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Published August 30, 2012, 10:25 AM

Health Notes: Wisconsin's smoke-free law studied

Wisconsin’s smoke-free law has had far-reaching effects, according to a study reported this week in the Wisconsin Medical Journal.

By: John Lundy, Duluth News Tribune

Wisconsin’s smoke-free law has had far-reaching effects, according to a study reported this week in the Wisconsin Medical Journal.

The study, conducted by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, was touted in a news release from the American Cancer Society’s Wisconsin branch. The researchers used data from the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin from 2008-10 to compare the behavior of those surveyed before and after July 5, 2010, when the state’s smoke-free law went into effect.

From the survey, the researchers concluded that the law:

  • Reduced exposure to smoke outside the home from 55 percent to 32 percent.

  • Reduced exposure to smoke inside the home from 13 percent to 7 percent.

  • Increased from 74 percent to 80 percent the Wisconsin residents who had no-smoking policies in their own homes.

    But tobacco is still the primary cause of preventable death in Wisconsin, the news release said. It is associated with nearly 8,000 deaths annually and costs the state $4.5 billion in health-care costs and lost productivity each year.

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