2006 New Jersey Air Monitoring Study, Showing the Effect of the NJ SFAA
In return testing at sites tested in the 2005 study -- restaurants, bars, and bowling alleys that formerly allowed smoking -- no smoking was observed in any location, and fine particle indoor air pollution was reduced an average of 91%. Also, there was no decrease in patron counts.
Employees in those hospitality venues now have workplaces with acceptable air quality. Additionally, interviews with patrons, employees, and managers found essentially unanimous and enthusiastic acceptance of the law and the newly smokefree environments.Casino gambling areas remained as polluted as before the law. Casino non-gambling areas, required to be smoking-prohibited by the law [but entirely open to gambling areas and apparently sharing a common air space], were, on average, more than half as polluted as the gambling areas. But during the July New Jersey government "shutdown", when gambling was suspended, casino air quality was superb, with lower levels of fine particle air pollution than in outdoor air.
Click the links to read the following:
The news release about the study.
The executive summary of the reports from 2006 and 2005.
The charts of primary air monitor results for 2006 compared to 2005.
The full report
Last update: 1/30/10