Abstract
Since the Surgeon General's groundbreaking report of 1964, “Smoking and Health,” the medical and scientific communities have uncovered the devastating effects of tobacco smoke on health. in reaction to these findings, local and state governments have enacted a variety of clean air acts to prevent unnecessary exposure to this known carcinogen. the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act (NCIAA), a non-comprehensive smoke-free law, permits smoking in designated areas of casinos, bars, and taverns. With many Las Vegas casinos catering to all ages, this study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of NCIAA in protecting children from second hand smoke exposure. Using a device that measures ambient air particle matter concentrations, this study sampled the air quality in 15 casino gaming areas and corresponding non-smoking, children-friendly areas. the results indicate that current policy fails to preserve indoor air quality in these children-friendly areas. Furthermore, this research suggests the adoption of a more comprehensive, 100% smoke-free policy as the only effective remedy.
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