2 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8
I
always consid-
ered myself to be
a health-con-
scious person. I eat a
plant-based organic
diet, meditate in the
morning and try to
work out at least 5
times a week.
However, when I
became pregnant last
spring, I started to
realize I might not be
as healthy as I
thought. Every day I
went to work I was
inhaling smoke — not
from cigarettes, but
from surgical smoke
in the operating room.
Since I started my
career as a perioperative nurse in 2012, I had been exposed to surgical
plume from electrical surgical units and lasers every time I stepped
into the OR.
Surgical smoke is created by surgical instruments that cauterize or
vaporize tissue, spreading toxins, carcinogens and vaporized tissue
through the air. Like tobacco smoke, surgical smoke contains danger-
My Personal Plea to Ban Surgical Smoke
Don't wait for lawmakers to make your ORs smoke-free.
Safety
Janelle Casanave, RN
• BREATH OF FRESH AIR "I was knowingly exposing my unborn child to toxins
known to cause health risks," says Janelle Casanave, RN, with 11-month-old
Scarlett Green.
Janelle
Casanave,
RN