Category: People

  • Scientific rigor plummets

    Scientific rigor plummets

    A public health expert in the US has demolished claims by some researchers that vaping causes chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD).

    One researcher was said to be claiming that the use of electronic cigarettes increases the risk of COPD ‘just like’ smoking does.

    Dr. Michael Siegel (pictured), a Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, writing on his blog, said the paper, published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, reported the results of a cross-sectional study based on the 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey in Hawaii. ‘The outcome variable was reporting ever having been told that one has COPD,’ Siegel said. ‘The main predictor variable was ever having used an e-cigarette. ‘The key finding of the study was that: “there was a significant association of e-cigarette use with COPD among non-smokers … but the association was not significant among smokers…”.

    Siegel went on to say that it was not possible to conclude or even speculate, based on the results of this cross-sectional study, that vaping was a cause of COPD disease – emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

    Siegel looked at such factors as sample size, but explained that the worst problem with the conclusions and speculation was that they were biologically implausible.

    And he went on to say that he believed there was a strong, subconscious bias among many researchers who were so determined to find an association between vaping and chronic disease that they were forgetting basic pathology.

    ‘The reason this is all so disturbing to me is not simply that it shows how scientific rigor in tobacco control literature has deteriorated,’ he said. ‘It is disturbing because disseminating these scientifically unsupported claims is going to discourage many smokers from trying to quit using e-cigarettes and may even cause many former smokers to return to smoking.’

  • It’s the environment

    It’s the environment

    For the fifth year in a row, electronic cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product among young people in the US, according to a note issued yesterday by the Food and Drug Administration through its Center for Tobacco Control [e-cigarettes are ‘deemed’ by the FDA to be tobacco products].

    This was said to be one of the findings of the 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) published in an MMWR [Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report] article, Vital Signs: Tobacco Product Use Among Middle- and High-School Students – United States, 2011-2018.

    This article includes findings on current use of seven tobacco products, cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, hookah, pipe tobacco, and bidis, as well as findings on the use of multiple products and frequency of use.

    ‘The study authors found that in 2018, approximately five million middle- and high-school students currently used any tobacco product, with over 3.6 million currently using e-cigarettes and about half (2.5 million) currently using a combustible tobacco product, such as cigarettes and cigars,’ said the FDA in its note. ‘For the fifth year in a row, e-cigarettes continued to be the most commonly used tobacco product among US youth. Among current tobacco product users, 41.7 percent of high-school students and 33.3 percent of middle-school students used two or more tobacco products. E-cigarette and cigarette use was the most common combination among those using multiple products.

    ‘From 2017 to 2018, use of any tobacco product increased significantly by 38.3 percent (19.6 percent to 27.1 percent) among high-school students and by 28.6 percent (5.6 percent to 7.2 percent) among middle-school students. Current e-cigarette use increased significantly by 77.8 percent (11.7 percent to 20.8 percent) among high-school students and by 48.5 percent (3.3 percent to 4.9 percent) among middle-school students between 2017 and 2018. Furthermore, frequent e-cigarette use (more than 20 days in the past 30 days), increased significantly by 38.5 percent (20.0 percent in 2017 to 27.7 percent in 2018) among high-school students who were current e-cigarette users.

    ‘Due to the alarming nature of these findings, they were released early in a Notes from the Field article in Nov. 2018. The current study finds that e-cigarettes were the primary driver of the increase in current use of any tobacco product among both middle- and high-school students. During this same period, although there were no significant changes in current use of combustible tobacco products, such as cigarettes and cigars, there was a slight uptick in any combustible tobacco product use (12.9 percent to 13.9 percent) and current cigarette use (7.6 percent to 8.1 percent) among high-school students.

    ‘The high rates of youth tobacco use, particularly e-cigarette use, continue to be of concern to FDA. Last spring, FDA launched the Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan, which aims to prevent youth access to tobacco products; curb marketing of tobacco products aimed at youth; and educate teens about the dangers of using any tobacco product, including e-cigarettes, as well as educate retailers about their key role in protecting youth.

    ‘As part of the plan, FDA has ramped up efforts around compliance of the marketing and sales of e-cigarettes and conducted an ongoing series of enforcement actions to prevent initiation of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, by youth. FDA continues to invest in compelling, science-based campaigns to educate youth about the dangers of all tobacco products. In Sept. 2018, FDA launched the full-scale youth e-cigarette prevention effort under “The Real Cost” brand umbrella. In Nov. 2018, the concerning findings from the 2018 NYTS youth e-cigarette use data prompted FDA to outline a policy framework on actions to reduce youth e-cigarette use, targeting the central problems – youth appeal and access to flavored tobacco products.’

