Before the ban, researchers interviewed 53 bartenders across the city. Thirty-nine of them had respiratory problems such as wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing, and phlegm. Two to three months after the ban, 23 said they no longer had any symptoms, and showed an improvement in lung function. The researchers also found 32 of the 41 bartenders who said they had red or teary eyes, runny noses, and sore or scratchy throats before the ban were now symptom-free.

Compared to other workplaces, bartenders typically have to tolerate four to six times more exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. This high-level exposure puts them at greater risk of developing lung cancer, according to Mark Eisner, MD, lead author of the study, from the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF).

"Results of previous studies have been mixed as to whether workplace smoking bans improve respiratory functioning. This is the first study that shows banning workplace smoking may have immediate beneficial effects on adult respiratory health," said Dr. Eisner.

Many bar owners fear smoking bans will lower sales. However, a study done last year by Stanton Glantz, PhD, at the Institute for Health Policy Studies at UCSF found that this didn't occur.

Some music clubs across the country are voluntarily smoke-free. At the Bluebird Café in Nashville, Tenn., where Garth Brooks and Kathy Mattea began their careers, every show (except Monday's late show) is a non-smoking show. All shows at Harvard Square's legendary Club Passim in Boston, where singers like Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell got their start, have been smoke free since 1969.

Five years ago, Eddie's Attic, a music club in Atlanta, Ga., began to offer smoke-free shows at their early weekend performances. The response has been very positive and the club draws a crowd that may not have attended otherwise. "People have a right to choose to be in a smoke-free environment," according to Eddie Owen, the club's owner. Although Owen is a smoker himself, he said that non-smokers are "a population that deserves recognition and equal treatment."

Many performers appreciate smoke-free environments. "I can definitely tell a difference in my performance if there is smoking. By the end of the show, my voice has a raspy quality that wasn't there before," said Ben Wakeman, a musician who has played at Eddie's for five years. "There is a big misconception in the music industry that singers need to smoke in order to achieve good voice quality."