Tobacco.org

• Chilean restaurants’ smoke pollution 37 times endorsed level 

A study released Monday reported that in restaurants and bars that permit smoking, the contamination level is 37 times higher than the World Health Organization standard.

“These results demonstrate the high levels of contamination to which workers are exposed on these premises,” said spokesperson for Tobacco Free Chile Sonia Covarrubias.

Tobacco Free Chile surveyed the air quality at 30 bars, restaurants and cafes around Santiago, specifically in the Providencia, Bellavista and Santiago Central neighborhoods.

The establishments surveyed were both smoking and non-smoking, and the differences were quite telling.

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• Chilean scientists seek early detection test for lung cancer 

Scientists and researchers in Chile are working to develop technology that could help diagnose lung cancer at an earlier stage. The new technology will seek to identify genes that indicate a predisposition to certain cancers.

Lung cancer is the second deadliest cancer in Chile. Only 16-17 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer in Chile live longer than five years. Every year 500 people die from the illness and almost 1,900 more are diagnosed.

The research is being conducted in a joint effort between the British Columbia Cancer Agency (BCCA) based in Canada, the Center of Technology for Cancer (CeTeCancer) and the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, which is part of the Universidad de Chile.

Smoking, the leading cause of lung cancer, continues to be popular with Chileans, especially among youth. A recent study found that 30 percent of Chileans start smoking between the ages of 10 and 12.

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• Effects of prenatal smoking on infant neurodevelopment may be worse than feared: study 

In one of the largest studies of its kind to date, researchers have found that babies born to mothers who smoke while pregnant face substantial delays in early neurological development, and the effects may be stronger than researchers had previously thought.

According to the study, published in the Journal of Human Capital, smoking may cause as much as a 40 percentage point increase in the probability of being at risk of developmental problems in babies between 3 and 24 months old. The effects were strongest among children from poor families, the research found.

"This study underscores the dangers of prenatal smoking," said George Wehby, a professor at the University of Iowa's College of Public Health and the study's lead author. "We hope it also highlights the need for continued efforts to discourage expectant mothers from smoking."

Study subjects were recruited from health clinics in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. In all, nearly 1,600 children were included, making this one of the largest studies of prenatal smoking and neurodevelopment. . . .

"Given the importance of early child health and neurodevelopment for future wellbeing, targeted interventions to reduce prenatal smoking may result in significant improvements in child development and long-run human capital," Wehby said.

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• Chilean gov't presents reform bill to modify tobacco law 

Chile's Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter, Health Minister Jaime Manalich and Economy Minister Juan Andres Fontaine on Tuesday announced a reform bill to modify the country's anti-tobacco law.

The announcement was made as the World No Tobacco Day is coming.

With this reform, smoking will be prohibited in public places, including bars, restaurants, night clubs and offices.

The reform also considers to prohibit smoking in places where sports are practiced, no matter indoors or outdoors.

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New Market Research Report: Tobacco - Chile 

Cigarettes saw only saw limited growth of retail volume sales in 2009, much lower than in the previous year. Increasing public awareness of the harmful effects of smoking cigarettes, driven by educational campaigns from organisations such as Ministerio de Salud (MINSAL, the Health Ministry of the National Government), was a key variable in limiting growth. Another important factor was that some consumers with lower disposable incomes simply decreased consumption due to the economic crisis.

Euromonitor International's Tobacco in Chile report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data 2005-2009, allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market - be the new legislative, distribution or pricing issues. Forecasts to 2014 illustrate how the market is set to change.

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• Smokers ignore no-smoking law in Guangzhou 

"Give me an ash tray," Mr. Wu said to a waiter in a restaurant in the south China city of Guangzhou. As he surveyed the menu, he routinely lit up a cigarette, but this time a waiter quickly intervened, "Sorry, sir, no smoking here."

Since a local smoking-control law came into effect on September 1 in Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong Province, smoking has been prohibited in public places such as parks, amusement parks, Internet bars, cafes, airports, railway stations, stadiums and offices. In other words, local smokers can only smoke in the streets, their homes and limited public areas.

Lawmakers implanted the ban to have a smoke-free Asian Games, and also to move toward the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the first global treaty on cigarette control in the world. China signed the treaty in 2003, and promised that from January 2011, smoking would be strictly prohibited in all indoor public and working places, public vehicles and some outdoor public areas.

Wu reluctantly put out his cigarette, but later he lit up another one, completely ignoring the waiter, restaurant manager and the law.

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Trapped miners in Chile begin receiving cigarettes 

The 33 miners trapped 2,300 feet underground in a mine in Chile have persuaded officials to meet one of their most ardent requests since making contact with the surface: cigarettes. The regional governor in Atacama, where the San Jose mine is located, told reporters this weekend that the miners will now receive two cigarette packs a day, or 40 smokes, to ration among them.

"We're ready to do what we can to lift the miners' spirits," said Chilean Health Minister Jaime Manalich. A doctor in the rescue operation told the Agence France-Presse news agency that the miners were "responsible people" who could administer the cigarettes on their own.

The decision to send down smokes came after ventilation was improved in the shelter where the miners await their rescue. Previous measures to alleviate the miners' craving for cigarettes, nicotine patches and gum, were not effective, reports said.

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VIDEO: Stubbed out: ideal chance for miners to quit smoking 

Nicotine patches sent down to help smokers among the trapped miners deal with the lack of cigarettes had not worked, officials said.

The miners were given permission to light up after rescuers installed a multi-functional plastic tube that lets them get water and air, and have permanent telephone communication with the surface.

''We are not going to give a pack of cigarettes to each of them, but rather a reasonable amount,'' said Jorge Diaz, a medical doctor on the rescue team.

