BARKEEPS BREATHING EASIER AFTER SMOKING BAN; SOME GIVE LAW LUNGFUL.

Byline: Peter Hartlaub Daily News Staff Writer

Bartenders say they are breathing better, coughing less and have greater lung capacity since California banned smoking in bars, according to a study released Tuesday.

Fifty-three San Francisco bartenders were interviewed before and after the smoking ban took effect Jan. 1, and asked if they had trouble with wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing or phlegm.

Of the 39 bartenders who reported respiratory symptoms one month before the ban took effect, 59 percent said they were symptom-free two months later, according to the study that appears in today's issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.

``The bartenders experienced a significant improvement in lung function simply from avoiding secondhand smoke in the workplace,'' said Dr. Mark D. Eisner, a University of California, San Francisco, professor and lead author of the study.

Whether San Fernando Valley bartenders are reaping health rewards from the law is not as clear because many admit to allowing smoking in their establishments.

A bartender at the Cowboy Palace Saloon in Chatsworth who identified herself only as Cheryl said she has felt a little healthier this year, but still supports smoking in bars.

``Yeah, we can breathe easier, but it hurts our business,'' she said.

Cheryl, who has been a bartender for 16 years, said she smokes half a pack per day herself.

``After work is over it doesn't feel like I smoked four packs, it only feels like I smoked half a pack,'' she said.

An employee of the Sugar Mill Saloon in Tarzana, who said he has been tending bar for 40 years, is skeptical of the study results.

``I never felt bad to begin with,'' the man said, declining to give his name. ``Most of the smoking ban hasn't been enforced, so I don't see how people can say they are healthier.''

Even the researchers admitted that the study was focused on a small group, and does not represent all of California. All of the bartenders interviewed worked the day shift.

Of the bartenders interviewed, the average had been exposed to about two hours of smoke per week after the ban, as opposed to 28 hours per week before.

``Establishment of smoke-free bars and taverns was associated with a rapid improvement of respiratory health,'' the study concluded.

The study also measured lung function by using a spirometer, a test which measures the volume of air a patient can exhale from the lungs. Researchers also reported improvement in bartenders' lung capacity.