When pregnant Cambodian women suffer morning sickness, they often reach for an unlikely source of relief: a wad of chewing tobacco.
Many become hooked, and the World Health Organization warned Thursday it is a tradition putting the health of both mothers and babies at risk.
The largest tobacco survey ever conducted in Cambodia found that about half of all women older than 48 regularly chew tobacco, and about one in five rural women first took up the habit during pregnancy, to soothe their prenatal nausea.
The survey conducted by WHO and other researchers found that midwives are the country's biggest users of smokeless tobacco, with 68 percent chewing it. About half of traditional female healers use it as well.
"Chewing tobacco appears to be strongly influenced by beliefs passed on by older relatives," lead author, Dr. Pramil N. Singh from Loma Linda University in California, said in a statement. "The behavior is seen as a rite of passage into womanhood. Further research is needed to find out whether village health workers actively promote its medicinal use."
The tobacco leaves are typically mixed with lime and betel nut, a mild natural stimulant that produces a bright red juice and has been used for centuries across the Asia-Pacific. Cambodian women place the concoction inside their mouths for an extended period, increasing their risk of suffering oral cancer.
As with pregnant women who smoke, those who chew tobacco also put their babies at risk for problems such as low birth weight, decreased lung function and stillbirth.
"Some women believe that when they chew tobacco, they look better," said Dr. Mom Kong, director of the nonprofit Cambodia Movement for Health. "And some start chewing tobacco when they get pregnant to cope with morning sickness in the first trimester of pregnancy. Some crave something sour. But some women get addicted while using it during the pregnancy."
As many as three-quarters of all men in some Southeast Asian countries smoke cigarettes, but fewer than 20 percent of the region's women ever pick up the habit. While about half of older Cambodian women chew tobacco, only about 4 percent of them smoke, compared to nearly half of all men in the country.
The rate of Cambodian women using tobacco increased with age. Similar trends have been observed in Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Taiwan, India, Palau and China.
Dr. Susan Mercado, WHO's tobacco control adviser for the Western-Pacific region, said it's common for women, men and children across the region to chew tobacco with betel nut, especially in the Pacific islands where cigarettes are sometimes unrolled and chewed. However, she was unaware of pregnant women using tobacco to lessen morning sickness symptoms anywhere but Cambodia.
"It's very, very concerning because the impact is not only on the woman but also on the unborn child, and the risk could be quite severe," she said. "Countries need to have very specific programs that target whatever kind of tobacco use is prevalent. Just because everyone is saying the big problem is second-hand smoke ... the problem may not be second-hand smoke for women, it's actually chewing."
The study, conducted from 2005 to 2006, involved about 14,000 adult Cambodians nationwide. It was published online in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization.
вторник, 29 декабря 2009 г.
среда, 23 декабря 2009 г.
Flavor Cigarettes Banned
If you enjoy a coconut or vanilla-flavored smoke from time to time -- you're out of luck.
Fruity cigarettes and roll-your-own's are officially off limits in the Golden State.
The state Board of Equalization announced Wednesday that it had notified all wholesalers and distributors that it is illegal to sell flavored cigarettes or roll-your-own's in California.
The ban is reflective of items prohibited by the FDA.
Fruity cigarettes and roll-your-own's are officially off limits in the Golden State.
The state Board of Equalization announced Wednesday that it had notified all wholesalers and distributors that it is illegal to sell flavored cigarettes or roll-your-own's in California.
The ban is reflective of items prohibited by the FDA.
вторник, 22 декабря 2009 г.
Tobacco Companies Brace for Tax Increase
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- International tobacco companies have inched lower as they brace for a major tax increase on cigarettes in Japan.Philip Morris International(PM Quote) stock has lost 0.4% at $50.10 and British American Tobacco(BTI Quote) has declined 0.7% at $63.40.
Japan is set to announce its biggest ever tax increase on cigarettes -- in a nation in which 40% of the male population smokes and cigarettes sell for 300 yen or $3.39 a pack -- according the Wall Street Journal. A pack of cigarettes in New York City can cost more than $10.
Smoking rates among the male population in Japan are projected to fall to about 27% if cigarette prices are raised by even 200 yen, according to Japan's Health Ministry -- bad news for cigarette companies with market share in the lucrative, $38 billion Japan tobacco market.
