An article in U.S. News & World Report, titled “Smoking Bans May Not Rid Casinos of Smoke,” discussed research by Dr. Georg Matt, a psychology professor at San Diego State University.
The study looked at the impact of smoking in casinos on thirdhand smoke residue. The casino was one that had a temporary smokefree policy in place, after years of smoking being permitted. The researchers found a significant reduction in thirdhand smoke after the casino went smokefree, but the level was still higher than levels in hotels or homes where smoking was not allowed. Matt stated that, “nonsmokers are at risk of being exposed to higher concentration of thirdhand smoke in a casino than they would in a thirdhand smoke-polluted home,” and added that, “Tobacco should never be smoked indoors unless you are prepared to pay the price for extensive clean up. The sooner you stop smoking indoors, the sooner you will benefit from clean air and the less it will cost to clean up the toxic legacy.”
The article linked to ANR Foundation’s page on Thirdhand Smoke.
