An overwhelming majority of employers, employees and the public are complying with the workplace smoking ban, according to the Office of Tobacco Control (OTC).
But OTC director of communications Ms Valerie Robinson said it was "important that we don't become complacent and slip back into old ways.
"We need to remind ourselves of the real harm that exposure to second-hand smoke causes - a 20 to 30 per cent increase in the risk of lung cancers and a 25 to 30 per cent increase in the risk of coronary heart disease - and make sure that people continue to be protected from these illnesses," she added.
She was speaking at the launch of a new OTC advertising campaign entitled Smoke-free is working. Let's keep it that way.
The campaign which starts tonight, will continue for the next five weeks on RTÉ 1, RTÉ 2, TV3, TG4, Sky One, E4 and MTV, as well as the country's local and national radio stations.
It will consist of a separate radio and television commercial, both of which are set in a bar, and will refer to the OTC's smoke-free compliance line 1890 333100.
Ms Robinson also pointed to the positive aspects of the smoking legislation.
"Such legislation in other jurisdictions has led to a major decline in toxic chemicals in the atmosphere of workplaces resulting in safer and healthier environments for people to work and socialise in," Ms Robinson said.
Professor Luke Clancy, Director General of the Research Institute for a Tobacco Free Society, said that Californian research, which was carried out in 1998, showed that the improvement in air quality resulting from the smoke-free workplace legislation there provided immediate respiratory health benefits for bar workers.
According to the research:
- Out of 74 per cent of bartenders with respiratory symptoms before the legislation, 59 per cent reported no symptoms after the ban
- Pulmonary function tests also showed a 5-7 per cent improvement after only one month of smoke free air for both smokers and non-smokers.
The study concluded that reduced second-hand smoke exposure resulted in a rapid improvement and immediate beneficial effects on adult respiratory health.
Reasearch in Ireland into the effects of smoking ban will be published later next year.