Yet this could also end up being a false scare for tobacco companies. At the beginning of the month, shares of cigarette companies jumped after a news report detailed a smaller-than-expected tax increase on tobacco products in Japan and a hike that was less than the Health Ministry had been pushing for.
Japan rakes in about $11 billion in revenue a year from taxes on tobacco products. Altria(ALG Quote), which owns Philip Morris USA, is up 0.4% at $19.70 and US cigarette manufacturer Lorillard(LO Quote) has added 0.8% at $70.30.
Japan is set to announce its biggest ever tax increase on cigarettes -- in a nation in which 40% of the male population smokes and cigarettes sell for 300 yen or $3.39 a pack -- according the Wall Street Journal. A pack of cigarettes in New York City can cost more than $10.
Smoking rates among the male population in Japan are projected to fall to about 27% if cigarette prices are raised by even 200 yen, according to Japan's Health Ministry -- bad news for cigarette companies with market share in the lucrative, $38 billion Japan tobacco market.
Yet this could also end up being a false scare for tobacco companies. At the beginning of the month, shares of cigarette companies jumped after a news report detailed a smaller-than-expected tax increase on tobacco products in Japan and a hike that was less than the Health Ministry had been pushing for.
Japan rakes in about $11 billion in revenue a year from taxes on tobacco products. Altria(ALG Quote), which owns Philip Morris USA, is up 0.4% at $19.70 and US cigarette manufacturer Lorillard(LO Quote) has added 0.8% at $70.30.
понедельник, 21 декабря 2009 г.
Maker of Camels buys cigarette replacement seller
Cigarette maker Reynolds American Inc. has reached a deal to acquire a Swedish company whose nicotine gum, pouches and spray help people stop smoking, the second-largest U.S. tobacco company said Wednesday.
The acquisition will let Reynolds offer products that can "reduce the risks of diseases and death caused by tobacco use," CEO Susan M. Ivey said in a statement.
Niconovum AB's products are sold outside the U.S. under the Zonnic brand. They could help the maker of Camel cigarettes and Grizzly smokeless tobacco keep growing as tax increases, health concerns, smoking bans and social stigma cut into demand for cigarettes.
The deal, which Reynolds expects to conclude by the end of the year, would be worth about $44 million. The Associated Press reported last month that the companies were in talks.
Karl Olov Fagerstrom, an expert on smoking cessation and nicotine dependence, formed Niconovum in 2000, according to its Web site.
Reynolds, which is based in Winston-Salem, N.C., said it will fund product development and testing required for Niconovum to enter markets outside of Sweden and Denmark. It intends to keep Niconovum's headquarters in Sweden and retain its leaders.
Under the Camel brand, Reynolds has introduced moist smokeless tobacco and snus — small pouches like tea bags that users stick between the cheek and gum.
Reynolds also has introduced dissolving tobacco — finely milled tobacco shaped into orbs, sticks and strips — in test markets.
The acquisition will let Reynolds offer products that can "reduce the risks of diseases and death caused by tobacco use," CEO Susan M. Ivey said in a statement.
Niconovum AB's products are sold outside the U.S. under the Zonnic brand. They could help the maker of Camel cigarettes and Grizzly smokeless tobacco keep growing as tax increases, health concerns, smoking bans and social stigma cut into demand for cigarettes.
The deal, which Reynolds expects to conclude by the end of the year, would be worth about $44 million. The Associated Press reported last month that the companies were in talks.
Karl Olov Fagerstrom, an expert on smoking cessation and nicotine dependence, formed Niconovum in 2000, according to its Web site.
Reynolds, which is based in Winston-Salem, N.C., said it will fund product development and testing required for Niconovum to enter markets outside of Sweden and Denmark. It intends to keep Niconovum's headquarters in Sweden and retain its leaders.
Under the Camel brand, Reynolds has introduced moist smokeless tobacco and snus — small pouches like tea bags that users stick between the cheek and gum.
Reynolds also has introduced dissolving tobacco — finely milled tobacco shaped into orbs, sticks and strips — in test markets.
пятница, 18 декабря 2009 г.
