Tobacco.org

Tobacco smoking and acute myocardial infarction in young adults: A population-based case-control study 

We conducted a population-based case-control study with 329 incident acute myocardial infarction cases (42 women; 287 men), consecutively admitted to the Cardiology department of hospitals in Porto, Portugal, and 778 controls . . .

No interaction was found between current smoking and sex on myocardial infarction risk (p = 0.401). A dose–effect response was present, the odds favoring myocardial infarction reaching an eight-fold increase for those that smoked > 25 cigarettes/day compared to never smokers. The risk estimate for former smokers was similar to never smokers. Conclusions

Tobacco smoking is an important independent risk factor for acute myocardial infarction in young adults, with similar strength of association for both sexes.

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• Portuguese authorities seize 7 cigarette brands after lab tests 

Authorities on Monday began seizing seven brands of cigarettes from shops and warehouses across Portugal after laboratory tests alleged they contained excessive levels of tar, an official said.

Manuel Lajes, spokesman for the Food and Economic Safety Authority, a government watchdog, said inspectors were visiting sales points and ordering wholesalers to recall the brands.

Regular annual tests on tobacco products by health authorities found the brands allegedly had tar levels above those stated on the pack and over the legal limit in Portugal, Lajes said.

The brands were Sovereign and Mayfair, produced by Gallaher Group PLC; Dunhill and Rothmans, made by British American Tobacco PLC; Golden American from Tobacco Manufacturers International Ltd.; Berkley; and Sterling.

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Heavy smoking cuts women's chance of pregnancy -- even with donated oocytes 

Heavy smoking may reduce female fertility by directly affecting the uterus – making it less receptive and reducing the chances the embryo will implant, according to research published on line (Thursday 9 November) in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction[1].

The finding, from a team of fertility experts in Portugal and Spain, comes as a result of comparing the pregnancy rates between non-heavy smokers[2] and heavy smokers, all of whom received donated oocytes.

Smoking has long been known to affect female fertility, but this study is believed to be the first to examine the impact of smoking in women who have received donated oocytes – the situation that allows the most objective assessment of the role of the uterus in the outcome of IVF.

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• Health Minister admits giving option on smoking ban 

THE PORTUGUESE Health Ministry has admitted altering its plans with regard to a blanket smoking ban in food and drink establishments throughout Portugal.

Now, it will give restaurant, bar and disco owners the option of whether or not to allow smoking in their establishments. This option will be given at least for an experimental period, to facilitate the adoption of new government rules, which had initially stated that smoking would be banned, or at least strictly controlled, in smoking zones.

The alterations were made by Health Minister Correia de Campos and will be debated by the Portuguese government cabinet in the coming weeks. A Health Ministry spokesman said last week: “We are not ruling out changes to the proposed law.”

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• Portuguese Strongly Support Smoking Ban 

Many adults in Portugal believe smoking should be prohibited in specific zones, according to a poll by Aximage published in Correio da Manha. 91.3 per cent of respondents support enacting a smoking ban in all public places such as restaurants, bars and offices.

On Apr. 5, Portugal’s government introduced a proposal that seeks to outlaw smoking in public places, and raise the legal smoking age from 16 years to 18 years. Health minister Antonio Correia de Campos declared, "If the government put the document up for public discussion, it’s because it’s open to other opinions."

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• Portuguese government reduces smoking in public places 

Portuguese bar and restaurant owners criticized a government proposal to restrict indoor smoking, saying Friday that such a move would hurt thousands of establishments already suffering amid a national economic slump. The government late Thursday announced plans to reduce smoking, including a ban in workplaces, but said it would first allow for a period of public discussion before finalizing proposals to go into force next year.

"If the government put the document up for public discussion, it's because it's open to other opinions," Health Minister Antonio Correia de Campos said. Some 31 percent of men and 18 percent of women smoke in Portugal , and the habit is responsible for 26 percent of the country's cancer deaths, Correia de Campos said.

The government wants to ban smoking in all offices, but proposed exceptions for large leisure and entertainment venues with separate, ventilated smoking sections.

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Algarve health authority declares war on tobacco 

HEALTH CENTRES and hospitals in the Algarve will soon become smoke-free zones and those promising to set the example are the medical staff themselves. Despite the fact that there is a law in place prohibiting smoking at these units, the rule has not been complied with by either patients or staff.

