Healthy Wisconsin

Only 6 months into the statewide smoking ban in bars and restaurants, Badger State residents are already breathing better. According to a study by the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, air quality in such establishments is up a full 92 since the legislation went into effect on July 5^th. Based on measurements taken from a total of 214 area bars and restaurants in which smoking was permissible prior the ban, data collected was then compared using the same metrics in those now smoke-free locations. The ban actually restricts smoking in any enclosed space, not just establishments commonly associated with nightlife but extending to include workplaces, a concerted effort to ease the burden of smoking on all Wisconsinites.Researchers break down air quality into 5 categories, hazardous, very unhealthy, unhealthy, satisfactory and good. Prior to the ban, 87 of surveyed establishments reported air that fell short of satisfactory, with over 20 cited as hazardous, the lowest possible category. So precisely how much has changed? From an alarmingly low 13, Wisconsin bars and restaurants enter 2011 with clean lungs capable of proudly and loudly bragging about a remarkable 97 air quality.The primary benefit of improved air quality is a reduced risk of healthy problems created by second hand smoke, greatly increasing the risk of smoking related illness even for those who may not consume cigarettes themselves. Second hand smoke has been linked to lung cancer and various respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. (more…)