By James Rougvie

GROUND-BREAKING research by scientists in Dundee into the immediate after-effects of the smoking ban in the city’s pubs and clubs has illustrated a startling improvement in staff health.

Only two months after the ban was introduced, sophisticated blood and breathing tests have shown rapid changes for the better as staff are no longer forced to breathe second-hand smoke and customers now are compelled to smoke outside.

Bar manager of the Phoenix in Nethergate, Shelagh Matthews, has discarded her inhaler, which was vital for her when the bar was fogged with smoke. “We didn’t realise how much of an effect there had been until it was gone.

“I did the tests for the university study and it showed a huge difference in my lung capacity since the smoking ban took effect. Not only did the results show that, but I do actually feel the difference.”

Nearly 80 bar staff in and around Dundee took part in the study, the majority of whom were working full time around 30 hours a week, with the average time spent behind the bar around nine years.

Staff were monitored by Dundee University’s asthma and allergy research group, in what was the first major piece of medical research into the effects of the ban, which began towards the end of March.

They were subjected to tests one month before the ban was implemented and re-examined at periods of one and two months after the ban came in.

The health of staff who worked in smoky atmospheres in pubs and clubs was one of the driving forces behind the introduction of the ban.

Dr Daniel Menzies, principal investigator in the group said that, across a number of health indicators, positive changes were evident even in the first two months.

Dr Menzies said, “In those two months, the proportion showing symptoms fell from over 80% to less than 50%. We also recorded reductions in levels of nicotine in the bloodstream, breathing tests showed improvement in lung function of between 5% and 10%, and there was less inflammation in the bloodstream, which affects cardiovascular health.”

He said that the greatest changes were in those staff who were asthmatic, a group which had been specifically targeted, and they had seen an overall improvement in their quality of life.

“This was a comprehensive study looking at a range of factors that may be affected by the absence of passive cigarette smoke, and the general conclusion is that the smoking ban does improve the health of people working in an atmosphere where previously there was a lot of smoke.”

Alan Bannerman, owner of the Phoenix, said that even when the bar’s fans and air conditioners were working, the air was still heavy with smoke.

“It is in Shelagh that I see the biggest difference, because I don’t notice her coughing and spluttering any more, which is something that we used to see all the time.

“It all boils down to this—would you rather go for a fag outside, or have it inside and watch the bar staff slowly die?”

Maureen Moore, chief executive of the anti- smoking group ASH Scotland, said this was the first scientific indication that it was right for Scotland to go smoke free.

She said Cancer UK’s poll of Scottish bar workers found 92% believed their health had improved, adding, “Scotland’s ban is working brilliantly.”