Government health officials had a boost today when new figures were released showing that the number of health attacks has fallen since the smoking ban was introduced.
The Sunday Times reported that early results from a study commissioned by the Department of Health showed that there was a 10% drop in heart attacks in the year following the ban’s introduction. In Scotland a separate study indicated that there was an even steeper drop of 14%.
Other countries who also introduced smoking bans have also seen similar falls in heart attacks. In France there was a 15% fall in the number of emergency admissions for heart attacks, while in Italy and Ireland there was a reduction of 11%.
The study has been greeted enthusiastically by health experts, with John Britton, Director of the UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies, saying that though they had been expecting rapid health benefits to result from the smoking ban they were amazed by how “big and how rapid they are.”
Ellen Mason from the British Heart Foundation said that heart attacks have fallen as exposure to smoke induces rapid changes in blood clotting, making people more prone to heart conditions.
She said that in people with narrowed or damaged coronary arteries, the exposure to smoke could “tip the balance” and push someone over into having a heart attack.