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Even Brief Exposure to Secondhand Smoke Causes Harm, Study Says 
(JTO, Nov 18 05; Go to source)

Nonsmokers can experience hardening of the arteries when exposed to secondhand smoke for as little as 30 minutes, WebMD reported Nov. 16.

"Exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke can result in reduced blood flow and an increase in a marker for oxidative stress equivalent to what occurs in smokers," said Toru Kato, MD, of Saga University in Saga, Japan, who studied a group of 15 smokers and 15 nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke.

Kato and colleagues found that the smokers had lower arterial blood flow and higher oxidative stress before the 30-minute test began, but after 30 minutes of secondhand-smoke exposure the nonsmokers had similar symptoms.

The research was presented at the recent American Heart Association Scientific Sessions meeting in Dallas.

Fewer Smokers Than Ever in New York 
(JTO, 10/27/2005; Go to source)

For the first time, fewer than one in five New York residents is a smoker, the Associated Press reported Oct. 25.

Researchers found that 18.1 percent of New York adults smoked in 2004, down from 20.8 percent in 2003. Smoking among high-school students declined from 27.1 percent in 2000 to 18.5 percent, and New Yorkers' exposure to secondhand smoke fell from 3.8 hours a week before passage of the state's Clean Indoor Air Act to 1.5 hours per week in 2004.

The 2005 Annual Independent Evaluation of New York’s Tobacco Control Program was conducted by research firm RTI International.

Russell Sciandra, director of the Center for a Tobacco Free New York, credited antismoking campaigns, higher cigarette taxes, and a ban on indoor smoking in public places for the trend.

Wash. State Smoking Ban Seems Bound for Success 
(JTO, 10/25/2005; Go to source)

With little public opposition even from groups like the state restaurant association, a Washington ballot measure to ban smoking in public places is likely to pass, the Seattle Times reported Oct. 24.

Backers of Initiative 901, on the Nov. 8 ballot, seem to have scored a decisive win in the court of public opinion, local observers said. The group Healthy Indoor Air for All Washington raised more than $1.1 million to support the initiative, while opponents raised just $9,000, mostly from local bars and restaurants.

"In the end I think people got convinced about secondhand smoke hurting you, it being offensive and there being no reason to put up with that," said public-policy expert Bryan Jones of the University of Washington. "It just took a long time, and now there's consensus."

Eighty percent of restaurants in Washington are already smoke-free, compared to 45 percent in 1999, a fact that helped mute the response of the Washington Restaurant Association. "We're not the opposition and we're not going to do anything to fight the initiative," said Anthony Anton, the group's vice president.

Individual smokers still complain about the possibility of a ban, but Sander Gilman, who wrote the book, "Smoke: A Global History of Smoking," contends: "There's no lobby. The alcohol people don't care anymore. The restaurant people think they'll make more money selling organic asparagus than they'll lose from people not going to restaurants. There is, at this point, no vocal opposition."

In Deal with State, UPS Will Stop Shipping Cigarettes
(JTO, 10/25/2005; Go to source)

Consumers no longer will be able to have cigarettes shipped to their homes via United Parcel Service (UPS) under an agreement announced this week between the shipper and the New York Attorney General's office.

Reuters reported Oct. 24 that the deal inked between UPS and state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer would allow cigarette shipments to businesses, but not consumers. A UPS spokesperson said that the company has shipped cigarettes to a "minimal" number of consumers in the past.

"This was a business decision to put in a consistent policy for the entire country, which allowed us to operate effectively and efficiently," said spokesperson Steve Holmes.

Law-enforcement officials cast the deal as a way to prevent underage smokers from buying cigarettes online.

Smoking Hinders Sperm, Study Says
(JTO, 10/20/2005; Go to source)

Smoking decreases fertility by impairing the ability of sperm to bind to eggs, MedPage Today reported Oct. 19.

Researcher Lani Burkman, Ph.D., of the University of Buffalo School of Medicine said that the data show that male long-term smokers are likely to have reproductive problems. "In a direct fertility testing situation, we can show that two-thirds of smokers have lost some or a lot of their fertilizing capacity," said Burkman.

Burkman and colleagues measured the binding capability of sperm taken from 18 chronic smokers and compared their data to sperm from nonsmokers. Only 6 of the 18 smokers had even 65 percent of the reproductive capacity of the control group; nine had 35 percent or less of the capacity of nonsmokers. "Not only did they fail, they failed miserably," said Burkman.

 

Families Urged to Go Smoke Free
        (JTO, 1/12/2005; Go to source)

Unveiling research showing that 13 percent of U.S. teens are exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes, the American Legacy Foundation (ALF) and the Ad Council are launching a new public-service campaign urging parents to establish smoke-free environments for their children.

The report, entitled "Secondhand Smoke: Youth Exposure and Adult Attitudes," also found that 7 percent of youth ages 12 to 17 are exposed to smoking while riding in the family car. And while 70 percent of U.S. households ban smoking, only 46 percent of households where a smoker lives have rules against smoking indoors.

The humorous Ad Council campaign, called "Don't Pass Gas," depicts kids holding their noses and blaming relatives for offensive behavior -- which turns out to be smoking. The campaign includes TV and radio ads.

