TESTIMONIALS BEHIND SMOKE-FREE SPACES
- INPAL
- May 21
- 2 min read
In the heart of the city, there was a small café called “EL CAFÉ DEL AIRE LIMPIO”. Its owner, Clara, had inherited it from her parents, who spent years preparing coffee amid clouds of tobacco smoke. She remembered how, as a child, the customers laughed between coughs and how the smell of cigarettes permeated the curtains. But everything changed when her mother was diagnosed with pulmonary emphysema from years of breathing secondhand smoke.
Smoke-free spaces
— “No one should have to choose between their work and their health,” Clara thought, as she hung up the sign, “This space is 100% smoke-free.”
At first, the smoking customers protested. Don Ramón, a regular writer, argued, “Smoke is part of my inspiration!”. But Clara did not abandon her idea. She knew that a ban without alternatives was incomplete. So she invested in something that would transform the environment: an air conditioning system with HEPA filters and forced air renewal.
— “How does this help?” asked Lucia, his assistant, curiously.
Clara explained with patience:
Trapping particles: HEPA filters capture 99.97% of harmful particles, including those from smoke, even if some stubborn smoker tried to sneak in.
Renewing the air: Every hour, the system replaces contaminated air with fresh air from outside, preventing toxins from accumulating.
Negative pressure: On the terrace (the only area allowed for smoking, away from the entrance), the air flows outward, preventing smoke from entering the premises.
— “It's like coffee has its own lungs,” joked Carlos, a frequent coffee doctor.
Over the months, the café filled with new stories:
Grandmother Silvia, who was finally able to celebrate her birthday without drowning.
The group of students who used the space to study are now free of the smell of ashes.
Even Don Ramón, who finally gave up smoking, discovered that his true inspiration was the aroma of freshly roasted coffee.
Invisible enemy and technology
One day, a customer asked, “—What if someone sneaks a smoke?”. Clara discreetly pointed to an air quality sensor on the wall:
It detected levels of CO2 and PM2.5 particles (typical of smoke). If something went wrong, a silent alarm alerted personnel.
— “It's not about watching, it's about caring,” Clara said.
Years later, “EL CAFÉ DEL AIRE LIMPIO” became a model for other businesses. The city, inspired, passed a stricter smoke-free law, including parks and bus stops. And while some still resisted, most understood that clean air was not a fad, but a right.
And you, what story will you breathe today?
(Inspired by real cases of bars in Spain and Mexico that adopted these measures. Technical data validated by EPA and WHO on HEPA filters and air quality).
Smoke-free spaces
Tel: +52 55-1114-8980
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