MADISON, Wis. -- University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers released the results on Monday of a study that appears to reconfirm the public health effects touted by supporters of smoking bans.

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Opponents, however, are questioning the study and seeking to discredit it.

Researchers at the UW Comprehensive Cancer Center surveyed 400 bartenders before and after the smoking bans in bars and restaurants passed in Madison eight months ago.

The data was released at the Harmony Bar on Atwood Avenue in Madison on Monday afternoon.

The study found that respiratory symptoms, including wheezing, shortness of breath and coughing, were cut by 40 percent after the smoking ban took effect.

Dr. Patrick Remington, a researcher at the Comprehensive Cancer Center, said that the study's results demonstrate the positive effects of the ban.

"This shows convincingly that the health of the bartenders has improved within only after a few months of the policies being put into place," he said. "It reduces their current symptoms, and it'll reduce their risk of disease in the long run."

The study's data was collected from the written surveys. The only actual medical test performed was on lung function, and only 73 of the bartenders had that test, WISC-TV reported.

Remington said those tests yielded interesting results.

"We did pulmonary tests," Remington said. "That's a test of just how well the lungs are working, and we found that non-smokers between before the ordinance went into effect and afterwards had a significant improvement in their pulmonary function."

The smoking ban has been in effect since last July and has sparked controversy over whether it has hurt area businesses.

Remington said that the study results show the discussion should now be about the positive public health impacts and not the impact the ban has had on businesses.

Several bar owners have said that business is down significantly.

A spokesman for the Coalition To Save Madison Jobs, an anti-smoking ban group, questioned the science of the study and called it a joke, WISC-TV reported.