Jump to full article: Electronic Telegraph (uk), 2008-06-14
Author: Patrick Sawer
Intro: The number of heart attacks has fallen dramatically since the ban on smoking in public places was introduced last year, latest figures reveal.
More than half of of hospital trusts in England are treating fewer heart attacks since the ban came on July 1 last year.
Nearly six in ten NHS trusts are reporting a fall in the number of heart attack patients being admitted to emergency wards.
There were 1,384 fewer heart attacks across the county in the nine months after the legislation was introduced compared with the same period a year earlier. That translates to a three per cent fall across the country since the ban. . . .
Some hospitals have seen the number of cases fall by 41 per cent since July 2007.
The figures, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, are the first available proof that the smoking ban has had a significant impact on health across England. . . .
Experts believe the ban has triggered a drop in heart attacks due to both the number of people quitting and the reduction in passive smoking as fewer people are exposed to airborne toxins.
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