A large, statewide sampling of bartenders' health before and after the smoking ban confirms earlier findings: less secondhand smoke means workers breather easier.
Previous studies on bartenders' respiratory health in Madison and Appleton have shown less coughing, fewer red eyes, and reduced shortness of breath when smoking was not allowed. The latest study looks at Milwaukee, and 10 rural areas. It found respiratory symptoms in bartenders were reduced up to 36 percent. Karen Palmersheim oversaw the study; she's a researcher at UW-Milwaukee. The survey questioned participants about their health before the smoking ban and three to six months after. Bartenders were also asked about their feelings on the ban. Palmersheim says both smokers and nonsmokers in urban and rural areas felt better about the ban once it was in place. She says "some of their fears, perhaps, were alleviated. Maybe they experienced a healthier, cleaner environment they appreciated more and also experienced no decrease patronization from customers."
Forty-two percent of the bartenders in the survey smoked. Palmersheim says they, too, experienced some respiratory relief working in a smoke-free environment--but not nearly as much as the nonsmokers.
