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Wales | Lung condition awareness concern 

Consultant respiratory physician Dr Emrys Evans says it is important to diagnose people with chronic lung conditions as early as possible

Awareness of certain chronic lung conditions in Wales is "dangerously low", says a charity.

British Lung Foundation Wales is especially worried because of the high rates of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in parts of Wales.

COPD is a term for lung conditions including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which are caused mostly by smoking but also by exposure to dust.

The charity is raising awareness of the disease on Tuesday, World COPD Day.

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Smokers should have their lungs tested every three years 

ALL smokers and people with a family history of lung disease should have access to a lung function test every three years, says a charity.

The British Lung Foundation believes the provision of such tests in Wales would mean more people are diagnosed with lung diseases earlier.

This would help improve their quality of life and reduce the long-term burden on NHS services.

But stigma and a lack of understanding about symptoms means that an estimated three-quarters of people with lung disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), in Wales have not been diagnosed.

The call for routine testing comes ahead of World COPD day on Wednesday.

Dr Emrys Evans, a respiratory consultant at Morriston Hospital, in Swansea, said: "A lot of patients seem to accept symptoms, assume there is no underlying condition and that they will go away.

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VIDEO: Smoke-free hospital grounds idea 

Smoking could be banned in hospital grounds in Wales, it has emerged.

Health Minister Edwina Hart described the level of smoking she saw at one maternity unit as "quite amazing".

But she told the Welsh assembly health committee that no firm conclusions had been reached on making hospitals entirely smoke-free.

Ms Hart also said there was a "low-level discussion" with the UK government on the possible outlawing of tobacco vending machines.

She warned that policing a ban in hospital grounds might be difficult as staff could "get an absolute mouthful".

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Top athlete joins fight to stop girls smoking 

TRIATHLETE Helen Jenkins has urged the Welsh Assembly Government to do more to prevent teenage girls from smoking.

Helen, the 2008 world triathlon champion, who lives in Bridgend, has become a patron of the anti-smoking charity Ash Wales.

One of her first jobs as a non-smoking role model has been to meet teenage girls from Cardiff and Caerphilly during a visit to the Senedd.

And the 25-year-old has called for the Assembly Government to take more action as it emerged that almost one in four teenage girls in Wales smokes.

Helen said: "To learn that nearly one in four 15-year-old girls are regularly smoking is staggering.

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Health Brief Local advocate speaks in Wales  

Local activist J.R. Few gave a presentation recently at the second annual Action on Smoking and Health Wales' "Communicate, Collaborate, Celebrate" conference in Cardiff, Wales.

Speaking during the "Engaging Smokers" workshop, Few shared insight and successes from work as volunteer media coordinator for Tobacco Free Marion County between 2002-2009.

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Health fear over trendy cigarettes substitute 

THEY have been hailed as the future of smoking and a non-cancerous alternative to cigarettes that don't fall foul of the ban.

But serious safety concerns have been raised about electronic cigarettes as their popularity continues to grow.

And there are fears children could get hooked on nicotine by using the so-called e-cigs, electronic cigarettes are not liable to age restriction because they do not contain tobacco.

Some are being marketed as appetite suppressants while others are promoted as the choice of fashion-conscious young celebrities

Tanya Buchanan, chief executive of ASH Wales, said: "It is possible that many of these products do not comply with UK product safety regulations and some may contain toxic levels of nicotine.

"Electronic cigarettes fall into a regulatory gap and have yet to undergo the rigorous testing to which other nicotine products are subjected."

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Smoking costs NHS in Wales £7m a week 

THE health burden from smoking is costing the Welsh NHS more than £7m a week, a report reveals today.

The findings commissioned by anti-smoking group ASH Wales and British Heart Foundation Cymru, are being presented at an international tobacco control conference in Cardiff.

Prof Ceri J Phillips of Swansea University, reveals that smoking related diseases cost NHS Wales an estimated £386m in 2007/08.

The habit also accounts for about 22% of adult hospital admission costs, over £235m every year, and £43m is spent on GP consultations.

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EDITORIAL: Childhood key to end lethal habit 

YOU would think by now that smokers had finally got the message about their lethal habit. Well think again. Smoking remains a costly menace, draining the NHS of vital resources while sending thousands to a needlessly early grave.

Meanwhile, many thousands more are struck down by ill health, condemned to an existence stripped of any real quality.

The latest figures show that smoking is costing the NHS in Wales a whopping £1 million every day. . . .

