I was approached today by BBC Radio Devon re the study released from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London lead by Dr Christopher Millett Child. Asthma hospital admissions down after smoking ban. Published in the journal Pediatrics .

Asthma affects 1 in 11 children in the UK. Acute hospital admissions from children suffering severe asthma attracts were increasing by 2.2 % a year peaking at 26,969 admissions in 2006-07. The law passed in July 2007 banned smoking in public spaces. Immediately after the ban was implement this trend was immediately reversed. These results supported findings from Scotland and the USA who when they passed comparative legislation showed a similar decline.

The findings also showed the reduction was broad reaching with lower admission rates among boys and girls, wealthy and poor areas, city and rural areas. Thus giving better quality of life to all asthma suffers even those not hospitalised. The study also highlighted a link with a decrease in heart attacks and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This smoke free law seems also to have changed attitudes about exposure to second hand smoke at home and in cars reducing even further reducing asthma attacks.

Tobacco smoke contains approximately 4, 000 chemical substances many of which are carcinogenic , mutagenic, irritating or toxic . Environmental tobacco smoke – second hand smoking is the most important indoor pollutant harmful to human health ( Environ Health Perspective April 2006 ) It also stated Studies in the UK and in Europe in the1990’s detected Continine in urine -an indicator in passive smoking – in 80%of the non smoking population.