With the debate on smoking in vehicles garnering considerable attention, researchers have fuelled the concern that smoking in a car can put passengers at risk. Young children are particularly vulnerable when it comes to smoke in such a confined space and research has suggested that they could be at risk for ‘up to an hour’ after their parent or guardian has lit a cigarette. Many people had previous believed that simply opening windows or throwing away cigarettes was enough to guard youngsters against health threats. But researchers have discovered that many of the dangerous chemicals foun ... Jump to full article >>

Parents who smoke while driving with their children in the car may face prosecution under strict new laws. Health watchdogs in Wales are ­trying to slash the number of smokers by a third over the next decade. Chief medical ­officer Dr Tony Jewell said the laws will help break the cycle of ­smoking within families and “bring home to parents the risks of smoking in front of their children”. He added: “Reducing ­children’s exposure to ­second-hand smoke will help to protect the most ­vulnerable in society.” Patients and staff in Wales could also be banned from smoking while on br ... Jump to full article >>

Tobacco smoke doesn’t concern itself with doors or privacy. It goes where it wants, even through ventilation systems, walls, shared air spaces. Such invasiveness could be a particular problem for children who live in apartments. So suggests a report published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics. Here’s the short version of that children-and-smoke study — and the full version, for those so inclined. Using national health survey data, researchers established that, among kids not living with someone who smoked inside the home, those who lived in apartments were exposed to su ... Jump to full article >>

Tobacco companies call them “replacement smokers.” You call them your children. Either way, area kids are being targeted by cigarette makers with a massive amount of advertising in local stores according to a survey released today by Tri-County Tobacco Free Programs, the Reality Check Program and the American Cancer Society. Stores were randomly selected from a list of retailers licensed to sell tobacco in Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua counties and 21 stores were visited during the month of October. Key findings of the Tri-county observational survey, released as part of th ... Jump to full article >>

Ministers are considering switching all brand packs to a standard colour so brightly coloured packages will not lure prospective smokers from a young age. Retailers will be initially be asked to cover up their displays of cigarettes so that children are not attracted by the packaging, but ministers want to examine the use of plain packets as well. Ministers want to see if changing cigarette packet appearance could deter children from taking up smoking and support people who are trying to quit. Plain packs would just show only basic information and health and picture warnings in order to break ... Jump to full article >>

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 >>