smoking:

Study finds high pollution levels in casino restaurants

UNLV testing shows 12 of 16 at levels that exceed EPA standards

Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Headlines from the Vegas gaming industry

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Casino fight goes up in smoke (5-6-07)
Smoking ban is ignored by many (1-5-07)

More than two years after the Nevada Legislature passed the Indoor Clean Air Act, a UNLV and University of Kentucky study has found unsafe levels of air pollution due to secondhand smoke in Las Vegas Valley casino restaurants.

UNLV associate professor of nursing Nancy York and Kiyoung Lee, associate professor of public health at the University of Kentucky, measured the air quality of 16 casinos -- eight on the Strip and eight off the Strip. The testing was done on the casino floor and in restaurant areas.

While the study found all restaurant areas had lower secondhand smoke levels than gaming areas, it found 12 of the 16 casinos had restaurant areas with air pollution levels exceeding Environmental Protection Agency standards.

Nine were at levels deemed unsafe for anyone. Three of the 12 exceeded levels recommended by the EPA as safe for children, the elderly and people with lung diseases.

A UNLV graduate assistant entered the casinos with a device called a sidepack, which takes in continuous air samples. Samples were taken between 1 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays between November 2007 and March 2008.

Air samples were taken in gaming areas and non-smoking restaurants in the casinos. York sent the data to Lee at Kentucky to analyze.

The result: All 16 gaming areas that were tested exceeded levels that the EPA deemed safe. York said they found no statistical difference between Strip casinos and those off the Strip.

“These findings have serious life-threatening consequences for casino employees and patrons,” York said in a statement. “Previous research has found smoke-filled casinos can have up to 50 times more cancer-causing particles in the air than highways and city streets during rush-hour traffic. Our research helps to confirm this.”

Although the casinos are not in violation of the Nevada Indoor Clean Air Act, York said the elderly, small children and people with cardiac or lung problems increase their risk of becoming ill the longer they are exposed to secondhand smoke. The Clean Air Act prohibits smoking in all indoor space in the state, with the exception of areas that are prohibited to minors.

“The casinos are not breaking any laws whatsoever but it’s important for people to understand that just because there’s no smoking going on in certain parts of casinos, they still may be exposed to secondhand smoke,” York said.

Maria Azzarelli, coordinator of tobacco control programs at the Southern Nevada Health District, said she has received calls from casino companies about how to make certain areas smoke-free, such as poker rooms and gaming sections. Azzarelli said the only way to combat secondhand smoke is to make the entire facility smoke-free.

“The fact that the secondhand smoke permeated through to the restaurants in the casino areas wasn’t a surprise since many of those restaurants are totally open and there’s no barrier,” Azzarelli said. “Even if there was a barrier, we would expect that secondhand smoke would enter into the facility, although it would be reduced.”

The study doesn’t identify the 16 casinos that were tested. Officials with three large gaming companies said they didn’t want to comment because they didn’t know if any of their properties were included.

Nevada Resort Association President Bill Bible said most casinos hire environmental engineers, but he didn’t know if casinos have done secondhand smoke testing on their own.

“I would think that if you went into more modern properties, there has been a lot of emphasis in recent years on air handling equipment and ventilation, so they are generally going to have more sophisticated ventilation requirements in newer properties,” Bible said.

Azzarelli disagrees.

“Sometimes some of the gaming properties report that they have an innovative, top-of-the-line ventilation system. Well, the ventilation companies themselves have stated the systems cannot remove secondhand smoke, so ventilation isn’t really an option,” she said.

The study doesn’t push for any action to taken, such as a ban on smoking in casinos. Bible said such a ban would greatly affect visitor numbers and the overall economy.

“The casino business is a business that caters to the wishes of our customers. If our customers did not desire to be able to smoke in a casino, I’ve got to believe that smoking would be banned in casinos across the board,” he said. “A lot of customers, because we are in a global economy, come from places around the world where there is a heavy tradition of smoking.”

Bible said he believes the study will provoke debate, most likely in the Legislature. York agrees.

