More evidences for ban of e-cigarettes: prolonged exposure might result in asthma, COPD and inflammation

A critical review outlining the toxicological profile and immunological consequences of e-cigarette use was published these days in European Respiratory Review! 

Knowledge of the long-term toxicological and immunological effects of e-cigarette (e-cig) aerosols remains elusive due to the relatively short existence of vaping. Therefore, we performed a systematic search of articles published in public databases and analysed the research evidence in order to provide critical information regarding e-cig safety. Electronic nicotine delivery systems (or e-cigs) are an alternative to traditional cigarettes for the delivery of nicotine and are typically filled with glycerol or propylene glycol-based solutions known as e-liquids. Though present in lower quantities, e-cig aerosols are known to contain many of the harmful chemicals found in tobacco smoke. 

However, due to the paucity of experimental data and contradictory evidence, it is difficult to draw conclusive outcomes regarding toxicological, immunological and clinical impacts of e-cig aerosols. Excessive vaping has been reported to induce inflammatory responses including mitogen-activated protein kinase, Janus tyrosine kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription and nuclear factor-κB signalling, similar to that induced by tobacco smoke.  

Based on recent evidence, prolonged exposure to some constituents of e-cig aerosols might result in respiratory complications such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and inflammation. 

Future studies are warranted that focus on establishing correlations between e-cig types, generations and e-liquid flavours and immunological and toxicological profiles to broaden our understanding about the effects of vaping.

Full text:

http://err.ersjournals.com/content/27/147/170119

World No Tobacco Day 2016: Plain-packaging to protect our youth: “Progress made, challenges ahead”

The European Respiratory Society hosted a World No Tobacco Day event Plain-packaging to protect our youth: “Progress made, challenges ahead” in collaboration with the European Network for Smoking Prevention (ENSP) to highlight the research-backed benefits of plain packaging on tobacco products and to celebrate the countries who have led the way – hoping to encourage remaining countries to follow their lead.

The event took place at the European Parliament in Brussels on 31 May, 2016 and supports the theme announced by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for this year’s World No Tobacco Day campaign, which is: “Get ready for plain-packaging”. It is also timely alongside the introduction of plain packaging on tobacco products in the U.K, Ireland and France.

World No Tobacco Day 31 May 2016: Get ready for plain packaging

Tobacco packaging is a mobile billboard promoting consumption of tobacco products. If you strip back the decoration, gloss and misleading elements of tobacco packaging, you are left with little more than a box of deadly, addictive products that kill approximately 6 million people a year and harm the health of many more. Plain packaging helps reveal the grim reality of tobacco products.
For World No Tobacco Day on 31 May 2016, WHO and the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control are calling on countries to get ready for plain (also called standardized) packaging of tobacco products. 

The aims of plain packaging are to:

• reduce the attractiveness of tobacco products;
• eliminate the effect of tobacco packaging as a form of advertising and promotion;
• eliminate package design techniques that may suggest that some products are less harmful than others; and
• increase the noticeability and effectiveness of health warnings.

The results of experimental studies, surveys and focus-group studies show that plain packaging achieves its objectives. WHO recommends that plain packaging be used as part of a comprehensive approach to tobacco control, which also includes comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship and other tobacco packaging and labelling measures, such as health warnings.

World No Tobacco Day 2016: WHO study Group on tobacco Product regulation (tobreg): banning menthol in tobacco products

Menthol is a flavouring agent commonly used in cigarettes and other tobacco products. Menthol cigarettes are used more frequently by younger smokers, women and ethnic minorities, and their use facilitates both initiation and continued smoking, leading to addiction. These issues have raised global concern. 

To address this public health issue, the WHO Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation (TobReg) has prepared this advisory note on menthol, which synthesizes recent studies on the prevalence and health effects of menthol in tobacco products. It provides evidence-based conclusions and recommendations for policy-makers and regulators, including a ban on menthol (and its analogues, derivatives and precursors) in cigarettes.

