Bar staff healthier after ban say scientists

Scottish bar staff have showed marked improvement in breathing-related problems within weeks of the smoking ban, scientists claim.

The report from Dundee University's Asthma and Allergy Research Group was conducted from February to June - before and after the ban was introduced in March.

Of 77 workers studied, 61 had various respiratory symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath, cough and phlegm as well as problems like irritated eyes, sore throats and runny noses before the ban went into effect.

One month later the number of those reporting such problems dropped from 61 to 41, a 26 percent decline, and two months into the ban the number fell to 38.

Our study shows that, across a number of health indicators, positive changes were evident even in the first two months following the introduction of the smoking ban​Dr Daniel Menzies

"Our study shows that, across a number of health indicators, positive changes were evident even in the first two months following the introduction of the smoking ban, which is a very rapid change," said Dr Daniel Menzies.​

"We were looking at bar staff with symptoms attributable to cigarette smoke, and in those two months following the smoking ban the proportion showing symptoms fell from over 80% to less than 50%.​

"We also recorded reductions in levels of nicotine in the bloodstream, breathing tests showed improvement in lung function of between 5% and 10 %, and there was less inflammation in the bloodstream, a factor which inputs into areas such as cardiovascular health.

"The greatest changes we saw were within bar staff who were asthmatic, a group we specifically targeted.

"With these people we saw an overall improvement in their general quality of life.

"This was a comprehensive study looking at a range of factors that may be affected by the absence of passive cigarette smoke and the general conclusion is that the smoking ban does improve the health of people working in an atmosphere where previously there was a lot of smoke."

If you are a registered user​ please click on the 'Post a new comment' link below to talk about this story and others in our discussion forums.​

If you are not a registered user, click on the same button and follow the links to register for free.