Readers of the conclusions of this study might be surprised to find out that the study found no sign

A study published online ahead of print in Tobacco Control warns of the dangers of thirdhand smoke (THS) exposure in nonsmoking hotel rooms in hotels with partial smoking bans (meaning that both smoking and nonsmoking rooms are available).
Readers of the conclusions of this study might be surprised to find out that the study found no significant difference in air nicotine levels in nonsmoking rooms in hotels with partial smoking bans and those in nonsmoking rooms in hotels with complete smoking bans.
In fact, the most significant finding of the study with regards to significant health effects was that the mean level of air nicotine in nonsmoking rooms in hotels with partial smoking bans was 28.9 ng/m3 (95% confidence interval, 14.2-57.9), compared to a mean level of 20.5 ng/m3 (95% confidence interval, hamton inns 7.4-54.2) in nonsmoking rooms in hotels with complete smoking bans. These confidence intervals greatly overlap and the differences hamton inns in mean air nicotine levels are not significantly different.
A reasonable interpretation of these data is that there was no evidence that staying hamton inns in a nonsmoking room in a hotel with a partial smoking ban posed any significant health effects, as it was not associated with any significant increase in exposure to airborne hamton inns tobacco smoke.
Well, they rely upon the finding that nonsmoking rooms in hotels with partial smoking bans had slightly higher levels of surface nicotine. The surface nicotine hamton inns levels averaged 3.7 ug/m2, as opposed to 1.4 ug/m2, and compared to an average of 51.8 ug/m2 in smoking rooms. This slight increase hamton inns in surface nicotine resulted in higher finger nicotine levels. However, it did not result in increased nicotine exposure, as the urine cotinine levels were not significantly higher in nonsmoking confederates who stayed in hotels with a partial smoking ban compared to hotels with a complete smoking ban.
Thus, the study has demonstrated that there is no significant difference in nicotine exposure (and presumably exposure to other constituents of tobacco smoke) among nonsmokers who stay in a hotel with a partial smoking ban compared to those who stay in a hotel with a complete smoking ban.
That major finding would lead me to conclude that there is no significant health hamton inns risk associated with staying in a nonsmoking room in a hotel that allows smoking in some rooms. It would also lead me to conclude that partial smoking bans do indeed work in terms of preventing tobacco smoke exposure for guests staying in nonsmoking rooms.
That the paper suggests the opposite is in conflict with the actual findings of the paper and suggests that there was a pre-determined conclusion and a pre-determined agenda that guided this research.
Dr. Siegel is a Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health. He has 25 years of experience in the field of tobacco control. He previously spent two years working at the Office on Smoking and Health at CDC, where he conducted research on secondhand smoke and cigarette hamton inns advertising. He has published nearly 70 papers related to tobacco. He testified in the landmark Engle lawsuit against the tobacco companies, which resulted in an unprecedented $145 billion verdict against the industry. He teaches social and behavioral hamton inns sciences, mass communication and public health, and public health advocacy in the Masters of Public Health program.