Background: Secondhand smoke (SHS) is an established cause of morbidity and mortality among non-smokers. The workplace is an important source of exposure, especially among workers of restaurants, bars and nightclubs. Aim: To estimate the daily occupational exposure to SHS among non-smoking workers of bars and restaurants of Santiago, Chile. Material and Methods: Environmental vapor-phase nicotine was measured for 95 non-smoking workers of bars and restaurants of Santiago, using passive personal samplers during a daily work shift and outside the workplace. Results: The median occupational exposure to air nicotine was 9.18 mu g/m(3) (P(25)-P(75) 3.15-25.67 mu g/m(3)). Higher concentrations were found among workers of places with no smoking restrictions (22.72 mu g/m(3); P(25)-P(75) 5.73-34.85 mu g/m(3)), bar workers (20.75 mu g/m(3), P(25)-P(75) 5.03-44.67 mu g/m(3)), waiters (20.57 mu g/m(3), PP(25)-P(75) 5.66-42.73 mu g/m3) and bartenders (10.37 mu g/m(3), P(25)-P(75) 9.75-25.67 mu g/m(3)). The median concentration of nicotine outside the workplace was 1.79 mu g/m(3) (P(25)-P(75) 1.02-3.00 mu g/m(3)). Occupational exposure was 4.77 times higher compared to the non-work exposure. Conclusions: Workers of bars and restaurants are exposed to high levels of SHS at the workplace. Moreover, occupational exposure among these non-smoking workers is, in most cases, the main source of daily exposure to this pollutant. (Rev Med Chile 2010; 138: 1517-1523).