'Electronic' cigarettes spark several concerns
Todd Charron began puffing on a battery-powered electronic cigarette as an alternative to his regular cigarettes and also to save a little money.
"I don't want to put a positive or negative spin on it," he said, referring to the e-cigarette, which delivers a preset dose of nicotine, but none of tobacco's tar, through a vapor mist.
"It's definitely not like smoking a cigarette, but it's not terrible," the Palm Bay resident said, describing his experience with the smokelike product during the past several months. "I'm still on the fence, though my wife, Heather, doesn't touch hers anymore."
The market for electronic cigarettes nationwide has grown rapidly, however, so much so the U.S. Food and Drug Administration joined other public health officials earlier this summer in issuing a warning about potential health risks. The federal agency said e-cigarettes lack federal regulation and have been inadequately studied for safety, so consumers have no way of knowing what, besides nicotine, may be inside them.
"Our biggest concern is the lack of safety data," said Siobhan DeLancey, a spokeswoman for FDA. "But we also have issues with how they are marketed" -- often in shopping malls and online -- and in flavors such as bubblegum, chocolate or peppermint, which might make them appealing to children or adolescents.
DeLancey said the agency's position is that electronic cigarettes, which contain cartridges filled with varying levels of nicotine from light to heavy, should be subject to regulation under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act as a drug-delivery device.
At least one electronic cigarette distributor is legally challenging that regulatory authority, along with the notion its products are smoking-cessation devices, rather than cigarette alternatives for adults, the company's claim.
"The issue is being fought out in federal court right now," DeLancey said, referring to the lawsuit.
Exactly how many manufacturers make e-cigarettes is hard to determine, but by one estimate, there probably are several hundred of them. And, after a preliminary analysis of two leading e-cigarette brands, the federal agency began halting dozens of shipments of the tobacco-free products from entering the country, a trigger behind the current litigation.E-cigarettes look like conventional cigarettes. But, because they don't have tobacco, they can be used wherever smoking is banned from offices and restaurants to bars, accounting, in part, for their popularity.
The average price tag ranges from $70 to $150 for a starter kit, which typically contains two electronic cigarettes, five to 10 replaceable cartridges of varying nicotine strength and extra batteries.
The cartridges contain the nicotine dose as well as propylene glycol, a liquid that vaporizes and produces the smokelike mist. When a user inhales and takes a puff, a sensor heats the cartridge, initiating the smoking process.
"It actually has a heavier sensation than a cigarette," said Charron, who first heard about e-cigarettes on the radio. "Have you ever breathed directly from a humidifier? It feels a bit like that. Vapor is what you're smoking."
Cheaper than regular cigarettes
Starter kits last as long as the battery and the atomizer work, according to Amy Linert, a spokeswoman and marketer for the Electronic Cigarette Association, a small group of about 15 manufacturers seeking to set national standards for the industry.
The cartridges must be replaced regularly, from "every couple of days to every couple of weeks," she said, depending on an individual's smoking habits.
Still, while the average smoker in Florida pays $5 to $6 for a pack of regular cigarettes, e-cigarettes are cheaper, she said, costing less than half that amount, or the equivalent of $2 a pack.
"This is for smokers who can't or don't want to stop smoking," Linert stressed.
Like the other manufacturers, she said, the association views electronic cigarettes as a safer alternative to regular cigarettes, not as smoking-cessation products, which often fail. The American Cancer Society estimates 440,000 people in the United States die each year from tobacco use, primarily from cancers of the lung, larynx, oral cavity, pharynx and esophagus.
Candylike flavors appeal to children
Although the association is not part of the lawsuit against the FDA, Linert said, the group recently addressed at least two of the agency's concerns and those of several medical organizations, including the American Cancer Society and the American Lung Association.
Revised bylaws, for example, now prohibit members from marketing any candylike flavors in e-cigarettes, to undercut their appeal to children or adolescents.
Also, Linert said, association members do not support the sale of e-cigarettes at kiosks or malls, preferring behind-the-counter sales where the age of customers can be monitored to ensure they are not too young to buy them.
As for the FDA analysis of e-cigarette products, Linert said, it showed only one manufacturer used about a 1 percent solution of diethylene glycol, an antifreeze ingredient toxic to humans, to make the vapor that smokers ultimately expel.
Members of the association use propylene glycol in their e-cigarette products instead, she said. And while propylene glycol also is used in commercial antifreeze, "it's a substance generally considered safe by the government," she said, and also can be found in makeup and food coloring, among other uses.
"I don't want to put a positive or negative spin on it," he said, referring to the e-cigarette, which delivers a preset dose of nicotine, but none of tobacco's tar, through a vapor mist.
"It's definitely not like smoking a cigarette, but it's not terrible," the Palm Bay resident said, describing his experience with the smokelike product during the past several months. "I'm still on the fence, though my wife, Heather, doesn't touch hers anymore."
The market for electronic cigarettes nationwide has grown rapidly, however, so much so the U.S. Food and Drug Administration joined other public health officials earlier this summer in issuing a warning about potential health risks. The federal agency said e-cigarettes lack federal regulation and have been inadequately studied for safety, so consumers have no way of knowing what, besides nicotine, may be inside them.
"Our biggest concern is the lack of safety data," said Siobhan DeLancey, a spokeswoman for FDA. "But we also have issues with how they are marketed" -- often in shopping malls and online -- and in flavors such as bubblegum, chocolate or peppermint, which might make them appealing to children or adolescents.
DeLancey said the agency's position is that electronic cigarettes, which contain cartridges filled with varying levels of nicotine from light to heavy, should be subject to regulation under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act as a drug-delivery device.
At least one electronic cigarette distributor is legally challenging that regulatory authority, along with the notion its products are smoking-cessation devices, rather than cigarette alternatives for adults, the company's claim.
"The issue is being fought out in federal court right now," DeLancey said, referring to the lawsuit.
Exactly how many manufacturers make e-cigarettes is hard to determine, but by one estimate, there probably are several hundred of them. And, after a preliminary analysis of two leading e-cigarette brands, the federal agency began halting dozens of shipments of the tobacco-free products from entering the country, a trigger behind the current litigation.E-cigarettes look like conventional cigarettes. But, because they don't have tobacco, they can be used wherever smoking is banned from offices and restaurants to bars, accounting, in part, for their popularity.
The average price tag ranges from $70 to $150 for a starter kit, which typically contains two electronic cigarettes, five to 10 replaceable cartridges of varying nicotine strength and extra batteries.
The cartridges contain the nicotine dose as well as propylene glycol, a liquid that vaporizes and produces the smokelike mist. When a user inhales and takes a puff, a sensor heats the cartridge, initiating the smoking process.
"It actually has a heavier sensation than a cigarette," said Charron, who first heard about e-cigarettes on the radio. "Have you ever breathed directly from a humidifier? It feels a bit like that. Vapor is what you're smoking."
Cheaper than regular cigarettes
Starter kits last as long as the battery and the atomizer work, according to Amy Linert, a spokeswoman and marketer for the Electronic Cigarette Association, a small group of about 15 manufacturers seeking to set national standards for the industry.
The cartridges must be replaced regularly, from "every couple of days to every couple of weeks," she said, depending on an individual's smoking habits.
Still, while the average smoker in Florida pays $5 to $6 for a pack of regular cigarettes, e-cigarettes are cheaper, she said, costing less than half that amount, or the equivalent of $2 a pack.
"This is for smokers who can't or don't want to stop smoking," Linert stressed.
Like the other manufacturers, she said, the association views electronic cigarettes as a safer alternative to regular cigarettes, not as smoking-cessation products, which often fail. The American Cancer Society estimates 440,000 people in the United States die each year from tobacco use, primarily from cancers of the lung, larynx, oral cavity, pharynx and esophagus.
Candylike flavors appeal to children
Although the association is not part of the lawsuit against the FDA, Linert said, the group recently addressed at least two of the agency's concerns and those of several medical organizations, including the American Cancer Society and the American Lung Association.
Revised bylaws, for example, now prohibit members from marketing any candylike flavors in e-cigarettes, to undercut their appeal to children or adolescents.
Also, Linert said, association members do not support the sale of e-cigarettes at kiosks or malls, preferring behind-the-counter sales where the age of customers can be monitored to ensure they are not too young to buy them.
As for the FDA analysis of e-cigarette products, Linert said, it showed only one manufacturer used about a 1 percent solution of diethylene glycol, an antifreeze ingredient toxic to humans, to make the vapor that smokers ultimately expel.
Members of the association use propylene glycol in their e-cigarette products instead, she said. And while propylene glycol also is used in commercial antifreeze, "it's a substance generally considered safe by the government," she said, and also can be found in makeup and food coloring, among other uses.
понедельник, 14 декабря 2009 г.
Ky. universities expand smoking, tobacco bans
Kentucky's flagship public university gave the official heave-ho to tobacco on Thursday, touting the health benefits of a smoke-free policy covering all of its sprawling campus in the heart of burley tobacco country.
The tobacco ban at the University of Kentucky includes outdoor areas and applies to chew, pipes, cigars and snuff as well as cigarettes. Kentucky leads the nation in the production of burley tobacco, and has some of the nation's highest smoking rates.
"Going tobacco-free may not be the easiest thing to do, it may not be the most politically popular thing to do, but in my mind it's the right thing to do for this campus," UK President Lee Todd said in trumpeting the strict anti-tobacco policy.
Not far behind in the tobacco crackdown is the University of Louisville, which started restricting smoking Thursday to limited areas on its Belknap and Shelby campuses.The goal is to make the university totally smoke-free in a year from now.
Pikeville College also announced Thursday it plans for its campus to be tobacco-free by next fall.
In Lexington, some UK students welcomed the tobacco prohibition.
"It'll be nice walking to class and not having to walk in a cloud of smoke," nonsmoker Kelly Stilz, a senior, said while eating a quick breakfast on campus.
Sophomore Matt Danter, also a nonsmoker, harbored no strong feelings about the policy, but said "it seems a little contradictory" given Kentucky's heritage as a tobacco producer.
Danter said he has friends on campus who smoke and don't like the policy. He said he expects to see plenty of scofflaws on campus.
If there's a will, there's a way," he said.The university is stressing treatment, not punishment, for people caught using tobacco on campus. Citations will not be given to violators, and the school will steer them toward treatment. However, UK employees who are flagrant violators could ultimately be fired, and flagrant student violators could face dismissal from school, said Ellen Hahn, a UK nursing professor who played a leading role in implementing the policy.
"We would not expect that," she said, predicting that people will comply.
But the goal is to help them kick their tobacco habits. To help accomplish that, the university will make nicotine replacement products available at no cost for up to 12 weeks for students, faculty and staff enrolled in UK-sponsored tobacco treatment programs, she said.
Those not ready to give up tobacco but wanting to get through the day without a cigarette or a pinch of snuff can get the replacement products at deep discounts on campus, she said.
"We know it's going to take time," said Anthany Beatty, UK's assistant vice president for campus services. "Nicotine is a powerfully addictive substance, and folks just can't drop the habit."
Kent Ratajeski, a lecturer in UK's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, said the tobacco-free policy went too far, encroaching on the freedom of students.
"I think the university is telling them how to live their lives," he said.
K has prohibited smoking inside and within 20 feet of buildings since 2006.
Tim Bricker, chairman of pediatrics for the Kentucky Children's Hospital, said he understood the tobacco-free policy will be inconvenient for some on campus. But if the ban improves overall health and entices some people to stop smoking, then it's "really worth it," he said.Kentucky has the nation's highest rate of lung cancer and is third in adult smoking rates, according to the state Department for Public Health.
"Our young people are being targeted by the tobacco companies, and have been for years," said Hahn, who played a key role in implementing the policy. "This policy really is an investment in our young people and in our state."
Even with the ban, UK still has strong ties to tobacco.
Specialists in its College of Agriculture offer production advice to tobacco growers, and UK is home to a research center seeking new commercial uses for tobacco, including pharmaceuticals.
Scott Smith, dean of UK's College of Agriculture, said the university still grows tobacco on its farms as part of research to assist growers and the tobacco industry.
"Tobacco remains an important crop to many Kentucky farms," he said.
Elsewhere, the University of Louisville kicked off its policy Thursday to ban smoking almost everywhere on its campuses. Rather than asking employees and students to quit cold turkey, however, U of L began a phaseout of smoking, with designated smoking areas set up on its Belknap and Shelby campuses. The school will gradually phase out those smoking areas, with the goal of making its campuses totally smoke-free by November 2010.
