Where there’s smoke, there’s . . . cancer? Heart disease? Emphysema? Pose that question to the American Cancer Society, and its answer is unequivocal. “There is no safe level of exposure for secondhand smoke,” it says.
So that’s the gamble taken by patrons and employees every time they set foot in one of New Jersey’s nine casinos — virtually the only public places in the state where smoking is still permitted.
Sure, people know what they’re walking into. How could they not? The smell of smoke overpowers the nostrils from the moment you step inside.
But what no one knew, until now, is how high the levels of carcinogens are in the secondhand smoke they’re ingesting with every breath as they play the slots or place a wager at the roulette table.
