Denny Barringer has been fighting dirty air in casinos for so long that he remembers when all of them were floor to ceiling smoke so thick that you could barely see anything. When smoking stopped being “cool” for most Americans and many people started complaining about the smell, he got a lot of his business, creating systems that make sure the air is breathable, safe and smells clean.
He may be very well considered one of the leading expert in air filtration systems for Casinos, and has redone dozens of casinos around the US, and even the entire Treasure Island recently. However, now he has another fight: exposing what he claims is poison being pumped into casinos by companies.
In my discussions with Barriger two years ago, he told me that there is an enormous coverup going on by many of the Casinos to hide the fact that they are pumping in toxic air via perfume systems. According to Barringer, this all started back in 1991 when casinos left and right were installing these systems in order to cover up the scent of the smoke.
The first such systems in Las Vegas were installed at the Mirage in Mark Peltier, president of a company called AromaSys. That Barringer claims is the worst offender, “spraying poisons in the air” Since then, the systems have spread up and down the Strip by AromaSys and competitors – including, what he says is the most dangerous casino company: MGM.
Instead of cleaning the air Barringer claims that the systems were pumping in chemicals that are banned by the FDA, and causing serious health issues.
“I don’t think that most Vegas Casinos are doing the right thing. They all know what they do,” Barringer told us over the phone. “They only care about profits, not health issues. They don’t care if their employees are gagging or diseased (from the perfume systems)”
He goes as far to claim that the air is not just toxic, but can cause cancer. He points to the testimony of Ken Valentino in front of the Nevada State Assembly:
“I was not aware of the problems caused by air fresheners until recently. We have lost quite a few people in the last five to six years to cancer, and many of them had thyroid cancer. Some people complain every day, because as soon as they step inside the property their noses are running or they are having problems breathing. We always talked about what we believed was causing everyone to feel bad here. I know I got cancer from it, and I have lost many of my co-workers to cancer.”
Yvette Monet, a former spokesperson for MGM said she was familiar with Mr.Barringer’s claims, but dismissed it as “fake news” by someone trying to sell a product.
Some casinos have already taken steps to remove these systems from their air. Sands, composed of the Venetian and Palazzo stopped using these systems almost two years ago, and of course, Treasure Island had a new system installed by Barringer’s company.
Barringer has put together this information sheet, Entitled Toxic Casinos that explains some of the science behind the danger, according to him, including chemicals which are clearly labeled as illegal for human use.
smoking never stopped being “cool” for most Americans, we just learned to lie about it better.