Mesothelioma | Mesothelioma

"For things like However, long before those serious diseases that cause death occur there are minor diseases that are important in quality of life issues; for instance we have surveyed bar workers since the ban who have a significant reduction in tearing to their eyes, in sneezing, in coughing, sore throats, headaches etc.

These are the things that they just had to put up with prior to the ban." He said bar workers have also shown significant improvements in pulmonary function since the ban.

Prof Clancy stressed that the main purpose of the ban was to protect workers but as a 'side effect', there has been an overall reduction in smoking in the population since the ban.

"There had been a bigger drop than usual in smoking rates in the year after the ban than in previous years but there has now been a levelling off." He said this is this was probably due to the fact that the price of cigarettes has not been increased in the last two budgets.

Prof Clancy said the biggest determinant of whether or not people smoke is the price of cigarettes.

"Pricing in Ireland had been very successful until the past two years when we ...

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