Recent Studies

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION STUDY GROUP WARNS AGAINST HOOKAH SMOKING

December 7, 2005

The WHO Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation, a panel of distinguished scientists from around the globe, recently released a report detailing the health dangers of waterpipe tobacco smoking (also known as hookah smoking).  Waterpipes have been used to smoke tobacco for centuries in Africa and Asia, and recently there has been an increase in the popularity of hookah bars in the United States, particularly near college campuses.  When smoking through a waterpipe, the smoke passes through water before being inhaled, and there is a widespread but unfounded belief that waterpipe smoking is safer than other types of tobacco smoking.  In fact, the advisory panel found that "waterpipe smokers and second-hand smokers [are] at risk for the same kinds of diseases as are caused by cigarette smoking, including cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease, and adverse effects during pregnancy."  The panel also found that "[a] typical 1-hour long waterpipe smoking session involves inhaling 100-200 times the volume of smoke inhaled with a single cigarette," and that the smoke, even after passing through water, "contains high levels of toxic compounds, including high levels of carbon monoxide, metals and cancer-causing chemicals."  The panel recommended that waterpipes and waterpipe tobacco be subjected to the same regulation as cigarettes and other tobacco products.

To view the full report, click here.

 

BARS AND RESTAURANTS IN TWIN CITIES INCREASE SALES FOLLOWING SMOKEFREE ORDINANCES

December 6, 2005

A study of sales data shows that the hospitality industry in Minneapolis and St. Paul continued to grow in the nine months after clean indoor air ordinances were put in place.  The study conducted by Pioneer Press, using receipts from the Minnesota Department of Taxation, found that there were no significant declines in sales in any of the Minnesota counties that prohibited smoking in restaurants and bars.  To the contrary, sales increased in many popular destinations, including downtown Minneapolis.  Despite worries of possible bar and restaurant closings following the ordinances, there are now more establishments with liquor licenses than existed before.  St. Paul City Council is scheduled to vote on a comprehensive smokefree workplace ordinance on Wednesday, and the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners will vote on whether to roll back their smokefree law next week.

For more on this story from the Pioneer Press, click here.

 

STUDY FINDS CANDY-FLAVORED TOBACCO PRODUCTS TARGET YOUTH

December 2, 2005

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health have concluded that tobacco companies continue their efforts to increase youth smoking through flavored tobacco products, despite the companies' assurances that they do not market to children.  In addition to the flavor additives masking the harsh flavor of tobacco, the study documented one company that inserted flavor pellets into the filter of their flavored cigarettes.  Brands focused on the youth market also use stylized packaging and advertisements to attract youth.  Harvard researchers searched through over 7 million internal tobacco company documents from the past 30 years.  According to one internal document from 1993, "Growing interest in new flavor sensations (i.e. soft drinks, snack foods) among younger adult consumers may indicate new opportunities for enhanced-flavor tobacco products that could leverage [a brand's] current strength among younger adult smokers."

For more on this story from the Harvard School of Public Health, click here.

 

SURGEON GENERAL REPORTS ON SMOKING-RELATED DISEASES

November 22, 2005

U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona released a report adding several diseases to the list of those already linked to smoking.  Acute myeloid leukemia, cervical, kidney, pancreatic, and stomach cancers, abdominal aortic aneurysms, cataracts, periodontitis, and pneumonia were all added to the Surgeon General's list of smoking-related diseases.  Researchers believe that smoking is linked to colon, liver, and prostate cancers, and that it causes erectile dysfunction, but more evidence on those linkages is needed, according to Carmona.  The report adds that while smoking may not cause breast cancer, it raises the risk of those who are genetically predisposed to it.

 

30 MINUTES OF SECONDHAND SMOKE HURTS

November 17, 2005

A recent study completed by Japanese researchers concluded that just 30 minutes of exposure to secondhand smoke can lead to hardening of the arteries in nonsmokers. In the study nonsmokers and smokers were both exposed to secondhand smoke for 30 minutes. Before the exposure to secondhand smoke, the smokers had lower arterial blood flow and higher oxidative stress levels than the nonsmokers. After the exposure, the levels in nonsmokers mimicked that of long term smokers.

For more on this story from WebMD, click here.

 

SMOKEFREE ORDINANCE LINKED TO REDUCTION IN HEART ATTACKS

November 15, 2005

Heart attack rates in Pueblo, Colorado dropped by nearly 30 percent after the city passed a smoke-free ordinance, according to a new study released today at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions.  The study validates previous scientific evidence that indoor smoke-free laws can dramatically reduce heart attacks, in both smokers and non-smokers.  "We already know that tobacco smoke does harm to nonsmokers, most notably to their cardiovascular systems," said Dr. Mori Krantz, a cardiologist and director of prevention programs at the Colorado Prevention Center, who led the scientific analysis of the Pueblo data. "This study further validates the argument that limiting exposure to deadly tobacco smoke can save lives."  Dr. Christine Nevin-Woods, director of the Pueblo City-County Health Department commented that the Pueblo study is "adding to a growing body of evidence showing that indoor smoke-free environments have the potential to rapidly improve a community's overall health, while drastically reducing the number of people having heart attacks."  Each year, more than 440,000 Americans die from smoking-related illnesses.  About 53,000 people die from the effects of exposure to secondhand smoke, and it is estimated that 49,000 of those are nonsmokers who die from coronary heart disease.

For more on this story from the Pueblo City-County Health Department, click here.