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Posted on Jul 01, 2008, 8 p.m.
By Jeanelle Topping
Recent smoking bans in workplaces and restaurants have had a positive impact on the public's health, according to new research.
Recent smoking bans in workplaces and restaurants have had a positive impact on the public's health, according to new research.
Researchers from the International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC) have discovered that smoke-free policies have contributed to the reduced risk of smoke related heart disease and the declining number of adult smokers.
In a special report published in the Lancet Oncology, scientists working alongside the IARC investigated smoke-free policies in several areas and argued that the bans led to a decrease in respiratory problems amongst employees.
"Implementation of such policies can have a broader population effect of increasing smoke-free environments," said the authors of the report.
"Not only do these policies achieve their aim of protecting the health of non-smokers by decreasing exposure to second-hand smoke, they also have many effects on smoking behaviour.
A link between the levels of lung cancer among people and the smoke-free policies are yet to be established as it can take over 20 years to diagnose the disease after exposure to smoking.
Cancer Research UK estimates the recent smoking ban in England will prevent 10,000 deaths in the next ten years.
