ASH Daily News for 09 July 2008

Protecting kids from smoking

Calls are being made to 'make smoking history' for children across the north east. Over 80 delegates from across the region gathered at St James' Park in Newcastle, where leading tobacco experts presented evidence to support further measures to protect children from the harmful effects of tobacco. The event marked the regional launch of the Government's National Tobacco Strategy consultation.

Those attending the event were told the results from a nationwide public opinion survey showed that 65 per cent of those questionned supported a ban on selling cigarettes from vending machines, 60 per cent called for the price of cigarettes to increase beyond that of inflations, and 59 per cent were in favour of banning the display of tobacco products.

Director of Fresh, Smoke Free North East, Ailsa Rutter, said: "The north east has the worst health inequalities and the highest rates of smoking in the country, so we have the most to gain from a fully funded tobacco strategy. "It is up to us to ensure we respond to the government's consultation and provide our children with the future they deserve, and make smoking history for our children."

Source: News Guardian, 09 July 2008
Link: http://tiny.cc/cfBC8

USA: FTC considers end to claims made for cigarette tar, nicotine

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is proposing to do away with a 40-year-old rule that allows tobacco companies to base their claims about the tar and nicotine levels of cigarettes on a testing method approved by the commission. If the commission rescinds its rule, cigarette advertisers will no longer be able to claim that their tar and nicotine ratings are endorsed by the FTC. 

The commission said that the testing method it has endorsed since 1966 may mislead smokers about the amount of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide they receive from smoking a particular cigarette. That's because smokers of lower-rated cigarettes tend to take bigger, deeper or more frequent puffs to obtain the dosage of nicotine they need, the commission said. For 40 years the commission has endorsed the "Cambridge Filter Method," which tests tar and nicotine levels by "smoking" cigarettes on a machine. When the FTC endorsed the testing method, it sought to promote standardized information about tar and nicotine levels in different cigarettes because public health officials believed that reducing the amount of tar in a cigarette reduced the smoker's risk of lung cancer.

But the commission said yesterday that the current consensus among federal health agencies and scientists is that the machine-based testing method produces no meaningful information for consumers. The FTC's proposal will undergo a public comment period before it can be enacted. Anti-smoking groups applauded the commission's proposal, but said that Congress also needed to take action. "While today's FTC action is important, it will not by itself end the tobacco industry's deceptive marketing of 'light' and 'low-tar' cigarettes and underscores the need for Congress to take comprehensive action by enacting pending legislation to grant the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulatory authority over tobacco products," said Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Source: lloyds.com, 08 July 2008
Link: http://tiny.cc/BaEC9

Cigarette smoking leads to bladder cancer - need for more awareness

Even though cigarette smoking accounts for up to half of all bladder cancer cases, few people are aware of the connection - including more than three-quarters of patients who have bladder cancer, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. This knowledge vacuum suggests that urologists and other physicians need to do a much better job of telling patients about the risk of smoking and encourage them to quit, the study authors say.

"The general public understands that cigarette smoking can lead to lung cancer, but very few people understand that it also can lead to bladder cancer," says senior author James E. Montie, M.D., Valassis Professor of Urologic Oncology at the U-M Health System. Montie notes that in the first four years after a smoker quits, the risk of developing bladder cancer decreases by 40 percent. The study appears in the July issue of The Journal of Urology.

Most patients who already had bladder cancer were, like the general public, unaware of the link between smoking and bladder cancer, the authors say. They cite one study in which only 22 percent of patients with the disease were aware that smoking was a risk factor. "A big gap exists between patient knowledge and their actual risk," says lead author Seth A. Strope, M.D., MPH, clinical lecturer in the U-M Department of Urology. "Our study suggests that physicians must do a much better job of communicating the risk to our patients, and directing them toward smoking cessation programs."

In the United States, more than 68,000 new cases of bladder cancer are expected to be diagnosed this year. Bladder cancer is one of the most costly cancers to treat, so the burden of the disease affects not only patients and their families but also the nation's health care financing system. Whites get bladder cancer twice as often as African Americans and Hispanics, and men are two to three times more likely than women to get bladder cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. In addition to smoking, having a family history of the disease also can increase a person's risk of developing bladder cancer. Secondhand smoke, the study notes, may be a risk factor but studies have not determined a conclusive link.

Source: News-Medical.net, 08 July 2008
Link: http://tiny.cc/X2mIo

World's smallest state aims to become the first smoke-free paradise island

It is the world's smallest self-governing state, with a population of just 1,400 and few resources other than fish and coconuts. There are about 250 smokers on Niue, a speck of coral with a GDP of barely NZ$6,000 (£2,280) per person, and local officials say the cost of treating smoking-related illnesses is placing a heavy strain on the health budget.

Sitaleki Finau, Niue's director of health, is backing a bill to prohibit smoking and the sale of tobacco in public areas and private homes. The bill has been presented to parliament, but the government has not yet signed up to it. Dr Finau said he expected a ban to face stiff opposition from the tobacco industry and other commercial interests. But he urged MPs to be bold and vote for it. "Small countries are allowed to be ambitious," he said yesterday. "If a small country can do this, then big countries will start thinking. Imagine what that means." The government would lose revenue from tobacco taxes but that would be more than offset by savings in the health budget, he said.

Like many countries, Niue – which translates as "behold the coconut" – has banned smoking in government offices and public buildings. But outlawing tobacco would be a radical step – particularly on an island so relaxed that, according to one saying, the dogs chase the cats at walking pace. One village, Tuapa, has already declared itself smoke-free. Tobacco is not sold there, and villagers refrain from smoking in public and during ceremonies.

Dr Finau said the government would have to consider whether a ban infringed smokers' rights. "There has been mixed reaction," he said. "It's one of those difficult political issues, because there are commercial interests against it, and the government has to look at it in relation to tax. A tobacco-free country sounds pretty straightforward and simple, but there are some complex issues involved." No date has been set for a vote, which could be two years away. Niue, 1,375 miles north-east of Auckland and 312 miles from Tonga, its nearest neighbour, is a former British protectorate. Britain gave it to New Zealand as a reward for the latter's contribution to the Anglo-Boer War, but since 1974 it has been independent "in free association" with Wellington.

Those who live on the island, 100 miles square, regard it as a South Pacific paradise. Beaches are heavenly, crime is non-existent, and the plentiful seafood includes crabs so large that people walk them on leashes. The locals serenade each other on guitars while watching tropical sunsets. Niue's problem is that, despite all that, everyone is leaving. The population is in steep decline, and some believe it has dropped below a sustainable level.

When Niue was granted independence, its people were given New Zealand citizenship and the chance to emigrate – an offer that now threatens Niue's survival. There are 20,000 Niueans in New Zealand, and those left behind intermittently debate whether the island should rejoin its former colonial ruler. Successive governments have failed to lure expatriate Niueans home. The island's isolation and lack of resources make for a fragile economy and Niue is heavily dependent on New Zealand aid and foreign remittances. Its main export is taro, a root vegetable. The capital, Alofi, has two shops. If Niue becomes smoke-free, it may lose another 250 residents. New Zealand's anti-smoking laws are not quite so draconian. 

Source: The Independent, 09 July 2008
Link: http://tiny.cc/qW39T