Dutch smokers are “alarmingly” ignorant of harms of passive smoking..

April 16, 2011 - Tobacco control experts are urging the Dutch government to launch information campaigns funded by a doubling of the price of secondhandsmokecigarettes, after a new study showed an “alarming” ignorance of the dangers of passive smoking.

The study, by researchers at Maastricht University for the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project, coincides with this week’s European conference on tobacco and health in Amsterdam ;, aimed at putting tobacco control higher on the political and social agenda. THe latest Tobacco Control Scale, a report on measures to combat smoking by the Association of European Cancer Leagues, placed the Netherlands joint 13th out of 30 countries, behind Turkey and Italy<br><br><a href=">The Tobacco Control Scale 2010 in Europe Luk Joossens Martin Raw) Its position may reflect the recent decision to allow smoking once more in small cafes Netherlands - smoking ban lifted in small cafes with no staff.. of passive smoking and the low average price of a packet of cigarettes in the Netherland, estimated at €5.05 (£4.45; $7.18), less than half the €11.24 (16.2204 USD) in Norway.

The Maastricht University study found that just 61% of Dutch smokers agree that cigarette smoke is dangerous to non-smokers. In France the percentage is 96% and in China it is 93%. It also showed that only 70% of Dutch smokers recognise a direct link between passive smoking and lung cancer in non-smokers (94% in France). Only 9% of Dutch smokers thought about the harm to others (42% in the United Kingdom).

Geoffrey Fong, of the International Tobacco Control project, said that understanding harm was the key to tobacco control. “As a signatory to the WHO framework convention on tobacco control the Netherlands has a duty to inform its people about the dangers of smoking,” he said.

Marc Willemsen, who led the Dutch study, described the findings as “alarming,” particularly as the Dutch health ministry had recently decided to discontinue funding for media campaigns to educate smokers.

“We knew that there was a large degree of toleration—that is part of our culture—but we had no idea that the basic level of knowledge was so low,” said Professor Willemsen, who blamed the absence of campaigns on the health dangers of smoking. He believes that the government is afraid of appearing to be too “nannying.”

He said, “The health minister has told parliament that she does not want to finance campaigns in the areas of lifestyle behaviour and has specially mentioned smoking as an example.”

Lies van Gennip, chief executive of Stivoro, the Dutch expert centre on tobacco control, said that it was of utmost importance to raise knowledge. “It is shocking that people in Holland know less about the damage from passive smoking than in China,” she said. She called for “proven effective measures,” such as graphic warnings on cigarette packets and increasing the cost of a packet of cigarettes, which could be gradually doubled to €10 to match the price in other countries. This call has sparked a campaign against the organisation in the social media.

The health minister, Edith Schippers, wrote to MPs on 31 March accepting that public knowledge about the harms of passive smoking seemed to be low.

Reference: Dutch smokers are “alarmingly” ignorant of harms of passive smoking by Tony Sheldon
(environmntal tobacco smoke, ets, shs, passive smoking, involuntary smoking sidstram smoking)
Netherlands - related news briefs:
a href=http://snus-news.blogspot.com/2010/12/netherlands-smoking-ban-widely-ignored.html">Netherlands - smoking ban widely ignored - govt not sure how many bars have no employees..;
Netherlands - smoking ban lifted in small cafes with no staff..;
Netherlands - small pubs (bars) - one-man businesses smoking allowed..;
Netherlands - legislation to abolish smoking ban for small cafes/bars with no staff.. ;
Netherlands - bars defy two-year old smoking ban..;
Netherlands - small bars can continue to ignore smoking ban..;
Dutch government will change law to keep bars smoke free..;
Netherlands - lifted smoking ban for bars with no employees..;
Holland - smoking ban temporarily halted for smaller cafes run by their owners alone..;
Netherlands - spot checks on smoking in small cafes suspended temporarily..;
Dutch bar owners without staff when victory against smoking ban..;
Netherlands - Marijuana /Tobacco Cigarettes - Confusion..;
Netherlands - small bars/cafes with no staff could be exempt from smoking ban..;
Court spares small Dutch cafe over smoking ban..;
Netherlands - 1st court case for flouting smoking ban..;
Netherlands - ban on smoking in bars and restaurants NOT enforced..; Netherlands - ban on smoking in bars and restaurants NOT enforced..; Netherlands the smoking ban must be enforced - Ab Klink, Health Minister...;
Congratulations are in order: Netherlands, Romania & Alberta...
(Holland, Dutch)
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Richmond, VA, home of Philip Morris USA again won the title of “Asthma Capital” of the U.S.

