Comparing salivary cotinine concentration in non-smokers from the general population and hospitality workers in Spain.

BACKGROUND The objective was to compare the pattern of exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) among non-smokers in the general population and in hospitality workers. METHODS We used the adult (16-64 years) non-smokers of two independent studies (general population and hospitality workers) in Spain. We assessed the exposure to SHS by means of questionnaire and salivary cotinine concentration. RESULTS The salivary cotinine concentration by sex, age, educational level, day of week of saliva collection, and exposure to SHS were always higher in hospitality workers than in the general population. CONCLUSION Our results indicated that non-smoker hospitality workers have higher levels of exposure to SHS than general population.