Buffalo, NY– A study being released today by the Harvard University School of Public Health, Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) and several organizations in Ireland shows that it’s healthier to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day like the real Irish – in a smoke-free bar or pub.

The study measured air pollution levels in 128 Irish pubs in 15 countries, including the United States and Ireland. In March 2004, Ireland became the first country to implement a nationwide law making all indoor workplaces smoke-free, including restaurants and bars. The study found that the average level of air pollution inside Ireland’s smoke-free pubs was 91 percent lower than inside Irish pubs located in countries and cities that still permit workplace smoking.

In the United States, the study found that Irish pubs in smoke-free cities have 95 percent less air pollution than the pubs in U.S. cities that still allow workplace smoking (another way to look at it: the smoky Irish pubs in the U.S. had, on average, nearly 20 times more air pollution than the smoke-free pubs).

“The United States should follow Ireland’s example,” said Andrew Hyland, PhD, Department of Health Behaviors at RPCI. “This study demonstrates why states need to enact a strong smoke-free law that covers all workplaces, including restaurants and bars. Every time we’re exposed to secondhand smoke, we’re exposed to thousands of chemicals that cause cancer, heart disease and other serious respiratory conditions.”

In the United States, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and Washington, as well as Washington, DC and Puerto Rico have now enacted smoke-free workplace laws that include restaurants and bars. Hundreds of cities and counties across the U.S. have also taken action, as have whole countries including Ireland, England (effective 2007), Norway, New Zealand, Sweden, Italy and Uruguay.

Gregory N. Connolly, Professor of the Practice of Public Health and Director of the Tobacco Control Research Program at Harvard School of Public Health noted, “Although many nations pass laws on secondhand smoke, some do not implement them. Ireland has clearly shown that an indoor smoking ban can be accomplished through education, enforcement and political will. While people are celebrating St. Patrick's Day across the globe, some will celebrate in healthy environments and others in not-so-healthy environments.  It’s time we made secondhand smoke global history."

The Study

The researchers used state-of-the-art air monitors to measure the levels of fine particle air pollution, of which secondhand smoke is a major source. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has found that these fine particles can penetrate deep into human lungs, causing serious lung, heart and other health conditions.

In the U.S., smoke-free cities surveyed include Hartford, CT; Bloomington, IN; Bethesda, MD; Boston, MA; Buffalo and New York, NY; Providence, RI; Austin, TX; and Appleton, WI.

U.S. cities in which pub smoking was still allowed at the time of the study were Phoenix, AZ; Denver, CO; Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Indianapolis, IN; Baltimore, MD; St. Paul, MN; Manchester, NH; Hoboken, NJ; Santa Fe, NM; Chapel Hill and Durham, NC; Lakewood, OH; Philadelphia, PA; Charleston, SC; Galveston and Houston, TX; Arlington, VA; and Washington, DC (St. Paul, New Jersey and Washington, DC have since passed smoke-free laws that will cover restaurants and bars and are in various stages of implementation).

While pubs in all smoke-free U.S. cities recorded significantly lower levels of air pollution than those in smoking-permitted cities, one Irish pub in Hartford, CT and one Irish pub in Providence, RI had the lowest air pollution levels.

Among U.S. cities, the five highest average levels of air pollution were recorded in pubs in: Hoboken, NJ; Lakewood, OH; Manchester, NH; Indianapolis, IN and Galveston, TX. A complete list of air pollution levels inside pubs in cities in the U.S. and around the world is available in the report, which can be found online at www.hsph.harvard.edu.

Secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, including at least 69 known carcinogens, and is a proven cause of lung cancer, heart disease and other serious respiratory illnesses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is responsible for more than 38,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. Because of the risk that even short-term exposure to secondhand smoke can trigger heart attacks, the CDC has advised persons with heart disease to avoid settings where smoking is allowed. Children are especially vulnerable to other people’s smoke, suffering more bronchitis, asthma and ear infections as a result.

The evidence is also clear that smoke-free laws protect health without harming business. Dozens of studies and hard economic data have shown that smoke-free laws do not harm sales or employment in restaurants and bars and sometimes have a positive impact. Some of the strongest evidence comes from New York City, where a study found that, in the year after the city’s comprehensive smoke-free law took effect March 30, 2003, business receipts for restaurants and bars increased, employment rose, the number of liquor licenses increased and virtually all establishments are complying with the law. The vast majority of New Yorkers support the law. There is also growing evidence that smoke-free laws can save money. A study released in August 2005 by the Society of Actuaries found that secondhand smoke costs our country $10 billion a year in health care bills, lost wages and other costs.

Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation’s first cancer research, treatment and education center and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. RPCI is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers. For more information, visit the RPCI website at www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724) or e-mail askrpci@roswellpark.org.

 

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