Smoky casino air fails EPA standards

INDIANAPOLIS – Air quality inside Indiana casinos is far worse than federal standards deem healthy, even in non-smoking gambling areas, according to a new study by anti-smoking advocates and researchers from Purdue.

The study might not come as a surprise to gamblers smelling of cigarette smoke after visiting a casino. But advocates hope the new data will spur lawmakers into passing a law to ban smoking in all public places statewide, which they say would protect casino workers from the health effects of secondhand smoke.

“It is both the reasonable and responsible thing to do,” Dr. Christopher Doehring of the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians, which founded the study, said. “It is unconscionable, especially in this economy, to put working Hoosiers in the position to have to decide between their own health and whether or not to keep their current job.”

Opponents of a statewide smoking ban – including the Casino Association of Indiana – say the proposal would slash casino revenues and could put hundreds of people out of work.

“It truly does impact business,” said Mike Smith, the association’s president. “The economics of it has to be a part of the equation.”

Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, plans to introduce a bill that would ban smoking in public places statewide with no exemptions. He said workers in places like restaurants, bars and casinos deserve the same protections against secondhand smoke as other employees.

Republican Sen. Gary Dillon of Columbia City has proposed a similar bill. It is unclear whether either bill will move forward, but advocates hoped the study, released Tuesday, would help convince lawmakers of the allegedly dangerous levels of pollutants in casinos.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it’s healthy to have up to 35 micrograms per cubic meter of fine particulate matter in the air over 24 hours. But the study found the average level of fine particle pollution in casino gambling areas was 159 micrograms per cubic meter.