It’s appallingly irresponsible to those around them that so many smokers carry on regardless of the warnings or the grim pictures printed on the packets they buy. . . .

We all know that the habit starts in childhood. If we can persuade our youth (who wrongly think themselves immortal) that smoking is a deadly killer, many lifelong addictions will be avoided.

If that requires more cash to pay for extra resources to hammer this message home so be it – in the long run, it will work out far cheaper.

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EDITORIAL: Childhood key to end lethal habit 

YOU would think by now that smokers had finally got the message about their lethal habit. Well think again. Smoking remains a costly menace, draining the NHS of vital resources while sending thousands to a needlessly early grave.

Meanwhile, many thousands more are struck down by ill health, condemned to an existence stripped of any real quality.

The latest figures show that smoking is costing the NHS in Wales a whopping £1 million every day. . . .

It’s appallingly irresponsible to those around them that so many smokers carry on regardless of the warnings or the grim pictures printed on the packets they buy. . . .

We all know that the habit starts in childhood. If we can persuade our youth (who wrongly think themselves immortal) that smoking is a deadly killer, many lifelong addictions will be avoided.

If that requires more cash to pay for extra resources to hammer this message home so be it – in the long run, it will work out far cheaper.

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Health problems from smoking cost £1 million daily 

HEALTH problems caused by smoking cost the NHS more than £1 million a day, a Swansea-based study out today says.

A report commissioned by the anti-smoking charity Ash and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) says an estimated £386million was spent tackling smoking-related diseases in 2007/08.

The bill is more than enough to pay for the UK's swine flu vaccinations.

Smoking accounted for 22 per cent of the cost of adult hospital admissions and more than £43million worth of GP consultations, according to the report's author, Professor Ceri Phillips of Swansea University.

The charities said nearly a quarter of Welsh adults smoke. The habit claims the lives of 6,000 people in Wales every year.

ASH Wales chief Tanya Buchanan said smoking was also depriving the economy of millions through sickness absence.

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AUDIO: Wales | North West Wales | Policy call after smoking study 

Professor Ceri J Phillips, the author of a report which indicates that smoking is costing the NHS in Wales more than £7m every week, said a multi-faceted policy was needed to prevent and stop people smoking.

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Smoking costs NHS in Wales £1m a day, research reveals 

SMOKING is costing the NHS in Wales a staggering £1m a day, research today reveals.

And the shocking figures show that more than one in five hospital admissions in Wales is smoking related.

But writing for Health Wales in today’s Western Mail, Wales’ chief medical officer Dr Tony Jewell insisted the nation was now reaping the benefits of schemes to help people stop smoking.

“There are encouraging signs that attitudes towards smoking in Wales are changing,” he said.

“Research commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government shows that the smoking ban has had a significant impact on smoking habits, with people reporting that they’re smoking less and thinking more about quitting.”

Anti-smoking campaigners will today call for more action and a 10-year government strategy to address teenage and adult smoking rates.

Tanya Buchanan, chief executive of Ash Wales, said: “These figures demonstrate the huge costs of smoking to the NHS in Wales.

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• Wales | Smoking 'costs NHS £1m each day' 

Every year 6,000 people die in Wales as a result of smoking

New figures indicate that smoking is costing the NHS in Wales more than £7m every week.

A report commissioned by Ash Wales and British Heart Foundation Cymru reveals that smoking related diseases cost NHS Wales an estimated £386m in 2007/08.

Smoking accounts for around 22% of adult hospital admission costs, over £235m every year, the research said.

The assembly government said tackling smoking was a priority and attitudes were changing towards smoking.

The report, being presented at an international tobacco control conference in Cardiff by Prof Ceri J Phillips of Swansea University, said £43m was also spent on GP consultations.

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South East Wales | Patrols to deter illegal smoking 

Shoppers smoking illegally in a town centre more than two years after a ban was introduced are being targeted.

Torfaen council said members of the public in Cwmbran town centre were still ignoring the ban on smoking in enclosed public places.

Following complaints, patrols will take place to deter lighting up in covered areas.

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South West Wales | Man held for £40K cigarette theft 

Police are appealing for help to find £40,000 worth of cigarettes and tobacco allegedly stolen from a delivery lorry. Officers say the vehicle left a depot in Baglan near Port Talbot early on Monday with the consignment and was later found parked in a nearby lay-by.

They believe the Palmer and Harvey vehicle first travelled to the Sarn area of Bridgend but need witnesses.

A 41-year-old man has been charged with theft and is due to appear before Neath Magistrates' Court later.

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