The Administração Regional de Saúde (ARS), the regional health authority, will impose the smoking ban at all the Algarve’s health facilities and has already issued an internal memo which demands strict adherence to the measure, stating that those in charge are obliged to keep a close eye on those who smoke.

The smoking ban at health facilities is just one of the measures to be taken in the war against tobacco, announced the ARS on No Smoking Day

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• Bars exempted in Portugese smoking ban 

Portugal plans to exempt bars and restaurants from a proposed ban on smoking in enclosed public places because people can choose whether to frequent those private premises.

Health Minister Luis Filipe Pereira said legislation, expected to be approved by the Cabinet later this month, would outlaw smoking in enclosed public areas, bringing Portugal into line with a handful of other EU countries.

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500,000 Portuguese suffer from chronic lung disease, mostly due to smoking 

Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COLD) affects 500,000 people in Portugal, most of whom suffer it due to smoking, the National Laboratory for Respiratory Illnesses (ONER) said in a report Wednesday.

The report was published to coincide with the World COLD Day, whose slogan is "Breathe to Live."

The aim of the day is to beat an illness which brings a great weight of "suffering and social costs," said ONER president Teles de Araujo.

COLD is a chronic disease which limits air flow to the bronchi. At present the largest number of sufferers are men between 35 and 40, but the number of women with the condition is rising as their tobacco consumption increases.

ONER said the disease is the seventh largest cause of death in Portugal, and the mortality is rising at a rate of 2 percent every five years.

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Research and Markets: Predictions for the Smoking Cessation Market to 2008 

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c16922 ) has announced the addition of Smoking Cessation Aids in Portugal to their offering.

The 'Smoking Cessation Aids in Portugal' report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data (1998-2003), 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 they new product developments, distribution or pricing issues.

Forecasts to 2008 illustrate how the market is set to change. Product coverage includes gum, patches and inhalators.

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Research and Markets: Growth Sectors and Trends Pinpointed in the Smoking Cessation Aids Market in Portugal 

The 'Smoking Cessation Aids in Portugal' report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data (1998-2003), 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 they new product developments, distribution or pricing issues.

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Bars Exempted in Portuguese Smoking Ban 

Portugal plans to exempt bars and restaurants from a proposed ban on smoking in enclosed public places because people can choose whether to frequent those private premises.

Health Minister Luis Filipe Pereira said legislation, expected to be approved by the Cabinet later this month, would outlaw smoking in enclosed public areas, bringing Portugal into line with a handful of other EU countries.

However, the new law will permit bar, restaurant and nightclub owners to decide whether to implement the ban, he said.

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Stub Out Public Smoking, Portugal Health Min Says 

Portugal's health minister proposed on Wednesday a ban on smoking in public places, including restaurants and bars, joining other European countries trying to introduce similar bans.

The measure, proposed on National No Smoking Day, will go to the cabinet of Prime Minister Pedro Santana Lopes by the end of this month for a vote, said a spokeswoman for Health Minister Luis Filipe Pereira.

If it is approved, it would take effect next year, she said.

"It has become necessary to better protect the health of non smokers from involuntary exposure to passive smoke," the ministry said in a statement.

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• Portuguese cigarettes to be withdrawn over pesticide discovery 

Portuguese public authorities said on Friday they were ordering the withdrawal from public sale of two Portuguese cigarette brands after discovering traces of a banned pesticide containing a cancer risk in some of them.

The inspectorate-general of economic activity, a regulatory body, said it would call for the withdrawal from the market of certain consignments of the SG Ventil and SG Filtro brands after a pesticide with a potential cancer hazard had been detected, Lusa news agency quoted a ministry source as saying.

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Smoking ban moves closer 

Plans to ban smoking in all closed public areas, including bars and offices, in Portugal could be in place by October, after parliament agreed to consider new proposals aimed at protecting passive smokers.

The move follows a petition presented by the Humanitarian Union of Patients with Cancer (UHDC) in April. The Commission for Work and Social Affairs analysed the UHDC recommendations and concluded that "existing legislation in Portugal is insufficient from the point of view of protecting non-smokers it fails to recognise their rights, with grave consequences for their health." . . .

Rose Dias, UHDC spokesperson, said any ban would not come into force immediately, but she was certain it would be approved: "There is no possibility of the law not going forward. Even if some deputies show no common sense about this question, we believe it will still go forward," she said.

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