"We encourage all smokers to quit for their own health benefits, and strongly encourage them to take action to protect their families from the devastating effects of secondhand smoke," said ALF president and CEO Cheryl Healton. "We're optimistic that our partnership with the Ad Council will effectively use humor to attract the public's attention and lead them to make positive decisions for their families that can help safeguard smokers' health and the health of their loved ones."

 

   

Children's Lower Test Scores Linked to Secondhand Smoke
(JTO, 1/7/2005; Go to source)

New research concludes that children exposed to secondhand smoke had lower standardized test scores in reading, math, and problem-solving, USA Today reported Jan. 3.

The study, led by Kimberly Yolton, a researcher at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio, included 4,400 children. Exposure to secondhand smoke was determined by testing for cotinine, a byproduct of nicotine in the blood.

Researchers determined that children exposed to the least amount of secondhand smoke scored an average of seven points higher in standardized math and reading tests, compared to children exposed to high levels of smoke. Children with the lowest environmental tobacco exposure also scored better on two types of reasoning tests.

The findings are in line with earlier research that found that tobacco exposure seemed to be related to impaired intellectual development.

The study's findings are published in the January 2005 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives.

Yolton, K., et al. (2005) Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Cognitive Abilities among U.S. Children and Adolescents. Environmental Health Perspectives, 113(1): 98-103.

 

   

Medicare to Pay for Smoking Cessation Services
      (JTO, 1/6/2005; Go to source)

The Bush administration announced that Medicare will be expanded this year to cover stop-smoking services, the New York Times reported Dec. 23.

Medicare, which provides health insurance for 41 million Americans, will begin covering smoking-cessation counseling for Medicare beneficiaries with illnesses caused or complicated by smoking. The new benefit also will apply to Medicare recipients who are taking drugs whose effectiveness is compromised by tobacco use.

According to Gary Karr, a spokesman for Medicare, about 4 million Medicare recipients would be eligible for the new coverage, with 440,000 expected to take advantage of smoking-cessation services.

"Millions of our beneficiaries have smoked for many years and are now experiencing heart problems, lung problems, and other diseases that smoking can cause. Just about all of them will be eligible for the new coverage. You're never too old to quit smoking and to get the benefits of quitting," said Dr. Mark McClellan, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Partnership for Prevention, a coalition comprised of consumer groups, state and local health departments, drug companies and insurers, is credited with petitioning the government to cover smoking-cessation services for Medicare recipients.

"The benefits of quitting are profound, even for seniors who have smoked for many years," said John Clymer, president of the partnership. "Blood-pressure levels and carbon monoxide levels decline almost immediately. The risk of heart attack begins to decline almost immediately, within 48 hours. Counseling is cheap, dirt cheap, and really effective."

The new coverage will be in place by the end of March.

 

   

Companies Adopt Restrictions on Smoking
        (JTO, 1/3/2005; Go to source)

A growing number of U.S. companies are barring new applicants and current employees from smoking in an effort to curb healthcare costs, the Wall Street Journal reported Dec. 21.

Some companies, like Weyco Inc., a small medical-benefits administration firm in Okemos, Mich., are only hiring nonsmokers for new openings and requiring current employees who smoke to quit or leave their positions.

As part of the job-application process, a number of companies are requiring applicants to submit to nicotine testing or blood tests, while other hiring managers ask applicants questions about their smoking behavior. To help current employees quit smoking, numerous companies are offering smoking-cessation programs.

Navistar International Corp., a Warrenville, Ill., truck manufacturer, plans to charge smokers an extra $50 per month for their healthcare coverage starting in July.

Jay Whitehead, publisher of HRO Today, a magazine for human-resources executives, said smokers are being pressured even at companies that don't have formal antismoking policies.

"There is discrimination at many companies -- and maybe even most companies -- against people who smoke," said Whitehead.

Privacy-rights advocates and smokers argue that the tough antismoking policies are too severe, considering that smoking is a legal activity.

"It's crazy, because if you smoke in one context you're fine and in another you're not," said Dave Pickrell, founder of Smokers Fighting Discrimination, a nonprofit group in Katy, Texas.

 

   

States Again Urged to Fund Anti-Smoking Programs
(JTO, 12/7/2004; Go to source)

A coalition of public-health groups is urging U.S. states to spend more money on anti-smoking efforts in order to achieve the minimum levels recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Associated Press reported Dec. 2.

Currently, only Delaware, Maine, and Mississippi meet the CDC's recommended spending levels. For fiscal year 2005, states have allocated $538 million for smoking prevention, only a third of the $1.6 billion minimum that the CDC has recommended for nationwide spending.

This year, states are expected to receive about $7.1 billion from the tobacco industry through legal settlements reached with tobacco firms in the late 1990s. Although the settlements were intended to reimburse states for the cost of treating sick smokers and to fund tobacco prevention programs, many states have used the money to address budget shortfalls.

A report released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and American Lung Association, shows that states that have increased cigarette taxes are expected to receive an additional $13 billion in tobacco tax revenues this year.

"The states are receiving more and more revenue related to tobacco, but doing far too little to fund programs to reduce tobacco use, particularly among children," said Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "They're using the money to fill short-term budget shortfalls, build roads, and every other conceivable political purpose."

According to the Tobacco-Free Kids report, the states that have not allocated any significant funding for tobacco prevention are Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Tennessee, as well as the District of Columbia.