Ireland smoke ban cleans pub air

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The smoking ban in Ireland has cut air pollution in pubs and improved bar-workers' health, a study has found. Researchers said the ban, which came in at the end of March 2004, had led to an 83% reduction in air pollution and an 80% cut in cancer-causing agents. Workers' lung function also improved, the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine reported. But smokers' rights campaigners said the level of carcinogens in second-hand smoke was very small. Smoking bans are already in place in Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland will follow suit on 30 April, with England's ban coming into force on 1 July.