Despite many people’s misgivings about the smoking ban that was introduced in Malta in April 2004, it has yielded significant results, according to Professor Albert Fenech of the Department of Cardiology

Prof. Fenech said that a study in Italy had revealed a 10 per cent fall in the number of heart attacks in the six months after the ban on smoking in bars, clubs and other public places was implemented.

Since Malta and Italy had such similar social habits, he said, it was easy to compare the two countries, and he had seen evidence of a significant fall in the number of such cases in his day-to-day work, even though there had, as yet, been no specific studies in Malta.

According to a recent study in the American Journal of Cardiology, smoking practically doubles the risk of heart attack and increases the risk of other heart problems in a variety of ways. The risk to passive smokers also increases by some 30 per cent, according to research.

The positive effects had been felt by those who inhaled second-hand smoke, said Prof. Fenech, as they were suffering from fewer chest infections.

The same study revealed that there had been a reduction of at least 17 per cent in the number of heart attacks, just a year after the ban was introduced. The study found that, the more time that passed, the greater was the risk reduction.

On the other hand, no noticeable change has been seen in the rate of lung cancer cases, oncology specialist Dr Stephen Brincat told this newspaper. This change will take some 15 to 20 years to be seen, he said, and they were not expecting a major change as a result of the ban.

Prof. Fenech said the effect had mostly been seen among adults, who were more likely to be deterred by having to go outside to smoke a cigarette.

Teenagers would often tend to smoke outside anyway, he said and, in fact, the number of teenagers who smoke had been increasing, with more teenage girls, in particular, taking up the habit.

On the other hand, said Dr Brincat, they were expecting to see an increase in lung cancer among women, as more women were taking up the habit and they are now catching up with the men.

In fact, in the UK, France and Germany, more women die of lung cancer than they do of breast cancer, as the latter was easier to cure and better treatment is available.

Therefore, he said, one could say that the ban had been largely successful, although there were some instances where people still had a disregard for their own health, which was their own problem, and for the health of those around them.

At the end of the day, said Prof. Fenech, nobody had the right to affect the health of anyone else, but in some places – such as bars and clubs – the staff would not say anything for fear of losing their jobs. For this reason, he suggested that random spot checks should be carried out, particularly in places where it was rumoured that the ban was being disregarded.