Sheffield smokers needed to take part in university's e-cigarette study

A Sheffield university is looking for smokers trying to give up the habit to take part in a study. Researchers at Sheffield Hallam University need more than 250 recruits to help them look at the benefits and risks of using e-cigarettes to stop smoking. Successful applicants will have their progress monitored for six months. The research team will measure the participants’ cholesterol levels, their nicotine dependence as well as the amount of carbon monoxide in their breath and they will also assess the functioning of the small arteries and veins. To take part in the study, participants must be willing to give up smoking and be prepared to follow their assigned programme. They will be asked to attend four assessment sessions at the University's Collegiate campus during the six-month period. Smokers that are pregnant, are expecting to have surgery or have insulin-controlled diabetes, will not be considered for the study. E-cigarette participants will be provided with free supplies for three months, an e-cigarette starting kit and regular behavioural change support by the research team. Participants using the stop smoking services will receive the cost of a three-month NHS prescription certificate, irrespective of whether they currently pay for their prescriptions.


Dr Markos Klonizakis, who is leading the study, said: "Everyone is aware that smoking is bad for your health and is one of the main causes of cardiovascular disease. "Cigarette smoke contains about 9,000 different chemicals and that's why smokers should be encouraged to stop, not just for their own benefit but for the benefit of their families and the public purse. "Around 2.8 million people in the UK are using e-cigarettes as way of stopping smoking or as an alternative to traditional smoking but our knowledge of their effects on the small veins and arteries of regular smokers is largely unknown. "Our study will aim to bridge this knowledge gap, by providing unbiased, well-supported evidence."



The research is funded by Heart Research UK. To take part call Gareth Jones on 0114 225 4312 or e-mail HeartResearch@shu.ac.uk.

Resource :http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/health/sheffield-smokers-needed-to-take-part-in-university-s-e-cigarette-study-1-8568325

Heat-not-burn’ cigarettes still release cancer-causing chemicals

The smoke released by this “heat-not-burn” cigarette had 84% of the nicotine found in traditional cigarettes, researchers report in JAMA Internal Medicine.

NEW YORK – A new type of “heat-not-burn” cigarette releases some of the same cancer-causing chemicals found in traditional cigarette smoke, a recent experiment suggests.

Researchers analysed the chemical compounds and nicotine in smoke from traditional cigarettes and from the new devices, which are designed to heat disposable tobacco sticks and give users the taste of tobacco without the smoke or ash.

The smoke released by this “heat-not-burn” cigarette had 84% of the nicotine found in traditional cigarettes, researchers report in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Heat-not-burn cigarettes also released chemicals linked to cancer including carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

The research team was surprised to find that heat-not-burn cigarettes “released some of these chemicals in much higher concentrations that conventional cigarettes,” said lead study author Dr Reto Auer of the University of Bern in Switzerland.

“We need more studies to find out about the health consequences” of smoking heat-not-burn cigarettes, Auer said by email.

“However, there is no safe minimum limit for some of the chemicals” in heat-not-burn cigarette smoke, Auer added, “and some of these chemicals may contribute to the high mortality rate of smokers.”

To see how heat-not-burn cigarettes compared to conventional cigarettes in terms of chemicals released, Auer and colleagues analysed the smoke from Lucky Strike Blue Lights and the newer alternative tobacco devices using a smoking device developed to capture fumes from traditional and electronic cigarettes.

They looked at the contents of the I-Quit-Ordinary Smoking (IQOS) product from Philip Morris International with an IQOS holder, IQOS pocket charger, Marlboro HeatSticks regular and Heets.

While more studies are needed to determine the long-term health effects of heat-not-burn cigarettes, their use should be restricted until more is known about them, Auer argues.

“Harmful chemicals were present in IQOS smoke, though in lower concentrations, on average,” Auer said. “We need to conduct more studies to find out whether IQOS are safer for users or bystanders.”

Based on their findings, the authors conclude that heated tobacco products should fall under the same indoor smoking bans in place for conventional cigarettes to prevent bystanders from breathing the fumes.

