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A consistent decline in heart attack rates following the implementation of smoking bans 

Strongly enforced legislation to restrict smoking produces rapid and substantial reductions in community rates of heart attack, according to a meta-analysis published today in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association.(1) The analysis pooled 13 studies from regions in North America, Italy, Scotland and Ireland and, despite their geographical range, found a consistent reduced risk of hospitalisation for heart attack (acute myocardial infarction, AMI) of 17% (ie, a relative risk for AMI of 0.83) at 12 months following implementation of the law. The investigators added that this benefit "grows with time", reaching a gain of "about 36%" in three years.

The study was designed to determine the "consistent" effect of smoking bans on AMI rates in communities, and was therefore concerned with both the direct and second-hand effects of smoking. Several studies have shown that the effects of second-hand smoke on many biological mediators associated with AMI risk occur rapidly and are nearly as large as those from direct smoking. For example, a study reported last year showed that passive exposure to second-hand smoke in as short a time as 24 hours led to "sustained vascular injury" characterised by reduced endothelial function and activity of endothelial progenitor cells.(2) According to the American Heart Association's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2009 Update, non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke at home or at work have a 25-30% increased risk of developing heart disease.

Since the first smoking bans were introduced (the first in Europe was in 2004 in Ireland) there have been many reports showing a decline in hospital admissions for AMI following implementation. . . .

Commenting on the Circulation meta-analysis for the European Society of Cardiology, Professor Joep Perk from Oskarshamn District Hospital in Sweden said: "This is an exciting and important study, with implications for both basic scientists and for politicians."

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EUROPEAN SMOKEFREE QUITTER OF THE YEAR 2009 

QUIT® are looking for people who have an inspirational story that will inspire others to stop smoking. If you quit on or after January 1, 2008, or are hoping to quit for good soon, you could be in with a chance of winning.

Prizes

* European Smokefree Quitter of the Year wins 5,000 Euros in holiday vouchers.

* European Smokefree Quitter of the Year runner up wins 2,000 Euros in holiday vouchers

* The UK finalist wins a trip to the award ceremony in Spain in February 2010.

Deadline Dates

To be eligible you must have quit on or after January 1, 2008 and been smoke-free for six months by the closing date of December 31, 2009.

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Sweden wants EU to lift 'snus' tobacco ban 

As countries across the EU curb smoking, Sweden is fighting to get a European-wide ban lifted on 'snus,' a moist tobacco popular across Scandinavia that is sucked rather than chewed or smoked.

The small, teabag-like pouches, also called moist snuff, are used by nearly one million Swedes. Placed under the user's lip, they quickly deliver a nicotine rush to the blood and a strong salt and herbs flavour in the mouth.

While cigarette sales have tumbled by 50 percent in Sweden over the past 30 years, snus is on the up, with sales rising from some 2,500 tonnes a year in the 1970s to almost 7,500 tonnes in 2008.

That equals some 800 sachets a year for the average Swedish snus user.

It is also popular in other parts of the Nordic region. . . .

In its role at the helm of the EU presidency, Sweden is in prime position to make its case and Stockholm has intensified talks with the European Commission and other member states on the subject.

"As the presidency, you're not supposed to put things on the agenda that can be seen as national priorities ... But on the other hand, we cannot rule out that this issue will come up in some form during other discussions," Swedish Trade Minister Ewa Bj�rling told AFP in a telephone interview.

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Cigarette pack design gives misleading ‘smoke signals’ 

The research published in the European Journal of Public Health 2009 reveals that products bearing the word ‘smooth’ or using lighter coloured branding mislead people into thinking that these products are less harmful to their health.

Since 2002 it has been illegal for manufacturers to use trademarks, text or any sign to suggest that one tobacco product is less harmful than another. But these regulations have clearly failed to stop misleading information appearing on tobacco packaging.

The research comes at a time of mounting pressure to strip packs of misleading branding, leaving only the name of the brand in a standard font. In Australia the Government’s Preventative Health Task Force has advised the Government to “Eliminate promotion of tobacco products through design of packaging” as part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce tobacco deaths.

