Study on Casino Workers Shows Benzene, Other Chemicals, In Blood from Second Hand Smoke
Smoking and second hand smoke exposure are common causes of benzene exposure. Benzene is naturally created as a result of combustion, and is added in it's pure form as one of the hundreds of chemicals used by tobacco companies to enhance the already addictive qualities of their product.
An interesting new study by The National Institute for Occupational Safety (OSH), on casino workers in three Nevada casinos, found high levels of tobacco-specific carcinogenic toxins to be present in workers urine. OSH is a division of the Centers for Disease Control.
The study, requested by concerned casino workers, involved 124 employees of Bally's, Paris, and Caesars Palace casinos in Las Vegas, and reported the following findings:
- “We found ETS (environmental tobacco smoke) components in the air. These components include nicotine, 4-vinyl pyridine, respirable dust, solanesol, benzene, toluene, p-dichloromethane, naphthalene, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde.”
“We found increased urinary levels of one ETS component during the work shift. This finding shows that these components were absorbed in [non-poker] casino dealers’ bodies.”
“Dealers who worked in areas where smoking was permitted made up our study sample,” the study specified. “Casino employees in administrative and engineering jobs who worked in areas where smoking was not permitted made up the comparison group.”
The findings by The National Institute for Occupational Safety call for a ban on smoking in the gambling industry, and calls for casinos to:
- Offer smoking cessation classes for employees.
- Make sure that ventilation systems are working properly.
- Form health and safety committees with employees and managers.
- Urge casino employees to quit smoking, and get involved in casino health and safety issues.
The director of the national lobby group, Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights said this about the study:
“If anything, these results should convince Nevada lawmakers to strengthen their state law to include the gaming floors of casinos, not roll it back to expose more workers to toxic secondhand smoke.”
Benzene Leukemia Law Blog wholeheartedly agrees, workers have a right to perform their jobs without being exposed to life threatening chemicals that could decrease their life spans.