    Meanwhile, in a statement posted on its website yesterday in response to the CDC National Youth Tobacco Survey, Altria Client Services senior vice president, corporate citizenship, Jennifer Hunter said young people shouldn’t use any tobacco products and Altria shared the FDA’s concerns with their use of e-vapor.

    “We remain committed to being part of the solution,” she said. “Raising the legal age of purchase for all tobacco products to 21, which we strongly support, is the single most effective way to address underage use. We continue to meet with state and federal policy makers on this effort and stand ready to work with all interested parties.”

  • Mid-life crisis

    Mid-life crisis

    Icelandic women typically smoke less, drink to drunkenness less, and use oral tobacco less often than do Icelandic men, according to a story in the tourist publication, Reykjavik Grapevine citing the findings of a recent study by Iceland’s Directorate of Health.

    At the same time, young Icelandic women vape just as often as young Icelandic men.

    The study, which covered Icelandic men and women of all ages, found that the incidence of daily smoking combustible cigarettes among people 18 to 55 years of age was, at nine percent, slightly higher among men than it was among women, eight percent.

    But 11 percent of women aged 55 and older reported smoking daily while seven percent of men in the same age group did so.

    Meanwhile, 20 percent of Icelandic men aged 18 to 34 reported using oral tobacco daily or less often, while seven percent of women in the same age group reported oral tobacco use. Among those aged 35 to 54, five percent of men used oral tobacco while no women reported using it. No man of woman over the age of 55 reported using oral tobacco.

    The incidence of vaping daily or less often among those aged 18-34 was, at 12 percent, the same for both men and women. In the 35-to-54 age bracket, the incidence of vaping among men was 11 percent while that among women was six percent. But in the case of those 55 or older, five percent of women and two percent of men said they vaped daily or less often.

  • New chairman sought

    New chairman sought

    In light of recent press speculation, Imperial Brands said yesterday it was confirming that, in anticipation of the requirements of the new UK Corporate Governance Code regarding a chairman’s tenure on a board, the company had recently started searching for a non-executive chairman to succeed Mark Williamson.

    ‘This is in accordance with its planned and orderly approach to board succession,’ it said in a note posted on its website.

    ‘Mark will remain as chairman until his successor has been found and to ensure an orderly handover of responsibilities.

    ‘A further announcement will be made upon the appointment of his successor.’

  • Tobacco a hospital crop

    Tobacco a hospital crop

    The Civil Surgeon of Bangladesh’s Nilphamari district, Ranjit Kumar Barman, has said that he will take action against the ‘unlawful’ tobacco farming taking place on land belonging to a leprosy hospital, according to a story by EAM Asaduzzaman for The Daily Star.

    According to the story, the tobacco was being grown on a ‘large chunk’ of land that is ‘right around the corner’ from the 20-bed hospital compound located in Notkhana village, Nilphamari Sadar upazila (sub-district).

    Asaduzzaman said that the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) had seemed to be oblivious to the fact that tobacco was being grown on the land of a hospital owned and operated by the DGHS.

    And asked whether the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) could play a role in stopping tobacco farming, DAE deputy director Abul Kashem Azad said it observed World Tobacco-free Day on May 31 every year to create awareness of the harm tobacco caused to human health and the environment.

    When asked why the hospital authorities were allowing the tobacco farm on its property, Dr. Khorshed Alam, a consultant at the hospital, said he did not have any authority over the matter and that the civil surgeon’s office had been notified of it.

    However, Barman said that before being alerted by Asaduzzaman he had been unaware of the tobacco farming taking place at the government-run Leprosy Hospital in Nilphamari.

  • Plea for farmers

    Plea for farmers

    If the next sin tax increase were to be pushed through, the Government should help tobacco farmers and small retailers cope with the potential revenue loss they will suffer, according to a story in The Philippine Star quoting the Governor of the Ilocos Norte province, Imee Marcos.

    The expected higher revenue from sin tax collection must be used to bankroll alternative, agriculture-related livelihoods for affected tobacco farmers, Marcos said.

    Under Republic Act 7171, tobacco-producing provinces such as Ilocos Norte with an annual average production of not less than one million kg of Virginia tobacco are entitled to 15 percent of the excise tax collections from locally-manufactured cigarettes.

    At the same time, Marcos wants the Government to crack down on cigarette smugglers and manufacturers of counterfeit tobacco products, which, she said, ‘are killing the country’s two million tobacco farmers’.

    She asked the Government to study carefully the impact of any massive cigarette excise tax increase on poor people such as farmers and sari-sari store owners.

    “Fake cigarettes seized in 2018 hit a record-high of P20.250 billion, depriving the government of much-needed revenues,” said Marcos, who is running for the senate.