Full text:

http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/205928/1/9789241510332_eng.pdf?ua=1

Meeting with journalists: "About smoking: from theory to the public" By Professor Florin Mihălțan, chairman of the Romanian Society of Pulmonology

Smoke-free law enforcement is one of the major priorities on the Romanian Society of Pulmonology agenda.

Our mission is to have a comprehensive smoke-free law, which can not only be accepted but also be applied and monitored. Furthermore, we need educational packages, higher taxes on tobacco and high-impact pictograms, in order to drastically reduce tobacco consumption among Romanians.

The Romanian Society of Pulmonology, an organisation that has been involved for several years in the implementation of a smoke-free law, brought together important opinion leaders in the field of pulmonology and cardiology, public health professionals, authorities, social life representatives and journalists, in order to introduce a mutual goal: an accurate and more effective communication of topics regarding smoking in Romania.

The Romanian Society of Pulmonology’s steps for implementing legislation that prohibits smoking in public places, as well as for reducing the number of smokers, represent actions intended to align Romania to global health policy. Since last year, the action plan was founded on a solid partnership between the Romanian Society of Pulmonology and the Romanian Society of Cardiology.

The implementation of smoke-free law and the attempt to change social behaviour are slow and difficult, therefore the initiative requires partnerships. The cardiologists who attended the meeting highlighted the importance of partnerships between medical societies involved in combating smoking, in order to have a deeper impact at the social level.

These actions are all the more pressing since the risk of myocardial infarction in young smokers is high in Romania. Another important topic the experts approached was education as an important element in terms of raising awareness regarding the risks of smoking.

The representatives of the authorities admitted that, unfortunately, Romania is the only country in the European Union which has not adopted legislation to ban smoking in enclosed public places, emphasising that Romania should reach the European standards. However, there is an optimistic attitude regarding the adoption of smoke-free law and the hope that the lawmakers will reach a consensus in applying the law, which will also bring a beneficial change at the community level.

The civil society representatives argued that the implementation of the smoke-free law protects the rights of non-smokers and helps them to enjoy the fresh air in public spaces. They also pointed out the long term repercussions that tobacco consumption has on the economy. If we do a cost-benefit analysis, it would show that, if there is not a responsible intervention the costs associated with hospitalisation, workplace absenteeism, loss of productivity etc., will grow.

In terms of trying to change the behaviour of smokers, specialists rely heavily on reverse psychology, communication more about the positive effects of quitting smoking and less on the negative effects of nicotine addiction. The impact of the meeting was positive in terms of media representation. The event had a good coverage on Romanian TV channels, radio and online media.

Do you agree that E-cigarettes are 95% less harmful to health than normal cigarettes???

Last week, Public Health England (PHE) published landmark review of evidence about e-cigarettes. The headline in their press release quoted their top-line finding—“E-cigarettes around 95% less harmful than tobacco”. Kevin Fenton, Director of Health and Wellbeing at PHE, commented that, “E-cigarettes are not completely risk free but when compared to smoking, evidence shows they carry just a fraction of the harm”. Indeed, the 95% figure was widely picked up in news media.

There are more questions than answers after reading of this review!  In Lancet editorial this work  was  declared methodologically weak and controversial caused by the declared conflicts of interest surrounding its funding, raising serious questions not only about the conclusions of the this report, but also about the quality of the agency's peer review process.

E-Cigs Have 10 times More Cancerogens Than Regular Cigarettes

A recent report from The Guardian reveals some extremely important news for people who are looking to quit smoking. Japanese scientists have recently announced that e-cigarettes contain 10 times the level of cancer-causing carcinogens than its counterpart in the tobacco world. At one time, e-cigarettes were touted as the answer to smoking without the complication of so many dangers.

The electronic nicotine products have increased in popularity with many believing that they are receiving a hit of nicotine without the health damage of a normal cigarette that is laden with chemicals.

However, the research commissioned by the Japanese Ministry of Health found formaldehyde and acetaldehyde carcinogens in the liquid produced by a number of e-cigarette products, a health ministry official stated.

The group also learned that e-cigarettes can fuel potentially life-threatening drug-resistant pathogens. This is based on lab study where they tested e-cigs vapor on live methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and human cells.

