Yet Another Reason to Eliminate Smoking at Your Property

Add another reason to the long list of reasons for eliminating smoking on your property: hearing loss. That's right, hearing loss. Researchers, in an article appearing in the July issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery, summarize the results of their study of more than 2,000 teenagers. They tested teenagers for cotinine, an indicator of exposure to tobacco smoke. After eliminating smokers from the study, they were left with 799 nonsmokers whose cotinine levels indicated exposure to secondhand smoke, and 754 who were not exposed to cigarette smoke. After controlling for many variables, they found that the higher the cotinine level in a participant's blood, the greater the likelihood there was some type of hearing loss. More than 17 percent in the highest quartile for cotinine levels had hearing loss at low frequencies.

How does secondhand smoke cause the damage? That is still unclear but tobacco is known to affect blood flow through the smallest blood vessels, the kind the inner ear depends on.

Many hotel owners who consider their properties to be green are still setting a side a small number of rooms for smokers. These smoking rooms not only contribute to the demise of those who smoke in them but also to those who must clean them or conduct repairs in them. According to a 2006 Surgeon General report, second-hand smoke leads to the death of 50,000 Americans each year. It leads to heart disease, lung cancer, respiratory infections, and asthma. Children are especially prone to secondhand smoke.

It is not surprising that cigarette smoke has been linked to yet another malady. Do what is right by your guests and staff and eliminate smoking on your property. Your thoughts?