That’s because the new tobacco products threaten the progress that has been made on decreasing the harms of second-hand smoke, because existing bans may not apply to heat-not-burn cigarettes, Dr Mitchell Katz, deputy editor of JAMA Internal Medicine wrote in an editor’s note accompanying the study.

“There is concern that heat-not-burn tobacco will skirt local ordinances that prevent smoking in public areas,” Katz, director of the Los Angeles County Health Agency, said by email.

“This would harm public health by eroding social norms about the use of tobacco,” Katz added. “In addition, the article demonstrates that heat-not-burn products release carcinogens, so the use of these products in public space would harm the health of both the user and those around the user.”

NEW YORK – A new type of “heat-not-burn” cigarette releases some of the same cancer-causing chemicals found in traditional cigarette smoke, a recent experiment suggests.

Researchers analysed the chemical compounds and nicotine in smoke from traditional cigarettes and from the new devices, which are designed to heat disposable tobacco sticks and give users the taste of tobacco without the smoke or ash.

The smoke released by this “heat-not-burn” cigarette had 84% of the nicotine found in traditional cigarettes, researchers report in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Heat-not-burn cigarettes also released chemicals linked to cancer including carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

The research team was surprised to find that heat-not-burn cigarettes “released some of these chemicals in much higher concentrations that conventional cigarettes,” said lead study author Dr Reto Auer of the University of Bern in Switzerland.

“We need more studies to find out about the health consequences” of smoking heat-not-burn cigarettes, Auer said by email.

“However, there is no safe minimum limit for some of the chemicals” in heat-not-burn cigarette smoke, Auer added, “and some of these chemicals may contribute to the high mortality rate of smokers.”

To see how heat-not-burn cigarettes compared to conventional cigarettes in terms of chemicals released, Auer and colleagues analysed the smoke from Lucky Strike Blue Lights and the newer alternative tobacco devices using a smoking device developed to capture fumes from traditional and electronic cigarettes.

They looked at the contents of the I-Quit-Ordinary Smoking (IQOS) product from Philip Morris International with an IQOS holder, IQOS pocket charger, Marlboro HeatSticks regular and Heets.

While more studies are needed to determine the long-term health effects of heat-not-burn cigarettes, their use should be restricted until more is known about them, Auer argues.

“Harmful chemicals were present in IQOS smoke, though in lower concentrations, on average,” Auer said. “We need to conduct more studies to find out whether IQOS are safer for users or bystanders.”

Based on their findings, the authors conclude that heated tobacco products should fall under the same indoor smoking bans in place for conventional cigarettes to prevent bystanders from breathing the fumes.

That’s because the new tobacco products threaten the progress that has been made on decreasing the harms of second-hand smoke, because existing bans may not apply to heat-not-burn cigarettes, Dr Mitchell Katz, deputy editor of JAMA Internal Medicine wrote in an editor’s note accompanying the study.

“There is concern that heat-not-burn tobacco will skirt local ordinances that prevent smoking in public areas,” Katz, director of the Los Angeles County Health Agency, said by email.

“This would harm public health by eroding social norms about the use of tobacco,” Katz added. “In addition, the article demonstrates that heat-not-burn products release carcinogens, so the use of these products in public space would harm the health of both the user and those around the user.”

 Resource : http://ewn.co.za/2017/05/29/heat-not-burn-cigarettes-still-release-cancer-causing-chemicals

Rising cigarette prices fail to reduce smoking

Price controls fail to affect smoking cessation due to weak implementation

The cheap cost of cigarettes in Kenya —sold as a single stick instead of by the pack as required by law — is keeping smokers on a habit that the world targets to reduce drastically, a new survey ahead of the World Tobacco Day, tomorrow, has shown.

In the survey conducted in Nairobi and Embu Counties, smokers indicated that they have considered quitting due to health concerns, but not because of cost, since they can still afford to buy a few sticks at a time, instead of whole packs. Price was actually the least mentioned reason for why respondents felt motivated to quit smoking. In fact, the study showed that certain groups of people were likely to spend more money on smoking than on other more important needs.

