http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/country/iceland.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080402/nyw100a.html?.v=1 http://tobacco.org/news/262483.html Today scientists from deCODE genetics and their colleagues from several universities report in the journal Nature a clear link between a single-letter variant in the sequence of the human genome (SNP) and susceptibility to nicotine dependence. Moreover, in part because of this impact on smoking behavior, each copy of the risk variant of this SNP confers an approximately 30% increase in risk of lung cancer and a 20% increase in risk of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) . . . The SNP, rs1051730, is located on chromosome 15q24 in a nicotine acetylcholine receptor called CHRNA3. The paper, 'A variant associated with nicotine dependence, lung cancer and peripheral arterial disease,' is published today in the online edition of Nature, at www.nature.com. "These findings provide an example of the power of human genetics for shedding light on the most complex health challenges. . . . The deCODE team began this study with a smoking history questionnaire distributed to some 50,000 Icelanders PR Newswire bro@decode.is (Source: deCODE) Europe Iceland Wed, 02 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=300408 http://tobacco.org/news/259543.html Minister of Health Gudlaugur Thór Thórdarsson said in light of the smoking ban in public places, which took effect in Iceland in June 2007, he believes the Althingi parliament should remove its special smoking facilities for MPs. It is legal, with exceptions, for workplaces to establish smoking facilities for employees, but Thórdarson dislikes the idea of Iceland?TM)s parliament having such facilities because MP?TM)s should serve as role models for others, Fréttabladid reports. Iceland Review icelandreview@icelandreview.com Iceland Thu, 07 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_life/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=300320 http://tobacco.org/news/259438.html Bar owners can whine about losing customers and having their rights deprived by the smoking ban as much as they like, but by not respecting my freedom as a non-smoker they have lost me as a customer. I will not set my foot inside any pub, bar or nightclub which permits smoking indoors until they decide to comply with the law. I urge everyone who respects the freedom of others to boycott these places too. Apparently bar owners think the smoking ban is vague in terms of how to punish those who are in breach of it, but as it turns out, they can be deprived of their operating license. And if they don't come to their senses soon, I hope they will. Iceland Review eyglo@icelandreview.com (ESA - eyglo@icelandreview.com) Iceland Fri, 08 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16567&ew_0_a_id=300255 http://tobacco.org/news/259285.html Some bar owners in Reykjavík have decided to ignore the smoking ban, which took effect last June, in protest of lack of facilities for smokers. Their actions are in breach of the law and as a result they may be deprived of their operating license. Baldvin Skúlason, who operates the venues Barinn, Q-bar and Oliver in downtown Reykjavík, told ruv.is that bar owners are not equal in the face of the law and that he has requested a meeting with Minister of Health Gudlaugur Thór Thórdarson to discuss the matter. Iceland Review icelandreview@icelandreview.com Iceland Tue, 05 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1196847336144&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull http://tobacco.org/news/256624.html Labor MK Yoram Marciano wants the anti-smoking legislation that took effect last month to go up in smoke. To that end, he recently formed a lobby in the legislature to push for the repeal of the anti-smoking laws. The Knesset has lobbies of lawmakers who join forces on issues such as the environment, helping Gush Katif evacuees and bringing home the kidnapped IDF soldiers. But this is the first time a lobby has been formed to fight on behalf of smokers. Marciano vigorously denied allegations from MKs that he had received campaign contributions or kickbacks from tobacco companies. He said allowing people to smoke in restaurants was a matter of human rights. "Smoking is legal in this country and therefore it is a human right," Marciano said. "I call upon Israelis not to smoke and I admit that cigarettes are a bad thing that harm people's health. But we need to protect the rights of smokers. This isn't a Third World country." Marciano, who quit smoking a few years ago but whose wife still smokes, was elected to a slot on the Labor candidates list representing poor neighborhoods, where smoking rates are much higher than the rest of the country. He was investigated and cleared of charges earlier this year for his role in a pub fight. Now he wants to fight on behalf of pub owners, who have complained that their profits have gone down by as much as 20 percent since the law took effect. Jerusalem Post gil@jpost.com (GIL HOFFMAN) Iceland Fri, 14 Dec 2007 05:00:00 GMT http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070601/lf_afp/icelandhealthtobacco_070601192108 http://tobacco.org/news/247668.html Iceland on Friday introduced a total ban on smoking in public places amid protests from bar and restaurant owners who feel the prohibition is too severe and poorly executed. "The authorities didn't give us any opportunities to create a smoking area outside bars and restaurants so most people have to resort to smoking on the pavement," Arnar Thor Gislason, owner of a popular Reykjavik bar and restaurant, told AFP. Due to everchanging Icelandic weather conditions and a fairly chilly climate even in summer, many bar owners have set up gas heaters on pavements and some restaurants will be lending blankets to customers. Most venues have increased their staff of doormen and bouncers because of the expected increase in the number of guests going in and out to smoke. Agence France Presse Iceland Fri, 01 Jun 2007 04:00:00 GMT http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1738676,00110003.htm http://tobacco.org/news/227806.html For adults only — sex, excess violence and now smoking. Filmmakers might end up with 'A' certificates for their movies if the big bad villain chews a cigar or the macho hero lights a fag on screen. The I&B Ministry has apparently agreed to the Health Ministry's suggestion that a movie with smoking scenes be certified 'for adults only'—that is, only viewers above 18 can watch it, at least in cinemas. So if stars like Shah Rukh Khan don't want to lose fans under 18, they may have to shun smoking on screen. The clause is not be restricted to Indian movies alone. Spider-Man 3 will also be off-limits for children if the proposal becomes law. Sources said the decision was based on a 2003 WHO study —'Bollywood: Victim or Ally' —which spoke about the influence of smoking in movies on younger audience. Hindustan Times feedback@hindustantimes.com (Chetan Chauhan) Iceland Sat, 08 Jul 2006 04:00:00 GMT http://www.tobaccochina.com/englishnew/content.aspx?id=23869 http://tobacco.org/news/224075.html Tobacco products may once again be displayed in certain tobacco stores in Iceland so as to be visible to smokers, following a Supreme Court ruling reported recently by the country's Public Health Institute. It has been illegal to display tobacco products and tobacco trademarks since 2001, but the law was recently challenged by tobacco groups. 