Smoking ban improves a city’s health

 Does banning smoking in public places improve public health? Yes, a new study finds, and the effects are large and long-lasting.
    A municipal smoke-free ordinance took effect in Pueblo, Colorado, in 2003, and researchers tracked the incidence of heart attacks, comparing rates in the city with those in its surrounding county and a neighbouring county where there were no smoking bans.
    In the 18 months preceding the ban, rates in the city and surrounding areas were identical and declining slowly. But in the year and a half after the new law took effect, hospitalizations for heart attack decreased 27% in the city, while remaining unchanged in the other two districts. After 18 more months, through June 2006, rates in the city were 41% lower than before the ordinance was passed.
    Dr Christine Nevin-Woods, the executive director of the local health department, said, "We're finding that, surprisingly, smoking ordinances are bringing down heart attack rates significantly." NYT NEWS SERVICE