How Bad is the Secondhand Smoke in Casinos

Unfortunately, when it comes to smoke-free casinos they are very few and far between, as most casinos will allow for their Customers to freely engage in smoking within the indoor facility. However, are smoke filled casinos safe for both their Customers and their workers, and should these casino facilities be proactive and have indoor air quality solutions integrated into the environment to help reduce and improve indoor air quality in this commercial space?

In this article we are going to learn more about how bad secondhand smoke may be in a casino and discuss what are the best air quality solutions to use in this commercial facility to protect the health of both Customers and casino workers.

How Bad is Casino Air

When it comes to the indoor air quality inside of a casino, one of the biggest health risks is that of secondhand smoke due to the large volumes of smoke that are produced within this space from its patrons. Secondhand smoke is not only a health risk but an occupational hazard for those casino workers – from the dealers to the security, and even the wait staff within this facility. The risk of secondhand smoke comes from the various components of tobacco smoke that will be released into the air including carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, nitrogen oxides, and other gases like formaldehyde, acrolein, benzene, etc. According to Cancer Control, cigarette smoke has multiple highly diverse effects on human health, and this can include adverse reactions to the respiratory system, lung impairment, and other adverse health impacts, depending on the severity of exposure and smoke levels in the indoor space.

In addition, the National Institute of Occupational Health & Safety (NIOSH) found that occupational exposure to secondhand smoke can increase a worker’s risks of lung cancer and other diseases significantly. As nicotine concentrations in the air in casinos, bars, billiard halls, bowling alleys and bingo parlors were found to be 2.4 to 18 times higher than in offices or residences, therefore the health risks in these indoor spaces can be heightened.

Why is Smoking Allowed in Casinos

Smoking has long been a major issue inside of casinos throughout the United States, and thus that poses the question of ‘why smoking is allowed in casinos?’. The casino industry serves as a top job sector in a number of states and this leads to the potential health risks too many individual(s) such as workers and Customers. Many states within the country have started to take action against smoking within the indoor space of a casino, with nearly 20 states and a growing number of cities now requiring all state regulated gambling venues to be smoke free indoors. According to the American Nonsmokers Rights Foundation (ANRF), an estimated 800 gambling venues in the U.S. have become smoke free indoor spaces – helping to combat secondhand smoke exposure.

When it comes to the other casino facilities throughout the United States that have yet to adopt these non-smoking casinos, any of these resistances will stem from the tribal governments since the Native American communities themselves operate them, rather than the state authority. In addition, another type of casino that allows for smoking within their indoor spaces are cruise lines that contain casinos on their ships for travelers to use while at sea.

Casino Smoking Laws

The casino industry has many facilities that are permitted and allowed to conduct smoking within their indoor commercial space, while others will have strict smoking laws that are enforced by their state government. In the United States there are 24 states that are required by law to restrict smoking within these casino facilities and these states can include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and West Virginia.

However, as we discussed previously, some of these states the mandate smoke-free casinos may still have casinos in these states that allow for smoking, and the reason behind this is due to the fact the Native American communities own and control these casinos rather than the state. Therefore, you may go to a casino within one of the designated smoke-free states and still be exposed to smoke in the air of this indoor space.

Is Working in a Casino Bad for Your Health

Casino workers can potentially be greatly exposed to a variety of indoor air pollutants including the dangerous secondhand smoke that can accumulate within these smoking spaces. Many reports have shown that casino workers are ultimately at a greater risk for lung and heart disease because of the heavy exposure they have to the secondhand smoke in this casino space. It has been found that those casinos that allow smoking within their indoor facility can be up to 50 times more cancer-causing particles in the air than highways and city streets clogged with trucks in rush hour traffic.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is nothing scarier than developing respiratory illness, lung cancer, or heat disease – especially for those casino workers that are constantly exposed to smoke in the indoor space of their workplace. The U.S. Surgeon General has made a strict stance on secondhand smoke exposure, especially for worker that are involuntarily exposed to tobacco smoke in their workplace. Any exposure to secondhand smoke will increase the risk of lung cancer, respiratory diseases, and even heart diseases according to studies that have been conducted on secondhand exposure to human health. Therefore, when it comes to workers like casino workers that are exposed to secondhand smoke in their workplace may face certain adverse health effects that may be dangerous to the workers overall health.