“Young people, the less-educated and people with lower incomes are paying more for cigarettes and spending a greater proportion of their income on tobacco at the expense of other individual and family needs,” the research paper states in part.

While a cigarette pack, containing 20 sticks, costs between Sh120 to Sh250, neighbourhood shopkeepers and street vendors across the country sell a single stick for between Sh7 to Sh10. As a result of these tobacco products being accessible and affordable, over 60 per cent of tobacco users in the two counties reported smoking nine sticks a day, on average.

The total market value of cigarettes in Kenya is estimated at Sh35 billion, which translates to about 7.4 billion sticks.

This is based on responses from 592 smokers who were surveyed by the International Institute for Legislative Affairs (IILA) for a study titled Influence of retail price on tobacco smoking habits in Kenya: A case study of smokers in Nairobi and Embu Counties.

Most adult smokers (90 per cent) started smoking as teens or children.

EQUAL TAXATION

Higher prices and taxation are considered the most effective means of controlling and stopping tobacco use in the world as stated in the study:

“As tobacco retail prices increased (in the past two years under the Excise Duty Act of 2015), most smokers chose to smoke fewer cigarettes or opted to change to cheaper brands rather than to quit, unless the tobacco retail prices rose to very high levels.”

However, despite the effect of higher prices and taxes on tobacco control, Emma Wanyonyi, the Executive Director of IILA, says that the gains are being eroded.

 “It is surprising that in the 2017-2018 budget statement, the Treasury CS (Henry Rotich) has taken an about-turn by introducing a two-tier tax structure of Sh2,500 per 1,000 cigarettes with filters and Sh1,800 per 1,000 cigarettes for plain cigarettes,” she says.

What this means is that economy cigarette brands such as Rooster and Rocket will cost less than premium brands like Dunhill and Embassy and mid-priced brands like Sportsman, Sweet Menthol, Super Match and Safari.

Mr Rotich says the move was informed by “industry concerns” on current taxation of cigarettes which was termed as inequitable and adversely affected demand for locally produced low-value cigarettes.

This move was to cushion local cigarette manufacturers and in turn spur growth in sale of cheaper cigarette brands whose demand had gone down due to high taxation.

This, however, from a public health perspective, Ms Wanyonyi maintains, is unsettling.

“The cigarette types targeted for the reduction in tax rate are mostly consumed by low-income earners who already bear a disproportionate share of the health and economic burden,” she notes.

Therefore, the study recommends a review of tobacco taxation and excise duty tax on cigarettes which is currently lower than the World Health Organisation recommended 70 per cent of retail selling price. It also recommends a uniform tax structure for all tobacco products, equal treatment of all tobacco product brands and elimination of pro-poor policies that keep some cigarette brands within reach of low-income earners.

The study also shows that there is a lower incidence of tobacco use by women. Like the 2014 Global Adult Tobacco Survey, the study found that a majority of female tobacco users (83 per cent) use smokeless tobacco.

However, the research indicates that given that female smokers are  frowned upon, there is a high likelihood that they would be unlikely to join other smokers in the designated smoking areas.

_____

PROPOSALS

1. Protect gains achieved so far, including the current tax structure under the Excise Duty Act, 2015 (single/uniform tax structure applicable to all tobacco products).

2. Progressively increase tobacco excise tax rates towards the WHO recommended 70 per cent of retail selling price.

3. Eliminate ‘pro- poor policies’ in relation to taxation of tobacco products to protect low-income earners from the disproportionate burden of accompanying health costs.

4. Equal treatment of all tobacco products to avoid brand switching.

5. Strengthen enforcement of ban in single sticks as provided for in the Tobacco Control Act.

****

THE NUMBERS

About 1 million cancer deaths per year globally are due to tobacco smoking.

There are about 2.5 million tobacco users in the country, mostly men. On average, a Kenyan smoker spends about Sh48 a day or Sh1, 072 a month on cigarettes, with young people aged 15 to 24 years spending nearly double that amount per month on the habit.

