Banning smoking in pubs in Ireland has improved the health of staff and also made for cleaner air inside the establishments. At the end of March 2004, the Irish Republic introduced a smoking ban in workplaces. It was feared that pubs and restaurants would suffer a big loss of trade.

But, from a health point of view, the ban has been a big success according to researchers based in Dublin. They surveyed 40 pubs before the ban and afterwards. This comparison revealed a dramatic fall in airborne particles in the air of the pubs after the ban.

They also looked at a sample of bar workers to see what effect the smoking ban had on their lung functioning. There was a clear reduction of 38 per cent and 45 per cent of exhaled breath carbon monoxide concentrations for smokers and non-smokers respectively. Carbon monoxide is a pollutant in air which can harm the lungs and one would hope it might decrease with a smoking ban. Hopefully these results will encourage other European countries to follow suit when it comes to banning smoking in public places.

Source
European Respiratory Society meeting 18th September 2005