Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act

The Nevada Clean Indoor Act (NCIAA) has been effective since 2006 and prohibits smoking and vaping in most indoor public places and indoor places of employment. 
Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) 202.2483

The use of tobacco products, electronic vaping products is only allowed in the following public indoor places:

• Areas of casinos where minors are prohibited.
•  Stand-alone bars, taverns, and saloons where minors are prohibited or that don’t offer food service.
• Retail tobacco stores
• Strip clubs or brothels
• Convention floors at tobacco-related trade shows

These establishments or venues may choose to implement voluntary “No Smoking/No Vaping” polices.

For more information on implementing a policy at your establishment contact CCHHS Tobacco Prevention and Control Program at 775-887-2190 or email CCHHSTobacco@carson.org.

Secondhand Smoke
Secondhand smoke also called environmental tobacco smoke, is a combination of smoke from the burning end of a cigarette and the smoke or vapor exhaled by others. Exposure to secondhand smoke occurs when a tobacco product is smoked in an enclosed area or around another individual.

Health effects of secondhand smoke 
Secondhand smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, and at least 70 of them are known to cause cancer.

Exposure to secondhand smoke from burning and exhaled products causes disease and premature death among nonsmokers. There is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke, and even brief exposure can cause immediate harm. 

Secondhand smoke causes an estimated 34,000 heart disease deaths and more than 7,300 lung cancer deaths each year in the U.S.

According to a study, 99% of nonsmokers were found to have measurable amounts of cotinine (a chemical the body metabolizes from nicotine) in their bodies.
People with chronic conditions are more likely than healthy people to suffer when exposed to secondhand smoke.

People spend most of their time at home and work. The Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act has reduced the exposure many Nevadans are subject to in the workplace, but there are still many people working in casinos and other exempt locations that suffer daily exposure to secondhand smoke. This is nearly 40% of Nevada’s workforce not receiving the clean indoor air protections most people now take for granted. 

For any environment, the level of harm from exposure depends on total time spent in the environment and the amount of smoke in that air space. Smoke-free workplace laws and voluntary smoke-free home pledges help to reduce the health risks of secondhand smoke.

Health risks for children exposed to secondhand smoke.
Secondhand smoke is especially dangerous to children because their lungs are still developing. Studies show that older children whose parents smoke get sick more often and have poorer lung function than children who are not exposed.
In children, secondhand smoke causes the following:

• Ear infections
• Development of asthma and more frequent and severe asthma attacks
• Respiratory symptoms (coughing, sneezing, shortness of breath)
• Respiratory infections (bronchitis and pneumonia)
• A greater risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Protect the health of children.

• Make your home and car smoke-free. If you are a smoker, never light up inside your home or car, even if the windows are down.
• Don’t permit others to smoke in your home or car.
• Don’t smoke inside, even when children are not present. Studies reveal that smoke can linger in an enclosed area for up to seven days after a person has smoked.
• Make sure your children’s day care centers and schools are tobacco-free.
• Avoid places that still allow smoking indoors.

Cannabis second-hand smoke

Cannabis use has increased with state legalization. Cannabis consumers should be aware that cannabis second-hand smoke is just as dangerous as tobacco second-hand smoke.

Cannabis second-hand smoke:

• Has a similar chemical makeup to tobacco second-hand smoke allowing it to enter the body and cause cardiovascular and respiratory damage, and cancers.
• Can cause children to experience the same illnesses caused by tobacco second-hand smoke.
• Contains Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that can be detected in blood test.
• Can deliver mild “high” effects and impairments from THC.

The Surgeon General concluded that there is NO risk-free level of secondhand smoke-even in small amounts.   Many of us are still exposed to secondhand smoke. 

A smoke-free environment is the only way to fully protect nonsmokers from the dangers of secondhand smoke.  

Tobacco-Free Housing

Carson City Health and Human Services (CCHHS) is working with the multi-unit housing community in Carson City to help protect residents from the dangers of secondhand smoke exposure. One of the best ways to do this is through the voluntary adoption of smoke-free housing policies.

In Nevada and across the U.S., most people—more than 84%–do not smoke and prefer smoke-free environment.

One way to ensure the health and safety of those in your household is to not smoke tobacco products or allow others to smoke these products inside. The dangers of exposure to secondhand smoke are real, secondhand smoke kills more than 400 infants from sudden infant death syndrome and about 41,000 nonsmoking adults from heart disease and lung cancer every year.

About 58 million nonsmokers in the U.S. are still exposed to secondhand smoke, and some of this exposure occurs in homes. Moreover, more than one in three nonsmokers who live in rental housing are exposed to secondhand smoke, and many who live in public housing are particularly vulnerable to the effects of secondhand smoke, including children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

For this reason, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has proposed a rule that will require public housing authorities nationwide to implement a smokefree policy on their properties.

In multi-unit housing, secondhand smoke can enter other units through hallways, stairways, and even vents.

Tips for Maintaining a Healthy, Smokefree Home

• Implement a household rule that prohibits anyone from smoking tobacco products inside your home at any time.
• Support your family and neighbors who might need help to quit smoking.
• Talk with community leaders about ways to make units and indoor common areas in multi-unit housing smokefree.

Why would a landlord or property manager want to prohibit smoking?

There are significant financial benefits to adopting smoke-free policies such as protecting and maintaining the value of your property by lowering cost of refurbishment and repairs. Additional advantages include savings through reduce turnover costs and faster turnover of units for new tenants. Smoke-free policies can also reduce health and fire risks that could leave you legally and financially vulnerable. They can also protect you from potential lawsuits brought by tenants exposed to unwanted secondhand smoke exposure.

Multi-housing developments present a particular challenge for dealing with this significant health problem because tobacco smoke from one unit may seep through cracks, be circulated by shared ventilation systems or otherwise enter the living space of another tenant and because people spend more time in their homes than in any other location, reducing exposure to tobacco smoke in multi-unit residences can significantly improve residents’ health.

For more information of how to go smoke-free contact CCHHSTobacco@carson.org