April 16, 2011

March 31, 2008 - Altria bid farewell Friday to New York City and joins its Henrico County-based subsidiary, Philip Morris USA, the nation's largest cigarette maker, in Virginia. (Altria Moves Headquarters from N.Y. to Virginia Today)

IN less than two years after the move to Richmond Philip Morris USA has again won the title of “Asthma Capital” of the U.S. for the second year in a row. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America also ranked Virginia Beach in the top 10 most challenging places to live with asthma.

The group's rankings are based on scoring of a variety of factors in the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. The foundation has conducted the study for eight years.

Richmond ranked 14th in 2009, but jumped to the top spot last year. The group says Richmond's ranking is based on factors including a higher than average pollen score, continued poor air quality, a lack of public smoking bans, and high poverty and uninsured rates.

Does the production of million of cigarettes results in continued poor air quality??

“Although Richmond is a particularly difficult place for people with asthma to live, asthma triggers are present in every American city,” Mike Tringale, a spokesman with the group said in a news release. “There is no way for asthma patients to escape their disease, but no matter where they live, patients can work with their physicians to find ways to control their symptoms better.”

Asthma is characterized by inflammation of the lungs resulting in chronic wheezing, coughing and difficulty breathing. It causes more than 4,000 deaths annually and more than 500,000 hospitalizations, as well as $18 billion in medical expenses and indirect costs each year.

Reference: Richmond named nation's 'Asthma Capitol', Associated Press, Richmong-Times Dispatch, 4/16/2011. Read more...

Germany: Catering Sales Rise Despite Anti-Smoking Laws..

April 16, 2011
Germany has sixteen states (Laender), as follows:

1. Berlin (city state)
2. Hamburg (city state)
3. Bremen (city state)
4. Brandenburg - capital: Potsdam
5. Bayern (Bavaria) - capital: Munich
6. Baden-Württemberg - capital: Stuttgart
7. Hessen (Hesse) - capital: Wiesbaden
8. Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine Westphalia) - capital: Düsseldorf
9. Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland Palatinate) - capital: Mainz
10. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - capital: Schwerin
11. Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) - capital: Hanover
12. Saarland - capital: Saarbrücken
13. Sachsen (Saxony) - capital: Dresden
14. Sachsen-Anhalt (Saxony Anhalt) - capital: Magdeburg
15. Schleswig-Holstein - capital: Kiel
16. Thüringen (Thuringia) - capital: Erfurt

The first three are city states and have a somewhat different constitution from the others.

Contrary to claims by breweries, the catering industry and tobacco firms, the imposition of smoking bans in German states has not dampened sales. The southern state of Bavaria, for example — which has the strongest anti-smoking laws in Germany — has seen catering industry sales rise by 1.5 percent in the second half of 2010, versus the same period a year earlier. In contrast, bars and restaurants in North Rhine-Westphalia, the German state with a range of means exempting smokers from bans, has seen its catering trade income sink by 3.1 percent in the same time span.

The prevalence of loopholes in North Rhine-Westphalia is illustrated by the city of Essen, where only a third of its 362 bars are smoke free. Many of the bars and cafes have found ways to sidestep the smoking ban, for example by forming so-called smoking clubs.

Germany and ‘Smoke-Free Europe’

Barbara Steffens, of the Green Party, who is the state health minister in North Rhine-Westphalia, wants to tighten her region’s lax smoking laws — prompting an outcry from the beer industry. But the reality of the regional sales figures contradict the oft-repeated fear that businesses will suffer if punters are not allowed to light up.

Germany’s smoking bans have long been a patchwork affair with individual states determining regional measures. The result has been that many bars manage to keep their doors open to smokers. Six months ago, European Union Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy John Dalli of Malta called for new rules that would help bring about his goal of a ” smoke-free Europe.” (European Union - commission wants no exceptions to smoking bans..)

According to a ranking list released in March by the Association of European Cancer Leagues, the Tobacco Control Scale 2010 shows that Germany lags many of its European neighbors on the basis of its tobacco taxes, smoking and advertising bans. (The Tobacco Control Scale 2010 in Europe Luk Joossens Martin Raw)

Reference: Catering Sales Rise Despite Anti-Smoking Laws:smoking-quit.info, 4/14/2011.