The formaldehyde carcinogen was found to be much more present in the e-cigarette liquids than in the chemicals used in regular cigarettes, according to the official.

E-Cigarettes: Good or Bad??? New evidences from experts

Are E-Cigarettes a useful tool for smoking cessation or a gateway to further health risks? We heard from some of the experts at World Conference on Tobacco or HealthUnited Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, 17 - 21 March 2015!

World No Tobacco Day 2014 is 31 May 2014

For a long time, the tobacco industry has fiercely opposed levies on tobacco products and launched intense campaigns against efforts to raise tobacco taxes, making the fight to curb tobacco use challenging. The reality is that raising taxes on tobacco products is the most effective way to reduce tobacco use, generate revenue for health programs and most importantly, save lives. That’s why the World Health Organization (WHO) is putting tobacco taxes back on the agenda for World No Tobacco Day 2014.

According to WHO estimates, if all countries increased tobacco excise taxes by 50% per pack this would result in 49 million fewer smokers and 11 million lives saved. Plus, governments around the world would earn an extra $101 billion that they could put towards health and social programs.

Raising taxes on tobacco and making tobacco products more expensive is particularly effective in reducing tobacco use in developing countries, where people often do not get adequate treatment if they fall sick from illnesses associated with tobacco use like cancer.

WHO collects and analyzes data of tax prices around the world and tracks best practices. It advises governments on how best to strengthen their tax systems and raise tax rates. We know that some countries are already benefitting from increased tobacco taxes.  Turkey, for example, has steadily increased excise taxes since 2008. Within the following four years, tobacco sales had fallen by 12%. In 2008, 22 countries had tax rates sufficiently high enough to impact consumption. In 2012, that had increased to 32 countries.

World No Tobacco Day - 31 May 2014

Raise taxes on tobacco

The global tobacco epidemic kills nearly 6 million people each year, of which more than 600 000 are non-smokers dying from breathing second-hand smoke. Unless we act, the epidemic will kill more than 8 million people every year by 2030. More than 80% of these preventable deaths will be among people living in low-and middle-income countries.

For World No Tobacco Day 2014, WHO and partners call on countries to raise taxes on tobacco.

 

Reduce tobacco consumption, save lives

 

Under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), countries should implement tax and price policies on tobacco products as a way to reduce tobacco consumption. Research shows that higher taxes are especially effective in reducing tobacco use among lower-income groups and in preventing young people from starting to smoke. A tax increase that increases tobacco prices by 10% decreases tobacco consumption by about 4% in high-income countries and by up to 8% in most low- and middle-income countries.

Furthermore, increasing excise taxes on tobacco is considered to be the most cost-effective tobacco control measure. The World Health Report 2010 indicated that a 50% increase in tobacco excise taxes would generate a little more than US$ 1.4 billion in additional funds in 22 low-income countries. If allocated to health, government health spending in these countries could increase by up to 50%.

Goals

The ultimate goal of World No Tobacco Day is to contribute to protecting present and future generations not only from the devastating health consequences due to tobacco, but also from the social, environmental and economic scourges of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke.

Specific goals of the 2014 campaign are that:

• governments increase taxes on tobacco to levels that reduce tobacco consumption;
• individuals and civil society organizations encourage their governments to increase taxes on tobacco to levels that reduce consumption.

Stop any type of smoking

Earlier we had very good news from USA about ban of e-cigarettes in New York. It is paradox, but bad news about smoking are also from USA: Colorado kicks off legal sales of recreational marijuana Wednesday, 1 January 2014 at state-licensed stores. 

Good Respiratory news from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed his final bills into law on Monday, 30 December 2013, one day before his last in office. Bloomberg will sign a bill that lumps e-cigarettes into the Smoke Free Air Act, meaning the devices are banned everywhere smoking is banned.

Michael Bloomberg is a world known leader with active anti-smoking position!

"Tobacco is the only product I know where if you follow the instructions, it'll kill you," he said. "The need for action transcends all borders. If we fail, the consequences will be one billion premature deaths worldwide by the end of the 21st century."