    Legal cigarette sales have decreased as prices have more than tripled since 2013, and this, according to the National Tobacco Administration, has translated into a drop in tobacco-farm output of as much as 20 million kg annually.

  • Driving change

    Driving change

    New Zealand is planning to ban vaping and tobacco smoking in vehicles when people under 18 are present, according to a story in The New Zealand Herald quoting the associate health minister Jenny Salesa.

    The ban would apply to all vehicles and whether they are parked or on the move.

    “Public education and social marketing campaigns over many years have had some impact, but the rate of reduction in children exposed to smoking in vehicles is slowing,” Salesa said. “It is now time to do more by legislating.”

    Salesa said that she expected the Smoke-free Environments Act 1990 to be changed by the end of this year so that police would be able to use their discretion about whether to give warnings, refer people to stop-smoking support services, or issue infringement fees of NZ$50.

    The focus of the ban is said to be on education and changing social norms – not on issuing infringement notices; so the legislation will be backed up with what is described as a new and innovative public education and social marketing effort.

    “First and foremost, this change is about protecting children,” said Salesa. “However, it is also part of the Government’s commitment to achieving Smokefree 2025.

    “Too many New Zealand children, particularly Māori and Pacific children, are exposed to second-hand smoke in the vehicles they usually travel in.

    “Children are especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of second-hand smoke due to their smaller lungs, higher respiratory rate and immature immune systems.

    “Second-hand smoke accumulates in vehicles, even with the windows open. It reaches much higher levels than in homes.”

    The story said there was likely to be strong support for the move because several surveys had shown that about 90 percent of people support the idea of a ban on smoking in cars with children present.

  • Smoking up, and down

    Smoking up, and down

    Turkey’s tobacco-smoking prevalence fell after the imposition of a public-places tobacco-smoking ban, according to a story in The Daily Sabah.

    Increased taxes on cigarettes and free medical treatment for smokers were said also to have aided the decline in the habit.

    The smoking rate was 31.6 percent in 2016, the latest year for which data is available, down from 32.5 percent in 2014, said the story, which was based partly on statements made by the Health Minister, Fahrettin Koca.

    However, earlier this month, The Hürriyet Daily News reported that Turkey was due to launch a new anti-smoking campaign in the coming months following an increase in the incidence of smoking.

    Koca reportedly said in an interview with the Hürriyet Daily News that the incidence of smoking had increased from 27 percent to 32 percent in recent years, despite a ban on smoking in public places.

    The incidence of smoking among men had increased to 44 percent, while that among women had risen to 19 percent.

    Meanwhile, Koca was reported in the Daily Sabah piece as saying that 900,000 people had applied for free medicine provided by his ministry in the past nine years to help them quit smoking.

    And last month, Turkey announced that the nicotine-replacement medicines, Bupropion HCI and Varenicline, would be made available to smokers free of charge.

    The story said the authorities were determined to stamp out smoking, ‘which still prevails among the young and kills more than 100,000 people every year due to diseases linked to smoking’.

  • Smoker loses custody battle

    Smoker loses custody battle

    A Spanish father has lost custody of his children after the provincial court of Cordoba ruled that his addiction to tobacco was toxic to his children’s health, according to a Euronews story.

    The father had been sharing custody of his children, aged 10 and 13, with his ex-wife since his divorce in 2017.

    The children had complained that they had to share an ‘environment full of smoke’ in their father’s house, according to the judgement seen by Euronews.

    ‘In this situation and wanting to avoid a health risk for the minors, it is evident that the father’s way of living puts in danger the health of his children in an irresponsible way. He ignores everything else except his addiction.’

    The judgement added that it wasn’t logical for the children to be in a place that would present a risk to the public.

    In Spain, a 2011 anti-tobacco law banned smoking in enclosed public spaces and accesses to hospitals, schools, children’s playgrounds, and smoking rooms in airports.

    At the time, it was considered one of the most restrictive tobacco laws, but it stopped short of outlawing smoking in the presence of minors in private places, such as vehicles or homes.

  • Baby lost with bath water

    Baby lost with bath water

    The Ethiopian parliament on Tuesday passed what is thought to be the most stringent tobacco-and-nicotine control legislation in Africa, according to a story in The Premium Times.

    The Food and Medicine Administration Proclamation, which was passed unanimously by parliament, will require public places and work places to be tobacco-smoke free.

    The new law will restrict the sale of flavored tobacco products.

    It will ban tobacco advertising and promotions, and require graphic health warnings to be applied to 70 per cent of the front and back of all tobacco products.

    And it will prohibit tobacco sales to anyone under the age of 21.

    In addition, the law will ban the sale of heated tobacco products, electronic cigarettes and shisha.