June 8, 2026- Growing awareness, national programs and state legislation are driving momentum to eliminate surgical smoke and better protect perioperative teams.
Surgical smoke is the by-product of using electrocautery, lasers and ultrasonic devices on human tissues in surgery – which, if inhaled, results in harmful health impacts for healthcare professionals working in the operating room (OR).
Each year, an estimated 500,000 workers, including surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists and surgical technologists are exposed to laser or electrosurgical smoke, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Perioperative nurses also report twice as many respiratory issues as compared to the general population due to surgical smoke, according to the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN).
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