Health e News
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You may be fooling yourself if you think that reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke will protect you from the health risks caused by smoking, new research published in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggest. For the study, researchers from the University of Glasgow, in Scotland, tracked two groups of smokers – the first included 1 524 working people who were tracked from the 1970s (when they were in their 40s, 50s and 60s) to 2010, and the other group included 3 730 people from the general population who were tracked for more or less the same period of time. The researchers found no difference overall in death rates between those who smoked and those who only cut down. In one of the studies, they found a lifespan benefit for those who cut down, but only among those who smoked 21 or more cigarettes per day. “These inconclusive results
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Scientists have discovered that so-called thirdhand smoke – the residue that clings to surfaces after tobacco was smoked in the space – causes genetic damage in human cells, according to a study published in the journal Mutagenesis. Humans can be exposed to thirdhand smoke through inhalation, ingestion or skin contact. “Tobacco-specific nitrosamines – chemical compounds in thirdhand smoke – are among the most potent carcinogens there are,” said the study co-author, Lara Gundel, a scientist from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the United States. “They stay on surfaces, and when those surfaces are clothing or carpets, the danger to children is especially serious.” Thirdhand smoke is particularly insidious because it is extremely difficult to eradicate. Studies have found that it can still be detected in dust and surfaces more than two months after someone smoked in an area. Common cleaning methods such as vacuuming, wiping and ventilation are not effective
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Children exposed to tobacco smoke in the womb may be at higher risk of hearing loss in later years, according to a recent article in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery. Researchers from New York University (NYU) examined data from almost 1 000 children aged 12 to 15 who took part in the 2005/2006 National Health Examination Survey in the United States. They found that about 16 percent of them had been exposed to tobacco smoke while in the womb. These teenagers had evidence of hearing loss and were nearly three times more likely to have one-sided, low-frequency hearing loss compared to youngsters without such exposures. The study could not prove a cause-and-effect relationship between smoking during pregnancy and hearing outcomes in offspring, only an association. “This is an effect which has been described previously for the adult population, so it is logical that it would also
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Member states of the European Union are backing plans for bigger and bolder health warnings on cigarette packs and bans on most flavourings such as menthol. Under the new proposals, prominent health warnings would have to cover 65 percent of tobacco packaging and include graphic warnings. “We have an opportunity today to step up to the mark, or we can walk away and fail our children,” said Irish Health Minister James Reilly. EU Health Commissioner Tonio Borg said the crackdown was aimed at reducing smoking-related deaths, which stand at around 700 000 a year in the 27-nation bloc. The new regulations aim to stop youngsters from being swayed into smoking by enticing packaging and flavours that could get them hooked. Whatever the overall EU regulations contain in the end, individual member states would be allowed to impose even tougher rules as they please. The blueprint was decided despite the opposition
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