烟草在线, Tobacco China Iceland Fri, 12 May 2006 04:00:00 GMT http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=173361 http://tobacco.org/news/212815.html According to a recent Gallup survey, 19.2% of Icelanders from the age of 15 - 89 smoke on a daily basis, reports Morgunbladid. Female smokers (19.2%) have increased since 2004 when 18.6% of Icelandic females smoked. The figure of male smokers decreased from 21.1% last year to 19.3% in 2005. Smoking has decreased in the countryside with figures now similar as in ReykjavÃfÂ-k. Last year, 22% of adults in the countryside smoked. Morgunbladid reports that education makes a big difference in the ratio of smokers Iceland Review otto@icelandreview.com Iceland Mon, 19 Dec 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailcity.asp?fileid=20050212.G06&irec=5 http://tobacco.org/news/189351.html To ensure cleaner air in the city, the administration has endorsed a bylaw which criminalizes smoking in enclosed public places and encourages building operators, restaurants, hotels and malls to pay more attention to the needs of non-smokers. The Jakarta Post asked some people for their opinions on the issue. Jakarta Post Iceland Sat, 12 Feb 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/12/21/lung.cancer.reut/index.html http://tobacco.org/news/185180.html Lung cancer appears to run in families, researchers said Tuesday, though exposure to tobacco smoke is still the dominant cause of the disease even for those who may be genetically predisposed. The strongest family link was found in the relatives of patients who developed the disease at age 60 or younger. The parents of such people had nearly a three-and-a-half times higher risk of also developing the disease compared to the general population, the study said. Reuters Iceland Wed, 22 Dec 2004 05:00:00 GMT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-12/jaaj-gpc121604.php http://tobacco.org/news/185150.html First-degree relatives of lung cancer patients have a 2 to 3.5 times greater risk of developing lung cancer than the general population, and tobacco smoke plays a major role, even among those with a genetic predisposition, according to a study in the December 22/29 issue of JAMA. Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer among men and women in many Western countries, according to background information in the article. Death due to lung cancer in the United States exceeds the death rate from breast, prostate, and colon cancer combined. The dominant role of tobacco smoke as a causative factor in lung cancer has been well established. Other studies have indicated that there may be an inherited predisposition to lung cancer, but data have been limited. Steinn Jonsson, M.D., of the Landspitali-University Hospital, Reykjavík, Iceland, and colleagues examined the contribution of genetic factors to the risk of developing lung cancer in the population of Iceland. EurekAlert Iceland Tue, 21 Dec 2004 05:00:00 GMT http://www.canoe.ca/Health0203/18_tobacco-ap.html http://tobacco.org/news/183323.html Politically and commercially charged negotiations on an international tobacco control agreement resumed Monday with warnings about the explosion in smoking-related deaths. "Every single one of those four million people who died last year (of tobacco-related illnesses) could have lived longer -- five years longer, 10 years longer, 20 years longer," World Health Organization director-general Gro Harlem Brundtland told delegates from 190 nations. "It is these lives and lost years which provide us the answers to those who will speak to you of profits and marketing gains, of special concessions and "reasonable" campaigns. There is nothing reasonable about tobacco deaths," the U.N. health chief said. She renewed her appeals for the treaty to include advertising and sponsorship bans, anti-smuggling measures, product regulation and better education. AP Iceland Mon, 29 Nov 2004 05:00:00 GMT http://www.rte.ie/news/2003/1007/tobacco.html http://tobacco.org/news/139912.html The Minister of State at the Dept of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Frank Fahey, has said that he supports the Government's proposed ban on smoking in the workplace and will implement the legislation. Mr Fahey's position on the ban has been the subject of Opposition speculation in recent days. In a statement, he said that as minister with responsibility for health and safety in the workplace he was fully committed to the policy. But he said the issue of enforcement needed to be carefully addressed and that he was currently awaiting recommendations from the Health and Safety Authority. RTÉ Online [Radio Telefís Éireann] newsonline@rte.ie Iceland Tue, 07 Oct 2003 04:00:00 GMT http://www.wctoh2003.org/WctohPress//press_releases/News_Item.2003-08-04.1705 http://tobacco.org/news/134400.html To mark the holding of the 12th WCTOH in the Nordic area, a new publication entitled Nordic tobacco control " towards smokefree societies will be launched at the conference. This will take place on Monday 4 August at 12.30 pm in the exhibition area (D10-D11). Published with the support of the Nordic Council of Ministers, Nordic tobacco control " towards smokefree societies covers the state of the tobacco problem in each of the five countries and charts how innovative public health responses have won impressive results in cutting tobacco use. The book also provides comparative statistical information about tobacco use and control, information on the contexts of Nordic cooperation and on the ever-slippery behaviour of the tobacco industry. World Conference on Tobacco OR Health info@integracom.fi Denmark Finland Sweden Norway Iceland Mon, 04 Aug 2003 04:00:00 GMT