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Casino Used in Second-Hand Smoke Research

MINNESOTA – As reported by the New York Times: "If you're looking for a nice smoky place, it is hard to do better than some casinos.

"So when scientists from the University of Minnesota wanted to see how people were affected by secondhand tobacco smoke, they asked a group of volunteers to roam among the slot machines and gambling tables for a while to see what happened.

"After just four hours or so, the volunteers had significant amounts of a biochemical marker in their urine traceable only to a known carcinogen in tobacco, the researchers reported yesterday. Writing in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, a medical journal, they said the study was the first to look at carcinogen levels in people exposed to smoke in a commercial setting.

"…For the study, the researchers recruited 20 volunteers and asked them to spend time in a casino identified only by its location, the upper Midwest. Although their exposure to the smoke was limited, the researchers said they had to wrestle with a number of ethical issues in creating the study.

"…Apart from the ethics of exposing people to smoke — no matter how short the time — there was also the question of exposing them to gambling, which can also be addictive, and whether that was right.

"…Many casinos, including the one in the study, use sophisticated ventilation systems. But the body still absorbs carcinogens, the study found…"

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