Air now 'good' in taverns

Gains seen year after smoke ban

Bill Scanlon, Rocky Mountain News

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Thousands of Colorado bars are now healthy places to breathe, according to a study issued just days before the first anniversary of the statewide smoking ban.

Air quality in taverns improved 90 percent after the July 1, 2006, enactment of the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act, says the study funded by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Air quality in all hospitality establishments - bars, restaurants and taverns - improved by 70 percent.

Volunteers from Group to Alleviate Smoking Pollution went to 49 establishments before and after the ban, using monitors capable of detecting micron-sized particles of smoke.

Prior to July 1 of last year, the air in Colorado's bars, restaurant and taverns that allowed smoking was rated as "unhealthy."

Now, it is rated "good" in most bars and taverns, which means they pose little or no health risk.

Prior to the ban, bartenders and other full-time employees of establishments that allowed smoking were breathing in twice the amount of smoke annually that the EPA considers safe.

"I love it," said veteran Denver bartender Dave Mills, 39, of the ban. "It feels like I have two lungs again, instead of just one."

Being in a smoke-free environment for the first time in years prompted Mills to quit smoking himself.

Air quality improved 95 percent in bingo parlors after the ban, the study found. But it remained unhealthy in casinos, which still allow smoking.

A ban on smoking in casinos begins Jan. 1.

scanlon@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-442-8729