Pub workers in the Republic have between 10 and 100 times the exposure to second-hand smoke as the general population, an expert on environmental tobacco smoke has said.
Mr Jim Repace, a second-hand smoke consultant from the US, told a conference organised by the Office for Tobacco Control about research he has carried out showing that ventilation is not a solution to the problem of passive smoke in the hospitality industry.
"Ventilation as a solution is a myth - it requires impractical, tornado-like levels to control the problem," he said.
Describing research carried out by himself and Mr Maurice Mulcahy, senior environmental health officer with the Western Health Board, Mr Repace said it showed that bar staff here suffered a level of premature death equivalent to 150 deaths per year as a result of exposure to second- hand smoke.
Their findings are based on a measurement of cotinine (a nicotine by-product) levels among bar workers in Galway, extrapolated to take account of the 26,000 full-time bar staff in the Republic.
Mr Repace said there are 840 excess deaths here every year attributable to the harmful effects of passive smoke.
Referring to the smoking ban in New York, he cited statistics showing an increase of 1,500 seasonally-adjusted jobs in city bars and restaurants since the workplace ban was introduced there on March 30th last.