LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - Air quality in Cheyenne restaurants and bars is 20 times worse than in Laramie, where smoking is banned in public buildings, a state-funded health report says.

The report, written by the University of Wyoming's Survey and Analysis Center, also states that particulate pollution, which can be associated with secondhand smoke, dropped 96 percent after Laramie's smoke-free ordinance went into effect in April.

The report was funded by the Substance Abuse Division of the Wyoming Department of Health. The results could become a subject of discussion in Cheyenne, which is currently considering a smoking ban of its own.

"These are really compelling statistics," said Laura Feldman, an associate research scientist for the analysis center. James Repace of Repace Associates and Mark Travers of Roswell Park Cancer Institute were other authors of the report.

In the study, researchers measured air quality in 37 bars, restaurants, bowling alleys, dance clubs and pool halls in Laramie and Cheyenne. The names of the locations were not released. In Laramie, researchers visited businesses before and after the ban went into effect and measured pollutants in the air.

A measuring device monitored for particulate pollutants smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter. The report says pollutants of that size are "released in significant amounts from burning cigarettes and are easily inhaled deep into the lungs."

The amount of particulate pollution in the air can also be affected by other factors, such as dust, dirt and soot.

Researchers also found that cotinine levels in volunteers who visited Laramie bars after the ban went into effect dropped by 89 percent. Cotinine is a metabolite of nicotine released into urine, which indicates exposure to secondhand smoke.

After the smoking ban kicked in, all Laramie businesses tested by researchers passed Environmental Protection Agency standards for air quality. Before the ban, the report states that about 80 percent of assessed bars qualified as "unhealthy for sensitive groups," 60 percent were "unhealthy for all groups" and 25 percent were "very unhealthy."

The report states that secondhand smoke contains at least 250 chemicals that are known to be toxic or carcinogenic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 35,000 Americans die each year from heart disease that results from exposure to secondhand smoke.

Based on the study results, researchers estimate the smoking ban will save the lives of three hospitality workers in Laramie each year. It also could save one bar patron every 15 months.

Feldman said the study results, "really emphasize the health benefits of working and living in a smoke-free environment."

Laramie City Councilman Joe Hageman, an opponent of the smoking ban, said he wasnt surprised by the results of the study. He said it's obvious that there is less secondhand smoke in a bar with a no-smoking policy than there would in a bar that allows smoking.

Given that the study was funded by the Department of Health, Hageman said the results could be somewhat slanted.

But Feldman said the analysis center doesnt have a position on the smoking ban and considers itself a neutral party. She said the center will conduct additional studies on the smoking ban in the future to look at the economic impact of the ban on businesses.

Information from: Laramie Daily Boomerang, http://www.laramieboomerang.com