SimSmoke

Suggestion: display the real name of the user and not the user login at the user list.

The World Health Organization (WHO) have released their report Policy recommendations on protection from exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke. This document offers approaches to implementing policies that protect people from exposure to secondhand smoke. From the executive summary:

Scientific evidence has firmly established that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS), a pollutant that causes serious illnesses in adults and children. There is also indisputable evidence that implementing 100% smoke-free environments is the only effective way to protect the population from the harmful effects of exposure to SHS.

A new journal article has been published on exposure of nonsmokers to outdoor tobacco smoke in outdoor pubs, cafes, parks, and other locations.

The third installment in our series of mass balance tutorials is on the three zone mass balance model. Using this tutorial, you can explore realistic 3-room residential layouts and potential exposures that may occur when a smoker is in an adjacent room.

I just added a new Flash-based tutorial on the two-zone mass balance model. This tutorial allows you to interactively explore the effect of different parameters on the transport of pollution generated in one room to an adjacent room. In the future, I will be adding more Flash-based tutorials, and I will create Flash simulations of secondhand smoke exposure aimed at different audiences.

I have started created tutorials that make use of the Flash animation player. To start, the first tutorial is on the mass balance model. This model is one of the the basic building blocks for simulating indoor exposure to SHS.

We have created a new simulation using Flash animation technology. You will need to install the Adobe Flash Player to view this simulation. Currently, you must be a registered user to use this simulation. So please register!

This is the first interactive flash-based simulation at SimSmoke.Org. Please "play" with the car exposure simulation below, which features integrated instructions. When you are done using the simulation, please take a survey.

[Ed. note: The embedded flash does not seem to work with some versions of Internet Explorer. If you do not see an embedded flash animation below, please click on this link. You will need the Adobe Flash Player to see this simulation.]

A new study has been completed by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health showing that levels of secondhand smoke particles in cars can reach dangerous levels, even when windows are open. Based on 45 trials, they report that peak levels with closed windows were over 500 μg m^-3, on average, and peak levels with open windows were about 100 μg m^-3, on average. See if you can simulate levels of this magnitude using the vehicle simulation model available on this website.

An article describing the study is appearing in the November 2006 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and can be downloaded.

Vaughan Rees, the lead author on the paper, says that “The smoke particle levels we measured are alarming and are above the threshold for what’s considered unhealthy for sensitive groups — people like children and the elderly."

The creator of this website, Dr. Neil Klepeis, is available to perform custom simulations of tobacco smoke exposure for policy or education purposes -- in most cases free of charge. This service is intended to assist those website visitors who may want to explore a specific exposure situation or who may want to compare a variety of different potential exposures, such as those taking place in sophisticated multizone environments or involving prescribed human activity patterns.

To request a custom simulation, please send a message to Dr. Klepeis using the Feedback Form.