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Matthew Vella
Discussions are underway between the General Retailers and Traders Association (GRTU) and the Malta Standards Authority (MSA) on suitable air purification systems which should be installed in bars and restaurants according to the new smoking laws which bar smoking in public places.
Earlier this week the MSA’s technical committee met for the second time to continue discussions on the first draft on the technical specifications for the air purification systems. Spokespersons for the MSA told MaltaToday considerable progress has already been made by the committee, which includes representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Health Promotion Unit, MEPA, the Occupational Health and Safety Authority, the GRTU, the MHRA, the Consumers Association, the Malta Medical Association, and the Chamber of Engineers.
The technical committee is meeting weekly in order to finalise its discussions in as short a time as possible. The technical specifications will include guidelines on the equipment used to satisfy the requirements needed to reduce and minimise the exposure of non-smokers to tobacco smoke.
The controversial smoking regulations, first published by legal notice in September 2003, became the focus of much contempt from bar and restaurant owners who in February started lobbying against the regulations which demanded them to have clearly partitioned smoking and non-smoking zones in their establishments, although there was an absolute majority of public support for the new laws.
Discussions between the GRTU and the Health Ministry came to a head in March when both sides agreed to postpone the measures for bars and restaurants by six to twelve months. Restaurants and bars over 60 square metres were given up to six months to get in line with the law and whilst those under 60 square metres had a year to install air purification systems within the establishment.
“We are currently discussing the criteria for choice and installation of the air purification systems, but at the moment we shall not be divulging any information about these discussions,” Philip Fenech, GRTU Hospitality and Leisure secretary told MaltaToday. Fenech was one of the first bar owners to install four air purification systems at his establishment in Paceville.
However, bar owners speaking to MaltaToday said they were in for a considerable investment to install the air purification machines which are priced in the region of the Lm1,000 mark, and said they would be waiting for the outcome of these discussions. Some said the compromise to install air purification systems had still come at a steep price. Fenech said establishments over 60 square metres are expected to have to install more than one machine, and discussions were underway on deciding how many would be needed according to the establishments’ area.
“I put the air purification systems to the test during the BJs music marathon last week, and I must say that it was quite a test. There were a lot of people over a long period of time, and the great majority were smokers. The results were satisfactory and this was also confirmed by my other patrons,” Fenech said, who led the campaign by the GRTU to have the original smoking laws toned down. Fenech’s declarations were somewhat contradicted by heart surgeon Alexander Manche who was one of the musicians opening the marathon and was reported as having said: “During our half-hour session one young woman smoked and I could smell her cigarette from some metres away, in spite of the air-purification system that was active at the time.”
Fenech said critics of the air purification systems, some of whom doubted the efficiency of installing the systems as a substitute to a total ban on smoking in bars and restaurants, should take into consideration the appropriate toxicological reports on the systems: “The systems I installed are designed to absorb air particles, with a dissipation rate of over 98 per cent. These machines have been accredited and the results during the music marathon were in fact positive.”
Aaron Meli, manager at Cutrico Services, said bar and restaurant owners had already started purchasing the air purification machines, confirming prices ranged between Lm800 and Lm1,200, the strongest system covering an area of 40 square metres. “The machines are based on a filter system, which require changing and cleaning from time to time. Although the systems are not cheap, they are an investment to guarantee cleaner air inside an establishment.”
matthew@newsworksltd.com
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