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Our mission

As members of the Surgical Smoke Coalition, we are committed to promoting and protecting the health of those in operating rooms (OR).
Our mission is to raise awareness of the dangers caused by prolonged exposure to surgical smoke and advocate for change towards surgical smoke evacuation in ORs across Europe.

The problem we face

Surgical smoke occurs during surgery and is produced through the use of surgical devices such as lasers or electrosurgical units used to cut and dissect tissue. Did you know that a day in the OR can be as hazardous as smoking 27 cigarettes a day?
Healthcare professionals (HCPs) exposed to surgical smoke often experience common symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, sore throat, and eye irritation in their daily routines1,2 Prolonged exposure has been associated with more serious health outcomes, including allergic rhinitis, as well as chronic lung conditions like occupational asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).3 We all need to recognize that the long-term impact associated with surgical smoke exposure also heightens cancer risk concerns.4

Our solution

We call upon nurses, surgeons, hospital administrators, occupational health organizations, and policymakers to join forces in advocating for safer operating rooms.
The risk isn’t limited to HCPs alone since patients can also be negatively impacted by exposure to surgical smoke during their procedures.5

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There is a straightforward solution

Implementing surgical smoke evacuation at the point of generation has proven to be the most effective way to safeguard both HCPs and patients.

Here’s how we make change, together:

01.Whether speaking to people in your hospital, on conferences and meetings or online, our members spread the word

02.We build an international network of HCPs dedicated to promoting surgical smoke evacuation at the source to protect us and patients

03.We advocate for measures to eliminate surgical smoke on all levels

04.We share a pledge to create a Europe-wide community, to make our story heard 
and to get change done

No one in the healthcare community should face unnecessary risks due to surgical smoke exposure.

Sign the pledge and join us in making our hospitals safer for everyone involved.
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  1. Okoshi K, Kobayashi K, Kinoshita K, Tomizawa Y, Hasegawa S, Sakai Y, Health risks associated with exposure to surgical smoke for surgeons and operation room personnel. Surg Today. 2015 Aug;45(8):957-65.
  2. Yi Liu et al. Awareness of surgical smoke hazards and enhancement of surgical smoke prevention among the gynaecologists, Journal of Cancer.2019. 10(12):2788-2799
  3. Dasgupta P, Dixon K, Vasdev N. A systematic review of the harmful effects of surgical smoke inhalation on operating room personnel, Health Sciences Review, ISSN: 2772-6320, Vol: 6, Page: 100077
  4. Addley, S. Surgical smoke – what are the risks? January 2019
  5. Bratu et al., Quantitative analysis of laser surgical smoke: Targeted study on six toxic compounds, Romanian Journal of Physics. 2015. 60(1-2):215-227