Surgical Smoke-Free OR

Everyone Deserves a Smoke-Free OR

Legislative and Regulatory Initiatives

AORN is leading the efforts to make smoke evacuation the law across the country and ensure that all operating rooms are surgical smoke-free. Fourteen states - Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington - have gone surgical smoke-free. Interested in legislation for your state? The first step is to connect with AORN Government Affairs.

Be a part of the effort

Get involved with AORN’s policy efforts to make every state surgical-smoke free.

Member-Only Access
Log in and download the AORN Surgical Smoke Evacuation Legislation Checklist.

Why is surgical smoke dangerous?

Surgical smoke is full of carcinogenic and mutagenic cells, can include over 150 hazardous chemicals, including all 16 U.S. EPA Priority Pollutant PAHs, and likely exposes OR staff to biological (human) contaminants including aerosolized blood.

The average daily impact of surgical smoke to the OR team is equivalent to inhaling the smoke of 27-30 unfiltered cigarettes.

Download Smoke Facts

Surgical Smoke Resources

Member-Only Access
Read the latest news from AORN about surgical smoke evacuation policy initiatives and review current smoke evacuation legislation. Learn how to become an effective advocate at your capitol.

To access the list of smoke evacuation bills, please login with your AORN membership username and password.

Have a new smoke law in your state?

Learn more about implementation and compliance.