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Trapped Chilean Miners Get Cigarettes, Electricity 

And in an attempt to make life underground a little less stressful, rescuers have also approved the miners' longstanding request for cigarettes. Health officials had previously refused to supply them with cigarettes, saying that the smoke would pollute the air in their shelter, and further damage their already poor health. However, the miners were given permission to spark up Saturday, notes Agence France-Presse, after engineers finished work on a multi-purpose plastic tube that pumps water and fresh air down from the surface. That pipeline also includes a fiber-optic cable, allowing the men to stay in permanent telephone contact with rescuers and family members.

The miners, who have previously had to make do with nicotine patches and gum -- which seemingly did little to alleviate their tobacco cravings -- will now receive two packets of cigarettes a day to share among them. "We are not going to give a pack of cigarettes to each of them, but rather a reasonable amount," Jorge Diaz, a medical doctor on the rescue team, told AFP. "These are responsible people and we believe the doses that we deliver will be administered well."

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• Trapped Chilean miners persuade authorities to send in cigarettes 

some of the 33 miners who have grabbed the world's attention have been crying out for the right to smoke. After weeks of badgering, they have finally persuaded authorities to send them cigarettes down a supply tube.

The group will receive two packets a day, the governor of Atacama region, Ximena Matas, told reporters over the weekend. "We have sent a number of cigarettes ... to a person who will distribute them, and there should be no difficulties," Matas said. . . .

"We are not going to give a pack of cigarettes, but rather a limited amount," Jorge Diaz, a doctor on the rescue team, told AFP. "Regardless of how good the ventilation system is now, they are still trapped, and ventilation cannot be optimal. These are responsible people and we believe the doses that we deliver will be administered well," he said.

The miners have become national heroes and book and movie deals about their ordeal are already being made. For tobacco companies chafing at advertising restrictions it could be a promotional dream, though it was not immediately known which brand was delivered, nor how many of the miners smoke.

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Tobacco smoking in urban neighborhoods: Exploring social capital as a protective factor in Santiago, Chile  

Introduction: Research examining the relationship between social capital and health in Latin America has been limited. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between social capital and tobacco use in four low-income neighborhoods in Santiago, Chile. . . .

Results: The prevalence of smoking was 43.9% of the surveyed population. A five-factor structure for social capital was identified, including "perceived trust in neighbors," "perceived trust in organizations," "reciprocity within the neighborhood," "neighborhood integration," and "social participation." An inverse relationship between trust in neighbors and tobacco smoking was statistically significantly with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.95 (95% CI: 0.91–0.99). Trust in neighbors was also significantly inversely associated with the number of cigarettes smoked.

Discussion: Tobacco control remains a significant challenge in global health, requiring innovative strategies that address changing social contexts as well as the changing epidemiological profile of developing regions.

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Chilean miners requests for alcohol and cigarettes turned down by Nasa  

Requests for alcohol and cigarettes by the 33 trapped Chilean miners have been refused by a Nasa doctor and they have instead been given nicotine patches to get them through their ordeal.

The miners had added wine and cigarettes to a wish list of items they wanted to help them cope, but were told they will have to forego the vices of drinking and smoking during what is expected to be several months underground. . . .

Cigarettes were deemed to be bad for their health in such an enclosed space, but they have been given both patches and nicotine gum to help them counter withdrawal symptoms.

Dr Duncan said: "It's an environment that's pretty enclosed and we don't want to contribute to any of the problems within the atmosphere of the mine."

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• No smoking, wine for miners 

Requests for wine and cigarettes by the trapped Chilean miners have been refused. They have been given nicotine patches instead.

The 33 men were told they would have to endure what is expected to be several months underground without strong drink or a smoke.

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• Tobacco smoking in seven Latin American cities: the CARMELA study  

Methods

The Cardiovascular Risk Factor Multiple Evaluation in Latin America (CARMELA) study is a cross-sectional epidemiological study of 11 550 adults between 25 and 64 years old in Barquisimeto, Venezuela; Bogota, Colombia; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Lima, Peru; Mexico City, Mexico; Quito, Ecuador; and Santiago, Chile. Tobacco smoking, including cigarettes, cigars and pipes, was surveyed among other cardiovascular risk factors.

Results

Santiago and Buenos Aires had the highest smoking prevalence (45.4% and 38.6%, respectively); male and female rates were similar. In other cities, men smoked more than women, most markedly in Quito (49.4% of men vs 10.5% of women). Peak male smoking prevalence occurred among the youngest two age groups (25–34 and 35–44 years old). Men and women of Buenos Aires smoked the highest number of cigarettes per day on average (15.7 and 12.4, respectively). Men initiated regular smoking earlier than women in each city (ranges 13.7–20.0 years vs 14.2–21.1 years, respectively). Exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke at workplace for more than 5 h per day was higher in Barquisimeto (28.7%), Buenos Aires (26.8%) and Santiago (21.5%). The highest prevalence of former smokers was found among men in Buenos Aires, Santiago and Lima (30.0%, 26.8% and 26.0% respectively).

Conclusions

Smoking prevalence was high in the seven CARMELA cities, although patterns of smoking varied among cities. A major health and economic burden is inevitable in urban Latin America unless effective comprehensive tobacco control measures recommended by the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control are implemented.

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• Chile’s Health Ministry Seeks To Prohibit Electronic Cigarettes 

Electronic cigarettes, which have experienced a small rise in popularity around the country in the last few years, will be banned in Chile come November if Congress passes regulations recently proposed by the Ministry of Health.

In Chile, over 18,000 people are consumers of the ersatz cigarette, which provides inhaled doses of nicotine by way of vaporized solution.

Although originally advertised as a healthier alternative to smoking normal cigarettes, international evidence has mounted against the supposed health benefits of the battery-powered device in recent years. Most researchers now believe that they are as dangerous as normal cigarettes.

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