Home Publisher's Point of View In Hotels Allowing Smoking, Are ‘Nonsmoking’ Rooms a Fantasy?

In Hotels Allowing Smoking, Are ‘Nonsmoking’ Rooms a Fantasy?

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There really is no such thing as a nonsmoking room in a hotel that allows smoking in some of its rooms. Hoteliers who promote guestrooms as nonsmoking rooms in hotels that allow smoking in some areas are deceiving their guests—whether intentionally or not—into thinking they are sleeping in healthy spaces. And, any green lodging or green building certification program that makes room for properties with smoking rooms need to stop, push the restart button, and no longer accept them. Strong words? Yes, but these are just some of the conclusions one can make if the results of a recent study in Tobacco Control are accurate.

In case you missed the article that was posted on the Green Lodging News website, research conducted by San Diego University and published online in Tobacco Control found strong evidence of third-hand smoke in the nonsmoking rooms of hotels that allocate some rooms as smoking rooms. Even more startling was evidence of smoking toxins on the skin and in the urine of those nonsmokers who slept in nonsmoking rooms in hotels that have just partial smoking bans.

Researchers analyzed the surfaces and air quality of rooms for evidence of tobacco smoke pollution (nicotine and 3EP), known as third hand smoke, in a random sample of budget to mid-range hotels in San Diego. Ten hotels in the sample operated complete bans and 30 operated partial smoking bans, providing designated nonsmoking rooms.

Nonsmoking Rooms Not So Nonsmoking

Shockingly, the researchers found that some nonsmoking guestrooms in smoking hotels are as polluted with third hand smoke as are some smoking rooms.

Surface nicotine levels were more than twice as high in nonsmoking rooms of hotels operating partial bans as those of hotels operating total smoking bans (3.7 μg/m 2 compared with 1.4 μg/m 2), while air levels of 3EP were more than seven times as high.

Air nicotine levels were 40 percent higher in nonsmoking rooms of hotels operating partial smoking bans than in those operating total bans.    

Nonsmokers who stayed in hotels with partial smoking bans also had higher levels of finger nicotine and urinary cotinine than those staying in hotels operating total bans. Urinary NNAL was also significantly higher in those staying in the 10 rooms containing the highest levels of tobacco pollutants.

I was unsuccessful in my attempts to chat with the study’s point person but if I could I would ask him how many human subjects were tested and whether or not a nonsmoking room’s distance from the closest smoking room had any impact on toxin levels. I will continue to attempt to get more details on the study.

Not So ‘Shocking’

I used the word “shockingly” earlier in this column but really I am not that shocked about the research results. I just stayed in a “nonsmoking” room at a hotel in Las Vegas and there were definitely traces of cigarette smoke in my room—very common, I am afraid.

There are those in our industry who will continue to advocate for the need for smoking rooms. No surprise there. But isn’t it pretty obvious that the line between a smoking room and a nonsmoking room is getting even more blurry? I have written numerous times that there is no place for smoking rooms in “green” lodging establishments and that one should not be able to earn a green certification certificate when one still offers smoking rooms. Is our industry listening?

Really now, isn’t the jig now up? I would love to learn your thoughts. I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com, or by phone at (216) 848-1406.

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