Resource :http://www.nation.co.ke/health/Rising-cigarette-prices-fail-to-reduce-smoking/3476990-3947018-hbw1eo/

Robber steals a beer then returns for cigarettes,

NATIONAL CITY, Calif. — A man who demanded cash at a National City 7- Eleven store early Wednesday but only managed to take a beer returned about 90 minutes later and tried to rob it a second time, police said.

The 30-year-old suspect first tried to purchase a beer at the convenience store at the corner of East Plaza Boulevard and South Harbison Avenue using a fake $10 bill around 12:30 a.m., but the clerk quickly noticed the money was counterfeit, according to National City police.

The suspect then reached toward his waistband and told the clerk he had a gun. He demanded money from the register, but ultimately fled with only the beer, police said.

Shortly after 2 a.m., the suspect again entered the store and ordered the same employee to hand over cash from the register and cigarettes from a display, according to police.

The clerk was able to call 911 and told a dispatcher “he’s back,” police said. Responding officers arrested the suspect as he was attempting to leave the store. His name was not immediately available.

Resource : http://fox5sandiego.com/2017/05/24/robber-steals-a-beer-then-returns-for-cigarettes-cash/

Frankston and peninsula footy clubs say it’s time to give cigarettes the boot at sporting venues

FRANKSTON and peninsula footy clubs reckon it’s time to give cigarettes the boot at sporting venues.

All senior clubs including Seaford, Pines, Frankston YCW, Mornington, Red Hill, Edithvale Aspendale, Pearcedale, Dromana and Crib Point will launch their new hard line on smoking at the Quit Challenge Round on June 3 by banning smoking everywhere at their clubs — except for one designated area.

Peninsula Health’s Andie Murphy said the initiative was a major step.

“I congratulate all of the clubs for signing the Frankston Mornington Peninsula Smoke Free Charter and working to create a healthier environment for their players, supporters and the community,” she said.

Seaford Football Club president Dale O’Neil said his club was committed to making the footy a fun and safe day out for families.

“Footy and smoking isn’t a good mix — it’s not good for players or supporters to be around which is why we signed on to the smoke-free charter and implemented a designated smoking area,” he said.

St Kilda Football Club coach Alan Richardson praised the clubs that had signed on to the smoke-free initiative and encouraged others to follow.

“We all need to contribute to make the footy a place everyone can enjoy safely. Join us and play your part in making local football a smoke-free environment.”

Frankston District Junior Football League has gone completely smoke free — banning smoking at all football grounds during organised underage sporting events.

Ms Murphy said this had provided people with a smoke-free sporting environment, reducing players’ and spectator’s exposure to the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and helping discourage youngsters from taking up the habit,

The Mornington Peninsula Junior Football League has been smoke free for one year and it has been successful, according to league president Andrew Souter.

“There has been a noticeable difference with no one smoking around the grounds on game day and at training, which is great to see,” he said.

Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Bev Colomb congratulated the local clubs for recognising the importance of health and wellbeing within the sporting and broader community.

Frankston Mayor Brian Cunial said the clubs involved were setting a great example for other clubs across the state.

QUIT CHALLENGE ROUND

* Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League: Seaford Football Club, Seaford Rd, hosts a handball competition with women’s football ambassadors, St Kilda Football Club representatives and Frankston Mayor Brian Cunial attending on Saturday, June 3.

* Frankston District Junior Football League: Seaford Junior Football Club, Belvedere Reserve; and Mornington Peninsula Junior Football League: BlueScope Oval, Hastings, host Quit initiatives on Sunday, June 4.

Resource :http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/south-east/frankston-and-peninsula-footy-clubs-say-its-time-to-give-cigarettes-the-boot-at-sporting-venues/news-story/8ec5532395ced1b26445a591e39062d6

E-cigarettes on the rise among Rochester teens

ROCHESTER — E-cigarette usage has become a significant public health concern across the nation, especially among youth.

