Tobacco Articles: category health

Cigarette butts toxic to fish, say researchers

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Cigarette butts are toxic to fish and should be labeled as toxic hazardous waste, U.S. researchers say. Scientists at San Diego State University say that a single cigarette butt containing a small amount of unburnt tobacco is enough to contaminate a litre of water and kill half of the fish swimming in it. "Based on this new research, we believe that cigarettes should be considered toxic waste and new requirements need to be established for how they are disposed," Tom Novotny, a public health professor at San Diego State University, said in a statement. The researchers tested the toxicity of the tobacco on fresh and saltwater fish: fathead minnows and top smelt — two species that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency typically uses in pollution studies.

Smoke Gets In Your Imac: Smoking Near Apple Computers Creates Biohazard, Voids Warranty

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Did you know, that smoking isn't good for your computer, either? It's true, at least according to Apple. Two readers in different parts of the country claim that their Applecare warranties were voided due to secondhand smoke. Both readers appealed their cases up to the office of God Steve Jobs himself. Both lost. . . . Dena [from Jobs' office] did advise me that nicotine is on OSHA's list of hazardous substances and Apple would not require an employee to repair anything deemed hazardous to their health. However, OSHA also lists calcium carbonate (found in calcium tablets), isopropyl alcohol (used to clean wounds), chlorine (used in swimming pools), hydrogen peroxide (also used to clean wounds), sucrose (a sugar), talc (as in powder), etc... as hazardous substances. ... Dena set up an appointment at the same Apple store. They told me that they would take pictures of the computer - both inside and out before determining whether to proceed and that if the only problem was the optical drive, they'd probably just replace it. Dena called me earlier this week to deliver the "bad news." She said that the computer is beyond economical repair due to tar from cigarette smoke! She said the hard drive is about to fail, the optical drive has failed and it isn't feasible to repair the computer under the warranty. This computer is less than 2 years old! Only one person in my household smokes - one 21 year old college student. She said that I can get it repaired elsewhere at my expense. I asked why my warranty didn't cover the repair and was told it's an OSHA violation.

Smoking can make H1N1 effects worse

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has named groups of people at a high risk of developing serious complications from H1N1 Influenza. In keeping with the last two subpopulation releases which were focused on pregnant women and breastfeeding moms, the Sedgwick County Health Department will continue to send monthly releases focused on different subgroups. Currently, one of the highest-priority groups consists of persons with chronic respiratory conditions. These types of conditions, including asthma and heart disease, often arise from smoking.

How smoking can ruin your Mac: | Technically Incorrect - CNET News

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

However, I am embalmed in a curious sympathy after reading a report from The Consumerist concerning two Mac users whose AppleCare warranties appear to have been voided due to the presence of cigarette smoke in their homes. One, named Derek, recounts the tale of his overheating black MacBook. He took it into the Apple store in Jordan Creek, West Des Moines. He told The Consumerist: "Today, April, 28, 2008, the Apple store called and informed me that due to the computer having been used in a house where there was smoking, that has voided the warranty and they refuse to work on the machine, due to 'health risks of secondhand smoke.'" He continued: "Nowhere in your AppleCare terms of service can I find anything mentioning being used in a smoking environment as voiding the warranty." . . . Then along came Ruth, who took her son's iMac to an authorized repair center. After five days, they apparently told her they couldn't work on it because it was contaminated with cigarette smoke and was therefore a bio-hazard. When Ruth appealed to Jobs' office, she said she was told by someone named Dena that nicotine was on OSHA's list of hazardous substances. . . . What is the science of all this? And what might be the appropriate commercial response? Should Apple place a clear disclaimer referring to secondhand smoke in the AppleCare terms? Or should Microsoft make a new Laptop Hunter ad in which a very attractive, happy person says, "I'm not cool enough and I smoke, so I would never be able to get a Mac fixed"?

