Tobacco.org

Air in restaurants cleaner since ban 

It's too soon for researchers to start tabulating potential health effects from Ohio's smoking ban, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Tobacco Prevention Foundation said.

But the air inside Ohio's restaurants, bars and offices is significantly cleaner since the law took effect a year ago, said Pam Knox.

A study released last December - a year after the ban was approved by voters - found a 94 percent reduction in fine particle pollutants in venues that went smoke-free.

The study, conducted by researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, found the average pollution level at 29 public establishments around the state was 21 micrograms of particulate pollutants per cubic meter after the smoking ban, compared to 336 a year before the ban went into effect.

Ohio's Quit Line, a hotline aimed at helping smokers kick the nicotine habit, saw a slight increase in call volume

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