What is Smoke Made of

Tobacco smoke is an aerosol that is produced by the incomplete combustion of tobacco during the smoke of cigarettes and other tobacco products that are smoked in an environment. Cigarette tobacco, in particular, is a complex mixture of thousands of chemical substances that are generated by combustion, distillation, and other processes. The chemical compounds that are used in tobacco smoke can include fairly toxic chemicals such as VOCs like formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, benzene, toluene, etc. These volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can provoke significant health effects to those that are exposed to these chemicals in large volumes, according to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) health effects can include eye, nose, throat irritation, headaches, loss of coordination, nausea, damage to the liver, kidneys and even the central nervous system.

In addition to the chemical composition of tobacco smoke, another component to this type of smoke is the dangerous particulate matter that they release into the air. Particulate matter (PM) consists of extremely small particles distributed in the air that can be significantly harmful to human health. This fine particulate matter can be a mixture of solid particles and/or liquid droplets that are smaller than 10 micrometers that are easily ingested/inhaled into the human lungs.

Casino Air Quality Solutions and Smoking Ventilation System

As we have learned, the indoor air quality of a casino is far from the desirable level you will want for your indoor spaces – due to the large volume of people and the high emissions of tobacco smoke that is released within this environment. These contaminated indoor environments can not only have a lasting impact on the indoor air quality of these environments, but it can also lead to health problems in both those workers in the casino and the patrons who visit these commercial facilities. When it comes to remediating and improving the indoor air space of this commercial facility one of the best solutions that can be utilized would be the addition of air quality products like an air purifier. Air purifiers or indoor cigarette smoke filter are portable devices that work to specifically clean and filter out pollutants in an indoor air space, allowing for the air space to be cleaned and improved to meet optimal indoor air quality levels.

When it comes to selecting the best air purifier or filtration solution for an indoor space that is tainted by heavy tobacco smoke, the EnviroKlenz air quality products may be exactly what is needed. The EnviroKlenz technology is a revolutionary, non-invasive, odor elimination process that can rapidly restore an odor-compromised environment such as an area with severely elevated concentration levels of tobacco smoke present in the air like cigar lounges. The proprietary, patented earth mineral technology of the EnviroKlenz engineered air filtration for air purifiers or HVAC filters has been a scientifically and field proven choice for the safe, rapid, convenient, and cost-effective restoration of indoor environments from toxic and noxious odors and vapors that are airborne within this indoor space. The EnviroKlenz technology favorably interacts with the diverse chemicals found in the smoke and residuals of cigar smoke, including the capability to remove and eliminate fine particulate matter through the implementation of a hospital-grade HEPA filter in the EnviroKlenz Air Purifier.

EnviroKlenz has been individually tested by some of the world’s leading third-party testing laboratories including Battelle Memorial Institute, Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and other leading labs across the world. The testing indicated that for most of the compounds found in the concentration of tobacco smoke, a greater than 90% level of reduction in the original compound occurred after treatment with EnviroKlenz® components.

Article Sources:

1. American Cancer Society: The Risks of Secondhand Smoke in Casinos (link)
2. FairWarning: Secondhand Smoke in Casinos Poses ‘Acute’ Risks, Study Says (link)
3. Cancer Control: Cigarette Smoke Components and Disease: Cigarette Smoke is More Than a Triad of Tar, Nicotine, and Carbon Monoxide (link)
4. United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Volatile Organic Compounds’ Impact on Indoor Air Quality (link)