Fewer Ohioans lighting up; funding woes cause future worry

jalaimo@nncogannett.com (JESSICA ALAIMO CentralOhio.com ) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Confronted with a public smoking ban, higher sin taxes and more anti-smoking efforts, fewer Ohioans are lighting up. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 20.2 percent of Ohioans smoked in 2008, a 7.5 percent decline from 2001, when Ohio ranked fourth in the country for smokers. The CDC data goes back to 1998, when the smoking rate was 26.2. Ohio now has the 17th-highest rate of smokers, according to the study. The CDC reports 21.5 percent of men in Ohio smoked and 19 percent of women. But there are fears those numbers could rise again. In 2008, the state cut funding for the Ohio Tobacco Prevention Foundation, which funded community anti-smoking initiatives after the state received its share of a settlement with tobacco companies. The foundation began in 2000 with a $40 million budget.

Even Smokers Support Bans at Work: Employees in India strongly favor no-smoking rules, Germans less keen: survey

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Most smokers around the world support workplace smoking bans, according to a new study. Researchers surveyed more than 3,500 employees who smoke and more than 1,400 employers (smokers and nonsmokers) in the United States and 13 other countries. They found that 74 percent of employees who smoke and 87 percent of employers said the workplace should be smoke-free. "Although there was widespread variation among countries, overall the results demonstrate global support for workplace smoking bans," lead author Michael Halpern, a senior fellow at RTI International, said in a news release. "This study shows support for additional programs and policies to increase those bans and assist employees with smoking cessation." Support for workplace smoking bans was greatest in India (85 percent) and Japan (75 percent), and much lower in Germany (33 percent) and Poland (37 percent).

Toddlers, Obese Kids Suffer Most From Smoke: Secondhand exposure damages cardiovascular systems of children, study finds

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Secondhand smoke harms the cardiovascular health of children, especially toddlers and obese youngsters, U.S. researchers say. Their study of 52 toddlers (aged 2 to 5) and 107 adolescents (aged 9 to 18) found an association between the amount of secondhand smoke exposure and a marker of vascular injury in toddlers. This link was two times greater in obese toddlers, the study authors noted. Toddlers exposed to secondhand smoke showed a 30 percent reduction in circulating vascular endothelial progenitor cells, which are cells that are involved in the repair and maintenance of blood vessels. The researchers also found that obese adolescents exposed to secondhand smoke had twice the evidence of vascular injury compared to normal-weight adolescents. Despite having similar reported home settings, toddlers were four times more likely than adolescents to be exposed to secondhand smoke, the study authors added.

Report claims fewer Ohioans are lighting up : Funding woes cause future worry for tobacco prevention foundation

jalaimo@nncogannett.com (JESSICA ALAIMO CentralOhio.com) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Confronted with a public smoking ban, higher sin taxes and more anti-smoking efforts, fewer Ohioans are lighting up. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 20.2 percent of Ohioans smoked in 2008, a 7.5 percent decline from 2001, when Ohio ranked fourth in the country for smokers. The CDC data goes back to 1998, when the smoking rate was 26.2. Ohio now has the 17th-highest rate of smokers, according to the study. The CDC reports that 21.5 percent of men in Ohio smoked and 19 percent of women. But some fear those numbers could rise again. In 2008, the state cut funding for the Ohio Tobacco Prevention Foundation, which funded community anti-smoking initiatives after the state received its share of a settlement with tobacco companies. The foundation began in 2000 with a $40 million budget.

Predictors of smoking relapse by duration of abstinence: findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey : Addiction Volume 104 Issue 12, Pages 2088 - 2099 Published Online: 9 Nov 2009

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Aim To explore predictors of smoking relapse and how predictors vary according to duration of abstinence. . . . Findings Relapse was associated with lower abstinence self-efficacy and a higher frequency of urges to smoke, but only after the first month or so of quitting. Both these measures mediated relationships between perceived benefits of smoking and relapse. Perceived costs of smoking and benefits of quitting were unrelated to relapse. Conclusions Challenging perceived benefits of smoking may be an effective way to increase abstinence self-efficacy and reduce frequency of urges to smoke (particularly after the initial weeks of quitting), in order to reduce subsequent relapse risk.

