Non-smoking Sections in San Diego Casinos a Dying Breed
The eight Indian casinos in San Diego County are probably the last public domains for the smoker. And like a dying man's last words, inside the casinos, oasises for the non-smoker in California casinos are a dying breed.
Take sisters Christine Christie and Sherry Verville for instance. Christie is a smoker, and Verville isn't. Luckily they are in Pala casino, where there is a unique glass-enclosed section reserved for non-smokers, the only one you will see in San Diego's Indian casinos.
"I came in here to get away from the smoke out there," said Verville, nodding toward the main casino floor. "It really bothers me."
While smokers might be pleased that they can huff and puff away at the casinos, the risks to non-smokers and casino employees that are in the same casino area that the second-hand smoke bring are very significant. This was a fact underscored by the U.S. surgeon general in June.
According to a study conducted by Surgeon General Richard Carmona, 49,000 people have died last year in the United States because of secondhand smoke.
He also waned that there is an 'overwhelming scientific evidence' that exposed nonsmokers face an increased risk of heart disease by as much as 30 percent. He also said that last year, 400 cases of sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS were caused by secondhand smoke.