“There are smoke-free laws going into affect for casinos across the nation,” York said. “Whether or not the state Legislature or Nevada public wants to change our law, this is data for them to make an informed decision.”

Discussion: 15 comments so far…

By bdover

1/15/09 at 6:09 a.m.

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The smoking law is a joke, anyway. At the casino I go to, there is a "u" shaped bar right beside the restaurant. No walls of any kind. Half the bar is non-smoking, and the other half is smoking. Wide open. So to think that the restaurant is smoke free is sad. But you know what they say-In Vegas, the smokers die first, then the drinkers, and finally-the boring people.
By sweetwinner

1/15/09 at 8:41 a.m.

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Smoking don't do any good. Ban smoking entirely.
By jfnance32

1/15/09 at 9 a.m.

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This is a hard one.

One hand, there have been and will be casino workers that will die from second hand smoke.

On the other hand, if smoking gets ban in casinos then there will be 10,000's of people out of work and, God forbid, billions of less dollars going into state tax revenue bins.
By KillerB

1/15/09 at 10:12 a.m.

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Not only the smoking law but the basic premise of anti-smoking laws is false.

Don't take my word for it, start with Brad Rou's "Calculating the Big Kill" found at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?a...
_Regulation_v30n4-2.pdf

The smoking nazis got a lot of momentum from global headlines based on their junk science and lies.

Except for enjoying the occasional cigar the last five years I've been a non-smoker all of my life. My resentment lies in the basics of this controversy -- outlawing something that's been perfectly legal for centuries. This country's attorneys general won billions in anti-smoking lawsuits based on the legal fiction -- the tobacco companies are liable for the warned-of since the 60s consequences people voluntarily undertook.

Now the smoke nazis are taking their agenda onto private property. Just another example of the police state expanding.
By Russican

1/15/09 at 11:42 a.m.

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KillerB wrote, "My resentement lies in the basics of the controversy -- outlawing something that's been perfectly legal for centuries."

That's a crazy arguement. Slavery was 'perfectly' legal for centuries...are you saying we should have kept that legal?

Talk to those whose parents, brothers, aunts, etc. have died from lung cancer or emphysema. Tell them that the science behind the dangers of cigarette smoke is 'junk'. See what kind of response you get.

Better yet, why don't you educate yourself and see what the tobacco industry itself says about their product and its dangers. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/
By azsk8fan

1/15/09 at 11:50 a.m.

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Here's a novel idea - if you don't want to put up with second hand smoke levels in casino restaurants then DON'T EAT THERE - my lord - is there no place else in this town to eat except inside a casino restaurant? I don't smoke but still I say GIVE IT A REST ALREADY!!
By azsk8fan

1/15/09 at 11:55 a.m.

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Russican - I guess that until, like slavery, tobacco is deemed 'illegal' your slant doesn't wash.
By azsk8fan

1/15/09 at 12:01 p.m.

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Here's some 'freedoms' our country allows us - The freedom to own our own business (but not to run it as we see fit - ie: allowing someone to partake in a LEGAL substance)

The freedom to own our own home (but not to decide, should we choose to rent it out, who to rent it to or who NOT to rent it to - )

Just a couple examples but I say if the government insists on being a (not so) silent partner in my undertakings the least they could do is kick in some bucks for their 'ownership' of MY business, home etc.

Whether one is a smoker or not is not the problem - the problem is the government sticking its' nose in another persons business as it pertains to LEGAL substances - and an even bigger problem exists with some people not seeing anything wrong with government doing that!

For once and for all if the government thinks tobacco is so bad they should make it ILLEGAL - but heaven forbid where would they get campaign funds to replace those they will lose from the tobacco industry? Hypocrits - politicians - one and the same.
By travelagogo

1/15/09 at 4:39 p.m.

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It is funny to read how many think that a smoking ban will help business, here in Pa it actually hurt.
January 15, 2008
The Meadows Racetrack & Casino joined Pennsylvania's other slots parlors yesterday by winning permission to double its space where smoking is allowed, taking up half of the casino.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board accepted a plan from The Meadows.