The natural history of quitting smoking: findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey : Addiction Volume 104 Issue 12, Pages 2075 - 2087 Published Online: 9 Nov 2009

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Aims To describe the long-term natural history of a range of potential determinants of relapse from quitting smoking. Design, setting and participants A survey of 2502 ex-smokers of varying lengths of time quit recruited as part of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey (Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, United States) across five annual waves of surveying. . . . Findings Most theorized determinants of relapse changed over time in a manner theoretically associated with reduced risk of relapse, except most notably the belief that smoking controls weight, which strengthened. Change in these determinants changed at different rates: from a rapidly asymptoting log function to a less rapidly asymptoting square-root function. Conclusions Variation in patterns of change across time suggests that the relative importance of each factor to maintaining abstinence may similarly vary.

The role of secondhand smoking on the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in elderly men and women living in Mediterranean islands: the MEDIS study

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Women and Smoking: An Interdisciplinary Examination of Socioeconomic Influences: Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Volume 104, Supplement 1, Pages S1-S130 (1 October 2009)

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT

An overview of the emergence of disparities in smoking prevalence, cessation, and adverse consequences among women

Educational attainment and smoking among women: Risk factors and consequences for offspring

Women, smoking, and social disadvantage over the life course: A longitudinal study of African American women

Human Pathogens Abundant in the Bacterial Metagenome of Cigarettes: Volume 117, Number 11 November 2009

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

The full version of this article is available for free in PDF format.

Two different life stories, one common disease: Lung cancer has stricken Randy Zisook and Jessica Neal, but they're fighting back

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Lung cancer has forced Neal and Zisook into a kind of club that no one wants to be a member of. They have become unlikely friends, engaged in a campaign of awareness and compassion in their roles as representatives for the American Lung Association in greater Chicago for November, which is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Their messages have a common purpose, if originating from opposite circumstances. Neal wants people to realize that lung cancer is not just a smoker's disease. Zisook suggests parents hammer home the dangers of smoking by asking children to take five family members and five best friends and then decide which five will die. "You have to put that right in people's faces, and that is horrible, but it is the truth," he said. "Sure, I always knew smoking is bad, but no one ever told me that 50 percent of people who smoke will die from it." . . . "What we are finding is that because of that stigma, lung cancer is not financially supported in the same way as other cancers," said Harold Wimmer, chief executive officer for the American Lung Association of Illinois of Greater Chicago. "The fact is that lung cancer is the No. 1 cause of cancer-related deaths, but 40 percent of individuals who have lung cancer are nonsmokers." The disparity in per-patient spending on research each year is striking: For lung cancer it's $1,826 per death, compared with $27,038 for breast cancer, according to 2009 statistics from the National Institutes of Health. Another disparity: 160,000 people this year will die of lung cancer compared with 25,000 of breast cancer, Wimmer said. . . . Neal and Zisook are doing their part to raise awareness. And although Neal said "smoking is disgusting" she does not think people should die for taking up a bad habit.

A prospective study of smoking, caffeine, and alcohol as risk factors for seizures or epilepsy in young adult women: Data from the Nurses' Health Study II

bdworetzky@partners.org — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Results: Compared with never smoking, current cigarette smoking was associated with an increased risk of seizure (RR 2.60, 95% CI 1.53–4.42), after adjustment for stroke and other potential confounding factors. Past smoking was not associated with risk of seizure, but was associated with modestly increased risk of epilepsy (RR 1.46, 95% CI 1.01–2.12). Long-term caffeine and moderate alcohol intake were not associated with seizure or epilepsy. Discussion: Cigarette smoking may be associated with increased risk of seizure. More prospective studies are needed to investigate potential factors to ultimately prevent the development of seizures or epilepsy.