The battery-operated devices, also known as vaporizers, have surpassed traditional cigarettes as the most commonly used tobacco product among youth — with more than one-third of young adults having tried them, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although e-cigarette use within Rochester Community Schools’ middle and high schools isn’t exactly new, police liaison officer Amy Drehmer said she has noticed a steady increase, especially over the last year. She updated the Rochester City Council on the issue during its May 8 meeting.

“It’s such a huge problem right now,” Drehmer said. “I had a kid the other day who I confiscated his e-cigarette that we found at school and he said, ‘You’re taking her from me?’ I said, ‘Yeah. What do you mean? It has a gender?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, that’s Stacey.’ That’s how into these e-cigarettes they are. They even give them names.”

E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that heat up nicotine with flavorings and other chemicals and supply them to the user in a vapor instead of smoke.

Although e-cigarettes are often promoted as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes, Drehmer said there’s still a lot we don’t know about the health risks associated with usage.

“Sellers are luring the kids in by selling the bubblegum and watermelon (flavors) and saying it is safer than cigarette smoke, but anytime you burn a chemical and then you inhale it into your lungs, it’s not safe,” she explained.

Depending on the brand, e-cigarette cartridges typically contain nicotine, a component to produce the aerosol and flavorings. Potentially harmful constituents have been documented in some e-cigarette cartridges, including irritants, genotoxins and animal carcinogens, according to the CDC.

Along with nicotine-laced products, teens have also been known to use e-cigarettes for illegal substances — like the synthetic drug Cloud 9 and marijuana — according to Drehmer.

“A synthetic drug, pretty much the only way to describe it is a mad scientist is in their garage mixing up stuff to get kids high, and that is really what it is,” Drehmer said. “When we talk about synthetics, the problem is these mad scientists are one step above the law. Once the law comes out that we are going to ban these synthetics, they already have their next potion to roll back out at the gas stations. … We have no idea what they look like, and they are odorless.”

The e-cigarette devices are so small that Drehmer said teens can easily hide them in their hands, pockets or wallets. Because their vapor is colorless and often odorless, Drehmer said, it is hard to detect, and teens have been so bold as to smoke them in school parking lots, bathrooms and even in class.

In an effort to curtail e-cigarette usage among teens, she said, the Rochester Police Department is urging the City Council to tighten up its possession of tobacco by minors and e-cigarette ordinances.

“Our ordinances, when they were first adopted a few years ago, I felt like they were appropriate,” Drehmer said. “But now, it has skyrocketed — the use of these cigarettes. The FDA has said that it has gone up three times in the last couple of years, the usage by teenagers.”

Under the city’s current ordinances, minors caught in possession of e-cigarettes or those caught selling the devices to minors are charged with a municipal civil infraction, which includes a maximum penalty of a $50 fine.

Rochester City Attorney Jeffrey Kragt said the proposed changes — which the council was scheduled to vote on May 22 — would increase the fines from $50 to $100, add a provision for community service to be part of any conviction, and create a two-tiered penalty provision to allow for handling second-offense violations as misdemeanor offenses. He said a first-offense violation of use or possession would remain a civil infraction. Under the proposed changes, penalties for selling, giving or furnishing tobacco or e-cigarettes to a minor would also be upgraded from a civil infraction to a misdemeanor.

Many on the council were surprised to hear of Drehmer’s experiences with e-cigarette usage among teens in the schools.

“Truthfully, this is really sad news to me,” said Mayor Pro Tem Kim Russell.

“In terms of the places in town to get this, there is not that many, from what I understand,” Councilman Ben Giovanelli added. “But we can’t control what goes on in the greater environment around us.”

Drehmer said the Rochester Police Department frequents local gas stations to keep an eye on what they are selling.

“We know what they have in there, but there are a lot of what they call head shops or smoke shops. You can drive anywhere and see vaporizer shops,” she said.

Drehmer hopes the enhanced penalties provide a greater deterrent toward combating the problem.

“This is a start, so that when we encounter them at the Police Department, we have some stronger ordinances,” she said.

