FACT CHECK: “Advanced Ventilation” Doesn’t Keep Employees Safe, Despite Boyd Gaming’s Claims

Engineers Who Build Ventilation Systems Have Repeatedly Told Casino Operators That Such Systems Don’t Protect Against Cancer-Causing Secondhand Smoke

Norfolk, VA — After their controversial decision to allow smoking at their new Norfolk, Virginia casino, Boyd Gaming this week claimed that their ventilation systems will protect employees and guests from the dangers of secondhand smoke. Cynthia Hallett, president and CEO of Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights, made the following statement in response:
“The engineers who design ventilation systems have repeatedly told casinos to stop claiming that they protect casino workers and guests from dangerous secondhand smoke. They remove odor, not carcinogens and other harmful chemicals. Ventilation might sound like a reasonable solution, but it’s far from it. Boyd Gaming executives should know better.
“Casino employees deserve a safe workplace, and guests deserve a safe playing experience. It’s time to end this outdated business practice. After all, research shows that casinos without indoor smoking generate more revenue than their smoking counterparts.”


The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has warned against relying on ventilation to protect against secondhand smoke. “[Ventilation systems] are not effective against secondhand smoke” and “can reduce only odor and discomfort, but cannot eliminate exposure,” they wrote in a letter to casino executives. “There is no currently available or reasonably anticipated ventilation or air-cleaning system that can adequately control or significantly reduce the health risks of [environmental tobacco smoke] to an acceptable level.” Read ASHRAE’s position document on secondhand smoke.
Just last year with the opening of Rivers Casino Portsmouth, patrons expressed frustration over pervasive smoke in the casino.


BACKGROUND
A report by Las Vegas-based C3 Gaming found that casinos without indoor smoking outperform their smoking counterparts. “Data from multiple jurisdictions clearly indicates that banning smoking no longer causes a dramatic drop in gaming revenue. In fact, non-smoking properties appear to be performing better than their counterparts that continue to allow smoking.”

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Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANR) is a member-supported, non-profit advocacy group that has been working for over 45 years, since 1976, to protect everyone’s right to breathe nontoxic air in workplaces and public places, from offices and airplanes to restaurants, bars, and casinos. ANR has continuously shined a light on the tobacco industry’s interference with sound and life-saving public health measures and successfully protected 61% of the population with local or statewide smokefree workplace, restaurant, and bar laws. ANR aims to close gaps in smokefree protections for workers in all workplaces, including bars, music venues, casinos, and hotels. For more information, please visit https://nonsmokersrights.org and https://smokefreecasinos.org