In the UK, the Liberal Democrat front bench are to reintroduce an amendment to the Health Bill to introduce similar restrictions in the UK. The Health Bill is due to be debated on 12 October, the first day Parliament returns from its summer recess.

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Tobacco use prohibited in European hospitals  

Tobacco use is prohibited in hospitals in many European countries, although levels of compliance with this regulation differ. A study carried out by researchers from the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) has shown for the first time that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in European hospitals is "low", and "without any notable differences" between them.

Europe wants to see smoking in all closed public places banned by 2012. However, to date only 10 European countries – Spain is not among them – are applying this regulation comprehensively. Now a research study has described the levels of environmental tobacco smoke in European hospitals and has shown for the first time that exposure is "low" and "without any notable differences between them".

The study, carried out in 2001 in 30 hospitals throughout seven European countries (Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Greece, Romania and Spain) measured levels of particulates with a diameter of 2.5 micros (known as PM2.5) (μg/m3) or below, which indicate the presence of environmental tobacco smoke, at six standard sites in each hospital.

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Smoke no longer found in European hospitals 

Tobacco use is prohibited in hospitals in many European countries, although levels of compliance with this regulation differ. A study carried out by researchers from the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) has shown for the first time that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in European hospitals is "low", and "without any notable differences" between them.

Europe wants to see smoking in all closed public places banned by 2012. However, to date only 10 European countries – Spain is not among them – are applying this regulation comprehensively. Now a research study has described the levels of environmental tobacco smoke in European hospitals and has shown for the first time that exposure is "low" and "without any notable differences between them".

The study, carried out in 2001 in 30 hospitals throughout seven European countries (Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Greece, Romania and Spain) measured levels of particulates with a diameter of 2.5 micros (known as PM2.5) (μg/m3) or below, which indicate the presence of environmental tobacco smoke, at six standard sites in each hospital.

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• Cigarette branding 'misleading' 

Subtle branding on cigarette packets is misleading smokers into believing some products are less harmful than others, research suggests.

Products branded "smooth", "silver" or "gold" are generally believed to be healthier and easier to give up, a survey of1,300 people found.

But when shown plain packs the false beliefs disappeared, University of Nottingham researchers discovered.

EU rules ban any claims that some cigarettes are safer than others. . . .

The results from 800 adult smokers and 500 teenagers, all in the UK, also showed that lighter-coloured packaging led people to believe the cigarettes had a lower tar content or were generally less harmful. . . .

Professor David Hammond, from the Department of Health Studies and Gerontology at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, said: "The truth is that all cigarettes are equally hazardous, regardless of what colour the pack is or what words appear on it.

"These tactics are giving consumers a false sense of reassurance that simply does not exist."

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• Smoke No Longer Found In European Hospitals 

Tobacco use is prohibited in hospitals in many European countries, although levels of compliance with this regulation differ. A study carried out by researchers from the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) has shown for the first time that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in European hospitals is "low", and "without any notable differences" between them.

Europe wants to see smoking in all closed public places banned by 2012. However, to date only 10 European countries Spain is not among them are applying this regulation comprehensively. Now a research study has described the levels of environmental tobacco smoke in European hospitals and has shown for the first time that exposure is "low" and "without any notable differences between them".

The study, carried out in 2001 in 30 hospitals throughout seven European countries (Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Greece, Romania and Spain) measured levels of particulates with a diameter of 2.5 micros (known as PM2.5) (μg/m3) or below, which indicate the presence of environmental tobacco smoke, at six standard sites in each hospital.

Esteve Fern�ndez, lead author of the study and a researcher at the ICO, tells SINC "it is important to measure compliance with laws by regularly measuring levels of environmental tobacco smoke". To do this, the experts suggest that national and European regulations to control tobacco addiction should ban smoking in health establishments without any exceptions.

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• Revealed: £2bn cost to UK from cigarette smuggling  

At the Ukrainian-Polish border town of Przemysl, the seizure of 4,500 cigarettes hardly solicits a reaction. The border guards know the discovery will barely impact on one of Europe's fastest-growing forms of organised crime.

