Michigan’s 18-month-old ban on smoking in restaurants is allowing Michigan patrons to breathe cleaner air.
A recent study found a 93 percent reduction in air pollutants given off by second hand smoke in restaurants across the state, said Teri Wilson, public health research and evaluation consultant with the tobacco section at the Michigan Department of Community Health.
Officials anticipated the Smoke Free Air Law would be passed and tested restaurant air to gauge its effectiveness, Wilson said. Seventy-seven restaurants from 13 cities were tested for air quality between 2005 and 2008.