intakes, and also provides a Designated Smoking Area outside of the “Breathe Easy Zone.” It is necessary to determine the effectiveness of the Breathe Easy Program for new building recruitment to continue successfully, and to present to top university administrators as supporting evidence for the necessary transition to a mandatory campus-wide Breathe Easy policy. The concentration of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) in the air, indicative of SHS, was recorded surrounding campus buildings using a TSI-Sidepak ambient air monitor, and mapped using ArcGIS. It was found that the concentration of PM 2.5 was significantly higher in the outdoor areas surrounding the building that had not adopted the Breathe Easy policy when compared to those that had. The Breathe Easy Program was shown to be effective at moving SHS away from building entrances and air intakes, thus reducing patrons' exposure and ultimately the potential for deleterious health effects.