People in Pueblo, Colorado suffered 27 percent fewer heart attacks after a smoking ban was imposed on bars, restaurants and other public places. While many places have bans on smoking in restaurants and stores, bars and private clubs seem to be the holdout! Anyway, a study was presented at the American Heart Association annual meeting in Dallas. The study found that after the ban took effect 291 heart attack patients were admitted to area hospitals in the 18 months after the ban. Compare that to 399 heart attacks in the 18 months prior to the ban. The number of heart attacks in a neighboring county that did not have a ban on smoking stayed the same .
Previous research has shown that exposure to secondhand smoke can cause negative cardiovascular effects within minutes. This is just another confirmation that we should all stay away from secondhand smoke and stop smoking ourselves if we still do.
Just another reminder–The Great American Smokeout is this Thursday, November 17.