Resource : http://www.candgnews.com/news/e-cigarettes-rise-among-rochester-teens-101532

Essay: Sen-Sens and Cigarettes

Our view of our parents evolves as we get older - from believing they’re omnipotent to understanding they aren’t, and that they are fallible. Lake Effect essayist, Cari Taylor-Carlson, was an adolescent when a pack of cigarettes taught her a vital lesson about her mother.

Kids are supposed to believe everything their moms tell them. Right? Moms are supposed to always tell the truth. Right? That’s the line I believed when I was 11 and Mom said, “If you smoke even one cigarette, you will stunt your growth.” She said a lot more than that, but all I heard was “stunt your growth.” She lectured, pontificated about many subjects which related to behaving myself. Most of the time, like any kid, I turned deaf when she started one of her monologues.

But that word “stunt” crept into my brain as if I would be 4’9’, the 7th grade girl in brown and white saddle oxford shoes who spoke when no one listened, forever overlooked, surrounded by perfect popular girls.

Mom’s threat challenged me, a troublemaker who liked to push the boundaries of proper behavior. That’s why my friend Claudia and I stole a pack of Pall Malls, from my parent’s kitchen cupboard. Don’t tell me not to smoke. That’s an invitation to bring on the cigarettes.

This was the 50s. Everyone smoked. We were curious, liked the smell. When my mom smoked, she put on her happy face, especially when she took a deep breath and let a long swirl out her nose. My dad blew smoke rings, huge smoke rings, big enough for me to put my fist through. I decided if he could do it, so could I.

We hocked the cigarettes and headed for the woods behind my house where we knew no one would look for us. We used half a package of matches on the first cigarette, the more we tried, the more it fizzled, no matter how hard we sucked on the end. After Claudia finally got one lit, we smoked it down to the part where we were chewing tobacco. What was left was soggy, wet from our lips curled around the butt end.

When we finished, we buried the butt underneath some berry bushes. I got the giggles. That’s when Claudia said “Yuk. Your breath smells disgusting, like rotten eggs and wet tobacco. We can’t go home like this. Our parents will know.”

“Then let’s steal something at the drug store,” I said. “Let’s get something to make our breath smell better.”

We walked to Rexalls on Twelve-Mile Road, two blocks from my house, where I slipped some Sen-Sens in to my pocket. Big letters on the outside of the box read “Breath Freshener.” Problem solved.

The Sen-Sens came in a small cardboard container, like a kitchen match box with an inside compartment which slid out like a dresser drawer. It had a small hole on the bottom. When we shook it, little square things fell into our hands. We hid behind the magazine rack and forced ourselves to chew all the horrid so called breath fresheners, pellets which tasted like licorice, black jelly beans, black gum drops, Twizzlers, only worse, stronger, disgusting.

While we laughed and choked on the Sen-Sens, we failed to note the man behind the counter watching us. As I tossed the empty box in the wastebasket I heard a loud voice, “Wait, just a minute.”

He wrote down our names, addresses, and phone numbers, fished the box out of the trash and said, “Take this home; show it to your parents; tell them what you did.”

Not only did I have to return to the drugstore with an apology, pay for the stupid little Sen-Sens with my entire allowance from the last month, I also got the spanking of my life. I had a purple butt from the spatula Mom used on me in her fury when she found out her child was a thief.

My bruised butt healed in a week. I secretly recorded my height on my bedroom wall and checked every day to see if I was growing. After two years and three inches, I stopped checking and decided Mom had lied. She gets high grades for creativity because even at 11, she suspected I fantasized myself someday tall, willowy, sexy.

I’m not sure the punishment matched the crime, or which was worse, the stolen cigarette I smoked, or the Sen Sen theft.

What I do know is this. Sometimes Moms are allowed to tell their children things which drop into the grey area of half-truths, which then land in the category of “This is for your own good.” My mom’s bluff, not fully understood until I had my own children, took on a life of its own as evidenced by my belief in the stunted growth theory.

Some part of Mom’s empty threat worked, because all my high school friends smoked. I refused to try another cigarette until I was eighteen, certain I had reached my full adult height, 5’5”.

Resource : http://wuwm.com/post/essay-sen-sens-and-cigarettes-0#stream/0