Some Germany related news briefs:
Germany - kids just don't think smoking is cool anymore..;
Germany - tobacco taxes to increase in May 2011..;
Germany - tobacco tax to increase incrementally over next 5-years..;
Oktoberfest 2010 in Munich, Germany smokefree in 2011..;
Bavaria, Germany - Oktoberfest to be smokefree but not this year..;
Study - the more teens see cigarette ads, the greater the risk of taking a puff..;
Germany - Bavaria referendum on smoking in cafés and beer halls on July 4, 2010..;
Germany - losing billions as smokers find cheaper places to buy cigarettes..;
Germany - smokers smoking less but it's costing more..;
Bavarians force referendum on smoking ban next year..;
Bavaria - court rules, looser implementation of smoking ban constitutional..;
Germany - beer sales are down smoking ban maybe partial blame..;
Bavaria - state's parliament loosened regulation on smoking ban..;
WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2008..;
German sales rise in Germany amid moves to impose smoking ban.. Read more...

Tossed cigarette likely sparked trailer fire that killed six horses Saturday, April 16, 2011 2:18 PM

April 16, 2011 - Fire-safe cigarettes do not prevent unattended cigarettes from igniting nearby materials or tinder..

December 27, 2009 - North Carolina (NC) - beginning in January 2010 fire safe cigarettes (FSC), smoking ban in public places..

A cigarette tossed by a passing driver likely sparked a fire in a horse trailer on Interstate 95 that killed six thoroughbreds Friday night, according to the Nash County Sheriff's Office.

The truck was northbound on I-95 south of Rocky Mount, when a camera showed the driver that smoke was coming from the horses' stalls in the trailer, state troopers said.

The driver woke up a back-up driver in the cab, and they tried to put out the fire, but it quickly got out of control.

One of the drivers suffered burns while trying to save the horses, but they all died.

Troopers said a discarded cigarette from a passing vehicle likely flew into one of the partially open stalls, setting fire to the hay, troopers said.

The vehicle was transporting the horses from Florida to New York.

I-95 was closed after the fire, causing traffic to back up for miles.

Reference: Tossed cigarette likely sparked trailer fire that killed six horses">, m.wral.com/




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Kenton County, Kentucky smoking ban begins..

April 16, 2011 - After years of contentious debate, a northern Kentucky county will be the first in that part of the state to ban smoking in most public places come Friday, April 15th.

Each year more than 8,000 Kentuckians die of illnesses caused by tobacco use. Some die of lung cancer, while others fall victim to cardiovascular disease. Annually, Medicaid and Medicare costs exceed an estimated $1.2 billion for treatment of Kentuckians suffering smoking-related diseases and conditions. This equals $300 for each of the 4 million people living in Kentucky. (KY Department of PUblic Health Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program)


The controversial ordinance says Kenton County offices and public establishments such as restaurants, churches, bowling alleys, bingo halls and retail stores must go smoke-free, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

Private clubs and "drinking establishments" meeting certain requirements can apply for an exemption, the newspaper said.

Health advocates say comprehensive smoke-free laws are needed to protect employees and customers from the hazards of secondhand smoke, while opponents of the ban argue it infringes on the rights of businesses and property owners.

But both sides say the partial ban allowing exemptions for some, but not all public places, is confusing and will be difficult to enforce.

"We have a lot of experience with other communities, like Louisville, which eventually strengthened their ordinance to a comprehensive smoke-free law because of enforcement issues," said Ellen Hahn, director of the Kentucky Center for Smoke-free Policy at the University of Kentucky.

"It's really a matter of everyone deserves to breathe clean air, and why do we give exemptions for some and not for others?" Hahn said. "From an enforcement standpoint, it's much easier if it's comprehensive.

Vhe Kenton County Health Department has helped by distributing tool-kits, posting sample signs and reminder cards on their website.

There will be consequences for businesses who don't comply with the new law.

"Well, as the ordinance says, the first time we find a violation, the owner will receive a warning," Dr. Lynne Saddler, Northern Kentucky Health Department, "But along with that warning we will also provide the education to help them understand what's wrong and what they have to do to fix the non-compliance with the ordinance."

More than 5,500 businesses in Kenton County will be affected by the law.

References: Kenton County businesses prepare for smoking ban by Chelsey Collins, .wxix.com, 4/7/2011, Kenton Co: Extinguish 'em if you got 'em/Written by Cindy Schroedercschroeder@nky.com news.cincinnati.com 4/13/2011. Read more...