Study: NY smoke-free workplace law works

NEW YORK, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- A two-year-old New York law banning workplace smoking is working, a study published in the August issue of Tobacco Control reports.

An amendment to the New York Clean Indoor Air Act went into effect in July 2003 and researchers say employee exposure to smoke in their workplace was reduced within three months.

A combination of telephone interviews and saliva specimens show that second-hand smoke exposure decreased from 91 to 14 percent within 12 months of the new law.

The study, conducted by RTI International of Research Triangle Park, N.C., found employers are increasingly following the law as well.