Smoking will be prohibited in the casino's second room, which is in the rear of the facility in a separate structure connected by passageways.

Because of the amount of smoking typically seen in casinos and the state's reliance on revenue from them, the slots operators won an exemption in Pennsylvania's Clean Indoor Air Act, which took effect in September. Initially, they were allowed to keep 25 percent of their slots area open to smokers.

The law enabled casinos to apply after 90 days to expand their smoking areas to as much as 50 percent if their smoking-permitted slot machines were generating more revenue on a daily basis than the smoking-prohibited slots.

Pennsylvania Revenue Department figures by December showed a significant difference in revenue between the smoking and nonsmoking areas in all seven of the casinos, and all of them applied for expansion to 50 percent. The machines in the one-quarter of The Meadows where smoking was allowed generated more than twice as much revenue, about $544 daily compared with $269 for slots in nonsmoking sections.

The Meadows has 1,825 slot machines, and somewhat more than half of them will actually be available to smokers because the smoking-allowed room has more machines than the casino's rear section. The law permits smoking on 50 percent of the gaming floor, which, depending on the layout, can actually include more than half of the machines.

No decision has been made on how smokers and nonsmokers will be separated in the permanent casino of The Meadows to open in the spring, Mr. LaTorre said. It will have one large room with space for nearly 4,000 slot machines.
By KillerB

1/15/09 at 7:08 p.m.

Suggest removal

Russican -- Equating tobacco use with slavery is too far out there to be worth any retort. I've dug too deep into this issue to spend time on someone who just parrots soundbites.

If you don't like someone smoking in a public place, go somewhere else.
By KillerB

1/15/09 at 8 p.m.

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More on the smoke nazis' junk science and false claims -- http://216.185.11.243/search?q=smoking+b...

This is only for those interested in facts, not propaganda. I've always found the Cato Institute to be very credible.
By wannabe1indc

1/16/09 at 12:57 p.m.

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And let me get this right....THEY PAID MONEY ON A STUDY TO FIND OUT THE OBVIOUS? Come-on now, pay me that kind of money, and I too will show you the obvious! Man who "sponsored" this? This is like over stating the obvious.

DC DAVE
By CarolT

1/19/09 at 6:16 p.m.

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More than 50 studies show that human papillomaviruses cause over ten times more lung cancers than they pretend are caused by secondhand smoke. Passive smokers are more likely to have been exposed to this virus, so the anti-smokers' studies, because they are all based on nothing but lifestyle questionnaires, have been cynically DESIGNED to falsely blame passive smoking for all those extra lung cancers that are really caused by HPV.

http://www.smokershistory.com/hpvlungc.h...

The anti-smokers have committed the same type of fraud with every disease they blame on smoking and passive smoking, as well as ignoring other types of evidence that proves they are lying, such as the fact that the death rates from asthma have more than doubled since their movement began.

http://www.smokershistory.com/newviews.h...

And it's a lie that passive smoking causes heart disease. AMI deaths in Pueblo actually ROSE the year after the smoking ban.

http://www.smokershistory.com/etsheart.h...
By poloross

1/21/09 at 3:36 p.m.

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I'm considered a high roller and receive comps from most of the major strip hotels. Smoking makes me tired and quite ill which means I usually don't stay long in any one casino. If they knew I do most my playing in states between two countries where it is banned perhaps they would look for ways to accommodate people like me. I'm sure the casinos wouldn't be receptive to changing their policies at this time because of fear of losing more clientele in this economic climate; however, it appears that banning smoking has little long term effect on profits after the initial resistance. Gamblers will gamble and Vegas will remain the top draw in North America. The initial reaction will be for smokers to seek out places where it's not banned which is why for it to work it has to be at least statewide. I don't think this will ever happen without government intervention for health reasons because the overseas high rollers are the source of a significant amount of profit. As far as foreign nationals go I may be in the minority.
By HVAC_Man

2/7/09 at 7:06 p.m.

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There is an easy solution. This systems removes all the smoke and odor. http://www.casinoair.com

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