But experts could not fully state the smoking ban was the cause of the change because pre-term births had started to drop before the ban.

BBC: Smoking ban 'cuts premature births'

In the EU, where fully one-third of the adult population still smokes, there are almost 700, 000 smoking-related deaths each year.

FORBES: The EU's New Tobacco Directive: Protecting Cigarette Markets, Killing Smokers