For criminal gangs from the Mafia to the Triads, cigarette smuggling is the new cash cow, and governments, companies and taxpayers are suffering the consequences.

Europe's growing addiction to cigarette smuggling is burning a £7bn hole in the pockets of governments in western Europe through lost tax revenues, and leaving companies including UK-listed British American Tobacco (BAT) and Imperial Tobacco nursing some £600m in lost sales each year.

While the problem starts in many of the former Soviet-bloc countries and other parts of the developing world, the effects are being felt on streets across the UK.

The illegal import of cigarettes that are either produced in counterfeit factories or legally purchased in low tax jurisdictions and smuggled into Britain is growing by the day and tobacco industry insiders question how it will ever be stopped.

Criminal gangs are using increasingly creative means to flood Britain with smuggled packs of Marlboro, Superkings or Lambert & Butler, or eastern European brands such as Classics or Jin Ling.

This month it emerged that children in the north east of England are being recruited to act as mules on smuggling missions. Seduced by the offer of cut-price air tickets and spending money, teenagers are flying to low-duty countries to fill their suitcases with cigarettes, returning to Britain to pass them on to criminal gangs.

Four schoolgirls aged 15 and 16 who live near Durham narrowly avoided jail after being caught smuggling 200,000 cigarettes into Britain. . . .

As the recession rocks the UK, demand for low-cost cigarettes is growing, driven by the dominant view that this is a victimless crime. However, tobacco industry insiders and customs officials suggest it is anything but. . . .

Cigarette companies have received some of the blame, with critics arguing that the "Big 4" – Philip Morris, Japan Tobacco, BAT and Imperial – over-produce in Ukraine, knowing their products will be smuggled elsewhere. Philip Morris and Japan Tobacco agreed in 2004 to pay a combined $1.65bn (£1bn) to the European Union and member states amid allegations they were involved in smuggling. However, recent signs suggest the cigarette manufacturers are now taking a different approach.

Poland's smuggling problem dates back to 2004 when the country joined the EU, since when the government has been raising tobacco duty levels to meet EU targets – twice this year alone.

However, higher duties in Poland have only heightened the disparity with taxes and tobacco sale prices in neighbouring countries such as Ukraine and Russia. . . .

"Once the line opens, the situation will get worse. Then you will see not only cigarettes but counterfeit handbags, medical products and clothing," he warns.

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Humane Society International Applauds European Commission Decision to Stop Anti-Smoking Monkey Advert 

Following a complaint by Humane Society International, the European Commission has decided within the last few days to withdraw an EU-funded anti-smoking TV advertisement.

The advert in question, broadcast throughout the European Union, featured a woman in a park with a collared monkey sitting on her shoulder. When she attempts to smoke, the monkey grabs the packet and rips it to shreds.

HSI argued that this advertisement was both highly irresponsible and incompatible with EU animal protection policy. Moreover, the advert suggested that the EU condones the use of exotic animals as pets, thus undermining existing efforts to stamp out the cruel exotic pet trade.

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EDITORIAL: Smoking mothers  

THE DISCOVERY that women who stop smoking in the first 15 weeks of pregnancy can reduce the risk of having premature or underweight babies is crucially important information for expectant mothers. Protecting her baby is probably the strongest motivation a woman experiences. And if it serves to improve her own health as a result of giving up cigarettes during pregnancy, so much the better.

An international study conducted at University College Cork and five other universities has found that women who do not quit smoking within the first 15 weeks of pregnancy are three times more likely than non-smokers to give birth prematurely and twice as likely to have low-birth-weight babies. . . .

A recent ban on the display of cigarettes and in-store tobacco advertising, along with an increase in excise duty, was introduced in an attempt to cut consumption and to protect children from insidious commercial promotions.

A similar, innovative approach was taken in relation to the control of cigarette vending machines. Minister for Health Mary Harney is to be commended for giving a lead to the rest of Europe in that regard.

But governments can only do so much. Ultimately, the choice falls to the citizen. That is why maternity care providers should advise women about the findings of this study at the earliest possible time in their pregnancy. If expectant mothers realise they can help themselves and their unborn children by quitting smoking - even for a limited period - many would surely take that option.

