Food service workers are 50 per cent more likely to develop lung cancer than the general population. Waitresses have the highest mortality of any occupational group, with four times the expected deaths from lung cancer and 2.5 times the expected mortality from heart disease. Now there's evidence that smoking bans can improve the lung health of hospitality industry workers. Examining 53 San Francisco bartenders, they found that 59 per cent of those reporting respiratory problems before the ban went into effect were symptom-free less than two months after the prohibition began. An earlier ban of smoking in restaurants had the support of the California Restaurant Association, which was concerned about increasing numbers of workers' compensation claims based on exposure to second-hand smoke.
Economic concerns appear unfounded.
Instead of a loss, the report noted a slight increase in sales of .12 per cent after the law came into effect. A study reported in the American Journal of Public Health concluded that a smoking ban in bars would bring out 120,000 new customers in Massachusetts alone. About 30 per cent of those surveyed said they'd eat out more often and 20 per cent would go out to bars more often if smoking were banned. Only eight per cent said they'd stay home with their cigarettes more often. Even in North Carolina, the tobacco state, municipalities are starting to stand up to the tobacco lobby.