A smoking ban reduces hospital admissions for heart attacks by 70 percent for non-smokers, according to an Indiana University study. The benefits of the ban appear to come more from the reduced exposure to second-hand smoke among non-smokers than from reduced consumption of tobacco among smokers, the study found.

Exposure to second-hand smoke for just 30 minutes can rapidly increase a person's risk for heart attack, even if they have no risk factors

Smoking among young Filipino women is on the rise, according to a study released at a conference in Singapore. The study said 18 percent young adult Filipinas light up cigarettes compared to only 2.4 percent in Thailand and other Asian nation.

Nevertheless, female smoking in other Asian countries will proceed at a faster rate than their counterparts in Europe and Latin America that in 15 years there will be more women smokers in the Asia-Pacific region, said Dr. Antonio Anzueto of the University of Texas Health Center

The incidence of heart attacks in New York dropped by at least eight percent with the implementation of a secondhand smoke law, a study by the state Health Department shows.

The report found that hospitals admitted 3,813 fewer patients for heart attacks in 2004 than would be expected in the Big Apple without the indoor smoking ban. This is consistent with the results of similar studies elsewhere

The World Health Organization on Tuesday slammed the tobacco industry for spreading false information on smoking in public places as it called for more international efforts to ensure smoke-free environments.

In a statement commemorating the World No Tobacco Day on May 31, the Manila-based WHO said the industry's own documents have repeatedly misled the public through misinformation about the health risks and dangers of second-hand tobacco smoke, as well as the economic implications of smoking bans

Healthier environments will likely be extended into the bars and restaurants of Minnesota with a new smoking ban that has already been overwhelmingly passed by both the state's House and Senate over the weekend.

This would make Minnesota the 20th state to enact this type of law disallowing smoking in a public place