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Smokefree Innotec, Inc. to Begin Test Marketing New Product in Europe 

Smokefree Innotec, Inc. (Pink Sheets: SFIO) (www.sfio.us or www.smokefree-innotec.com) announced today that is has received the Real Smokefree starter kits at its European offices in Antwerp, Belgium from the production line and that next week it will kick off European test-marketing of the World's first, totally smoke-free, electronic cigarette with the Real Smokefree starter kits.

Manfred Bogaert, General Manager of European Operations, has been very eager to start test-markets and focus groups in Belgium and the Netherlands. According to Mr. Bogaert, "The Benelux infrastructure is ideal for testing the product and we will have an immediate feel whether we need to update Smokefree's marketing plans for next month's commercial launch of its Real Smokefree brand."

According to Smokefree Innotec President, Thomas Schroepfer, "Worldwide, but especially in Europe, passionate smokers look at alternatives for the work place and public spaces. We believe our Real Smokefree is the most satisfying option."

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“无烟欧盟”或许不是梦 

如今，“要健康，不要吸烟”的禁烟浪潮一浪高过一浪。仅仅停留在“请勿吸烟”之类的警语上，似有落伍之势：颁布禁烟法令的国家正在迅速增加。近日，欧盟委员会通过了欧洲议会提交的关于2012 年前在欧盟所有成员国实行在公共场所禁烟立法保护的建议，也就是说，到2012年，整个欧盟将实现所有公共场所完全无烟化，彻底消除被动吸烟。

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ARCHIVE: Education and debate / Passive smoking and health: should we believe Philip Morris's "experts"? 

A series of adverts has recently appeared in newspapers across Europe comparing the risk of lung cancer from passive smoking with a variety of other apparent risks from everyday activities (see fig 1). The implication is that the increased risk of lung cancer among those exposed to other people's tobacco smoke, of around 20%, is minuscule in comparison with the apparent 500% increased risk of lung cancer associated with a diet high in saturated fat, the 180% increase with frequent cooking with rape seed oil, the 60% increase with drinking 1-2 glasses of whole milk per day, or the 70% reduction in risk associated with high fruit diet. The advert, entitled "What risks do you take?" is cleverly tailored to the public's scepticism about the apparent health risks of everyday activities.1 A few weeks after the adverts appeared the main headline in a major British Sunday newspaper was "Beefburgers linked to cancer."2 The frequent appearance of such news stories, which are then often contradicted or reversed by subsequent reports, leads to distrust in pronouncements from experts--what may be called the "now they're saying" syndrome. . . .

Peter Lee.6 7 8 9 Lee is the main authority referred to by the working group, which accepts all his propositions and applies his misclassification model to their data. Nowhere do they point out that Lee is an enthusiastic recipient of tobacco industry financial support and someone who, like the working group, has presented models which are most favourable to the tobacco industry case.11 . . .

Conclusion

Investigating the links between exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and disease is beset with methodological problems, while the public response to reports of new health risks is understandably a sceptical one. The tobacco industry capitalises on this situation to protect its commercial interests, through the promotion and magnification of confusion. The industry is guarded about its real knowledge on the health damaging effects of tobacco smoke39 and tries to influence opinion through the selective funding of research, support of the publication of pro-industry opinions, and intimidation of its opponents. The partial and biased nature of the adverts and "expert" report at the heart of the latest industry campaign represents a continuation of its characteristic behaviour.

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Using EGFR Status to Personalize Treatment: Lung Cancer Researchers Reach a Milestone 

In July, the European Commission approved the marketing of gefitinib (Iressa) for selected patients with non-small cell lung cancer, a milestone for a drug whose ups and downs have reflected the sometimes difficult road toward personalized medicine in oncology.

The key ingredient in the commission's approval is patient selection-the proviso that gefitinib be used only in patients with certain mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene that make them sensitive to the drug. AstraZeneca, the drug's maker, is in discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as well, according to a company spokesperson.

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