Harm Reduction

In contrast with the overall declining rate of lung cancer in the U.S., the rate of death from the disease among women has actually remained steady, or even risen, in some areas of the country. These findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, suggest the limitations of the public health campaigns and state policies typically credited with bringing down the country's overall smoking and lung cancer rates.As recent studies have reported, lung cancer death rates among U.S.
A study just published in the journal Tobacco Control evaluated the effectiveness of the graphic anti-smoking posters that New Yorkers may see when buying a pack of cigarettes. Since 2009, a New York City policy has required that these posters be located at point of sale at all cigarette retail outlets. And the results? "The signs did not help recent quitters to stay quit or stop smokers from purchasing cigarettes at the current convenient store," the authors report.
A recent study published in the Archives of Dermatology is giving smokers another reason to quit: cigarette smoking has been associated with an increased risk of a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma. Researchers from the University of Nottingham in England conducted a meta-analysis that included 25 observational studies and found that current smokers had a 50 percent increased risk of squamous cell skin cancer. Among those who had already kicked the habit, the increased risk of the disease was still present, but at a reduced rate of about 20 percent.
And speaking of tobacco harm reduction, we've just learned that a proposal to ban e-cigarettes in New York was introduced in the State Senate. While no one thinks that the bill will become law in the near future, Long Island Republican Kemp Hannon, the Senate Health Committee chair who proposed it, says that he did it "to get some discussion going." Hannon says that, by gauging the reactions of people for and against a total ban, as well as gathering information "that would provide a rational basis for action or inaction," the Health Committee can decide where to go from there.
Even smokers over the age of 80 can still benefit from quitting, suggests a new analysis in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, Germany have found that it s not just young smokers who can reduce their risk of mortality by quitting; the risk of death drops significantly when older adults stop smoking, too.
This week, two studies presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons examined the effects of smoking on joint replacements of the knee and the hip. In both instances, the researchers found, the failure rate was significantly higher in smokers. In fact, patients who smoked before and/or after a total knee replacement (TKR) had a 10-fold higher failure rate of their replacement joints than did non-smokers: 10 percent among the smokers versus just 1 percent in the non-smokers.
A June 5th referendum in California will determine whether a one-dollar tax will be added to cigarette packs sold in the state. Right now, survey results suggest that voters support the measure by a slim margin: 50 percent of those polled were in favor, while 42 percent were opposed and 8 percent remained undecided.ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, for one, will be watching the voting outcome with interest. "Of course I'm in favor of any measure that could help prevent smoking," she says. "I d be concerned, however, that the equivalent tax on much-less-harmful smokeless products might yield unintended consequences." Regardless, Dr.
Tomorrow is World No Tobacco Day, a day to bring attention to the toll of tobacco use on the world s population. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) tobacco use is responsible for 6 million deaths around the globe each year, and if current trends continue, this number may rise to 8 million by 2030, the majority of which will occur in low- to middle-income countries.
ACSH has today submitted a letter to the FDA s Center for Tobacco Products, urging the agency to reconsider its opposition to tobacco harm reduction, an approach that uses modified risk tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), to help smokers quit. The letter, supported by a number of ACSH s scientific advisors, explains the benefits of a harm reduction paradigm and notes the absence of logic in the FDA s hyper-precautionary stance, especially toward e-cigarettes.
As if the health hazards of smoking weren t reason enough to avoid the habit, extensive exposure to second-hand smoke has also been known to have adverse health effects, particularly for children who live with a smoking parent. Now, a new study presented at the ATS 2012 International Conference finds that the respiratory symptoms we often see in children who live with a smoker may actually extend into adulthood.
On his blog, TobaccoAnalysis, ACSH advisor Dr. Mike Siegel, professor at Boston University's School of Public Health, revisits the irony of the current tobacco harm reduction scenario. Namely, Dr. Seigel observes that anti-smoking groups continue to deny even the potential benefits of modified risk tobacco products, while major tobacco companies are actually leading efforts to introduce smokers to such products.
In a blog post that would be funny if the topic weren t so distressing, ACSH advisor Dr. Michael Siegel, professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health, criticizes the FDA s latest announcement warning smokers about the dangers of using electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes).