A council could become the first in Britain to give any film which features smoking an 18 certificate in a bid to tackle addiction, it emerged today. Officials in Plymouth, Devon, want to prevent children viewing movies which show actors using cigarettes. The local authority has the power to change certificates for films shown in its boundaries and say the move would help its anti-smoking plans. NHS Figures for Plymouth show 27 per cent of adults smoke compared to the national figure of 21 per cent – and 63 per cent of children are smoking by the age of 16 But in more deprived areas up ... Jump to full article >>

Parents who smoke often believe that using an odor neutralizer, switching on a fan or simply closing the door to prevent the tobacco smoke from entering other rooms is sufficient to protect their children from the dangers of passive smoking. But the scientists have recently made a discovery that is likely to change public attitude to smoking. They discovered that particles of tobacco smoke found on any surfaces can be even more hazardous than second-hand smoke. The discovery was named third-hand smoke, which refers to the residue sticking to every surface around a smoker. It can be found on fu ... Jump to full article >>

More than 22,000 children seek medical help for asthma and wheezing as a result of passive smoking every year, according to the first UK assessment of the impact of second-hand smoke. The 200-page report on the health impacts of passive smoking on children, and the costs to the NHS, concludes that it is responsible for thousands of avoidable hospital and GP visits, as well as for one in five sudden infant deaths. Doctors said that it provided the most compelling case yet for an extension of the smoking ban, which is due for review later this year, to enclosed public places, including cars, and ... Jump to full article >>

Tens of thousands of children in the UK every year get asthma, chest infections and ear problems because they are exposed to smoke from their parents’ cigarettes, doctors reveal today. Secondhand smoke causes 15,400 children between three and 16 to develop asthma, gives 20,500 two or under a chest infection and 121,400 under-16s an infected middle ear, a report from the Royal College of Physicians warns. Another 600 under-16s get meningitis, 7,200 babies start wheezing and 40 children die of sudden infant death syndrome owing to passive smoking, the study says. In total 165,000 children ... Jump to full article >>

Tobacco Free Amarillo recently gave Amarillo Independent School District a Tobacco Ages software system, which shows students how they will look in the future. While the photography program uses standard age-progression software, the system also shows students how tobacco use, obesity and sun damage can affect their appearance through time, said Melynn Huntley, director of the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Program at AISD. The SSHS program is a joint effort of AISD, Randall County Juvenile Probation, Potter County Juvenile Probation, TPMHMR, the Potter County Sheriff’s Department and the ... Jump to full article >>

While most people will welcome the Government’s determination that children should not take up smoking, some retailers fear the new controls on the sale of tobacco could affect already struggling businesses. It comes as Secretary of State for Health Andy Burnham announced a number of commitments for a ’smoke-free’ Britain yesterday. David Spence, deputy director of public health from NHS Northamptonshire, welcomed the announcement and said: “We need to keep working hard to ensure a tobacco-free future. “The removal of tobacco products from retail display and prohi ... Jump to full article >>

Abstract The main purpose of this study was to identify and evaluate determinants of hair nicotine concentrations in nonsmoking women and children exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke at home. Hair samples were collected from nonsmoking women (n = 852) and from children (n = 1,017) <11 years of age living in households (n = 1,095) with smokers from 31 countries from July 2005 to October 2006. Participants’ ages, activity patterns and socioeconomic characteristics including education and employment status, and hair treatment information were collected. Multilevel linear regression model ... Jump to full article >>

Background Smoke-free legislation was introduced in Wales in April 2007. In response to concerns regarding potential displacement of smoking into the home following legislation, this study assessed changes in secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure amongst non-smoking children. Methods Approximately 1,750 year 6 (aged 10-11) children from 75 Welsh primary schools were included in cross-sectional surveys immediately pre-legislation and one year later. Participants completed self-report questionnaires and provided saliva samples for cotinine assay. Regression analyses assessed the impact of legislation ... Jump to full article >>

The smoking ban in Wales has not displaced secondhand smoke from public places into the home. A study of 3500 children from 75 primary schools in Wales, published in the open access journal BMC Public Health, found that they were exposed to similar amounts of secondhand smoke before and after legislation, which should reassure those worried that exposure to smoking at home could increase following the ban. Dr Jo Holliday and colleagues at Cardiff University’s School of Social Sciences carried out the study, funded by the Welsh Assembly Government. They measured the levels of cotinine, a ... Jump to full article >>

Toddlers and obese children suffer more than other youth when exposed to secondhand smoke, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2009. “Secondhand smoke in children is not just bad for respiratory issues, as has been previously described by other researchers,” said John Anthony Bauer, Ph.D., the study’s senior co-author and principal investigator at Nationwide Children’s Hospital & Research Institute at Ohio State University in Columbus. “Our data support the view that cardiovascular effects of secondhand ... Jump to full article >>

When the state attorney general fabricates an allegation to justify charging a person with criminal activity, everyone in the state ought to take note. Attorney General Michael Delaney is pursuing a case against Tobacco Haven, a roll-your-own tobacco shop in Brookline. According to the Attorney General’s Office, Tobacco Haven owes the state a whole bunch of back taxes on cigarette tobacco. Tobacco Haven says it doesn’t because the tobacco in question is for pipes, not cigarettes. Cigarette tobacco is taxed; pipe tobacco is not. Few would begrudge the state for making sure businesse ... Jump to full article >>