U of L's Health Sciences campus has been smoke-free since 2004.
"As a university committed to our students, faculty and staff, we are emphasizing the health benefits of not smoking," said U of L Provost Shirley Willihnganz.
The tobacco ban at the University of Kentucky includes outdoor areas and applies to chew, pipes, cigars and snuff as well as cigarettes. Kentucky leads the nation in the production of burley tobacco, and has some of the nation's highest smoking rates.
"Going tobacco-free may not be the easiest thing to do, it may not be the most politically popular thing to do, but in my mind it's the right thing to do for this campus," UK President Lee Todd said in trumpeting the strict anti-tobacco policy.
Not far behind in the tobacco crackdown is the University of Louisville, which started restricting smoking Thursday to limited areas on its Belknap and Shelby campuses.The goal is to make the university totally smoke-free in a year from now.
Pikeville College also announced Thursday it plans for its campus to be tobacco-free by next fall.
In Lexington, some UK students welcomed the tobacco prohibition.
"It'll be nice walking to class and not having to walk in a cloud of smoke," nonsmoker Kelly Stilz, a senior, said while eating a quick breakfast on campus.
Sophomore Matt Danter, also a nonsmoker, harbored no strong feelings about the policy, but said "it seems a little contradictory" given Kentucky's heritage as a tobacco producer.
Danter said he has friends on campus who smoke and don't like the policy. He said he expects to see plenty of scofflaws on campus.
If there's a will, there's a way," he said.The university is stressing treatment, not punishment, for people caught using tobacco on campus. Citations will not be given to violators, and the school will steer them toward treatment. However, UK employees who are flagrant violators could ultimately be fired, and flagrant student violators could face dismissal from school, said Ellen Hahn, a UK nursing professor who played a leading role in implementing the policy.
"We would not expect that," she said, predicting that people will comply.
But the goal is to help them kick their tobacco habits. To help accomplish that, the university will make nicotine replacement products available at no cost for up to 12 weeks for students, faculty and staff enrolled in UK-sponsored tobacco treatment programs, she said.
Those not ready to give up tobacco but wanting to get through the day without a cigarette or a pinch of snuff can get the replacement products at deep discounts on campus, she said.
"We know it's going to take time," said Anthany Beatty, UK's assistant vice president for campus services. "Nicotine is a powerfully addictive substance, and folks just can't drop the habit."
Kent Ratajeski, a lecturer in UK's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, said the tobacco-free policy went too far, encroaching on the freedom of students.
"I think the university is telling them how to live their lives," he said.
K has prohibited smoking inside and within 20 feet of buildings since 2006.
Tim Bricker, chairman of pediatrics for the Kentucky Children's Hospital, said he understood the tobacco-free policy will be inconvenient for some on campus. But if the ban improves overall health and entices some people to stop smoking, then it's "really worth it," he said.Kentucky has the nation's highest rate of lung cancer and is third in adult smoking rates, according to the state Department for Public Health.
"Our young people are being targeted by the tobacco companies, and have been for years," said Hahn, who played a key role in implementing the policy. "This policy really is an investment in our young people and in our state."
Even with the ban, UK still has strong ties to tobacco.
Specialists in its College of Agriculture offer production advice to tobacco growers, and UK is home to a research center seeking new commercial uses for tobacco, including pharmaceuticals.
Scott Smith, dean of UK's College of Agriculture, said the university still grows tobacco on its farms as part of research to assist growers and the tobacco industry.
"Tobacco remains an important crop to many Kentucky farms," he said.
Elsewhere, the University of Louisville kicked off its policy Thursday to ban smoking almost everywhere on its campuses. Rather than asking employees and students to quit cold turkey, however, U of L began a phaseout of smoking, with designated smoking areas set up on its Belknap and Shelby campuses. The school will gradually phase out those smoking areas, with the goal of making its campuses totally smoke-free by November 2010.
U of L's Health Sciences campus has been smoke-free since 2004.
"As a university committed to our students, faculty and staff, we are emphasizing the health benefits of not smoking," said U of L Provost Shirley Willihnganz.
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