Elements that contribute to healthy building design

(Disponible en anglais seulement.)
Detailed discussion on healthy building design, focusing on three issues: 1) sustainable development of buildings and communities; 2) effect of occupants on the indoor environment; and 3) recent developments in healthy building products and materials.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.8988

Comment: Shows that healthy design of the places and spaces where we live, work and play, can deliver a wide range of benefits.

Children living with adult smokers, United States 2004

Presents estimates of the percentage of American children under age 18 at the end of 2004, who lived in homes containing at least one adult who smoked.
http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_files/publications/st147/stat147.pdf


Comment: Suffer the children...

Urinary biomarkers to assess exposure of cats to environmental tobacco smoke

(Disponible en anglais seulement.)
Cats from households that had owners that smoked had increased urine concentrations of total cotinine, total nicotine, and of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) compared to cats that lived with owners that did not smoke. Biomarkers could initiate the research of the adverse effects of smoking on cats and other animals.
http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/ajvr.68.4.349

Comment: Pets are often forgotten when discussing the harm caused by secondhand smoke. They also have no way to avoid SHS.

How big was the global illicit tobacco trade problem in 2006?

Summary - The different types of illicit tobacco trade - Estimates of cigarette smuggling - Cigarette sales in 2006 - Recent estimates of the size of the illicit tobacco trade - An estimate of the losses in government revenue.
http://www.fctc.org/x/documents/HowBigWasTheIllicitTobaccoTradeProblem_2006_English.pdf

Quelle est l'étendue du problème de la contrebande de cigarettes en 2006?
Sommaire - Les différents types de contrebande - Estimations de la contrebande de cigarettes - Ventes de cigarettes en 2006 - Estimations récentes du commerce illegal de tabac - Les pertes de revenus pour le gouvernement.
http://www.fctc.org/x/documents/HowBigWasTheIllicitTobaccoTradeProblem_2006_French.pdf

Comment: The illicit tobacco trade in Canada pales in comparison to the rest of the world. Knowing the ramifications of contraband here, seeing the economic impact of illicit tobacco on a global scale is staggering.

Engendering tobacco control : using an international public health treaty to reduce smoking and empower women

Commentary on the potential of the World Health Organization's (WHO's) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to integrate gender and diversity into all future tobacco control.


http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/tc.2006016337

Comments: It's feasible and beneficial to integrate gender in tobacco control policies and programs.

Is YouTube telling or selling you something? : tobacco content on the YouTube video-sharing website

(Disponible en anglais seulement.)
This paper analyzes the amount of smoking material on the YouTube website. The authors conducted a search for videos containing smoking images; the search retrieved 29,325 videos. Of the first 50 videos, 24 had smoking images, 21 contained marijuana images, and 2 included cigar images. Authors also discuss the effects for tobacco control.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/tc.2007.020024

Comment: Just another sneaky way for the tobacco industry to market their products, without appearing to do so. The ability for the tobacco control movement to use YouTube shouldn't be overlooked, especially with the popularity of the website with youth. I don't think I'm alone in being sucked into YouTube for hours, with the intent of only watching a 3 minute video...

Keeping public institutions invested in tobacco

This paper uses tobacco industry documents to show how Philip Morris sought to restore its credibility as an inverstment vehicle, by commissioning a report from Wilshire Associates.


http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-006-9188-0

Comments: While the tobacco industry defends itself, the tobacco stock divestment movement moves on!! Recently, University of Toronto became the first Canadian university to sell off its tobacco stocks. Will other institutions follow suit??

Is there a health benefit of reduced tobacco consumption? : a systematic review

(Disponible en anglais seulement.)
This review of 25 studies indicates that a significant decrease in tobacco consumption does improve health. For instance, health advantages include: a 25% decrease in biomarkers and occurrence of lung cancer and a small slight increase in birth weight. Evidence for mortality and other health benefits is incomplete to generate conclusions.
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a779329648

Comment: Decreasing tobacco consumption can also lead to cessation.

Smokers' choice : what explains the steady growth of cigar use in the U.S.?

Viewpoint on the rise in cigar consumption and prevalence in the United States, particularly among celebrities. Several factors have contributed to the steady growth in cigar use, namely, the disparity between taxation of cigars and cigarettes, innovative cigar marketing, and the expansion of available cigar products.

http://www.publichealthreports.org/userfiles/121 2/121116.pdf

Comments: How popular are cigars? Witness that on a recent trade mission to Ottawa, Canada, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger unexpectedly stops his 5-car motorcade at a hotel to buy a Cuban cigar!

Export "A" ads are extremely expert, eh?

This ad watch discusses the Export "A" ads in Canada for sponsoring various extreme sports. These ads incorporate ad elements from competitors, such as solo athletes and rebellious and extreme imagery (eg car racing, wild water kayaking) to reinvigorate the brand and appeal to young males.
http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/10/1/71

Comment: Another strategy used by the tobacco industry to sell it's product.

Can cigarette warnings counterbalance effects of smoking scenes in movies?

Explores whether Canadian cigarette warning labels can decrease the impact of the smoking in movies. Findings show that without a warning label, youth had positive smoking-related stereotypes to smoking in the movies. However, this did not occur if youth first viewed a picture and text warning.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?orig_db=PubMed&db=PubMed&cmd=Search&defaultField=Title&term=Psychological+reports%5BJour%5D+AND+2007%5Bpdat%5D+AND++cigarette+warnings

Comment: Proof that warning labels especially, Canadian warning labels are an effective strategy to deter smokers and youth from smoking.

Rabbis condemn smoking

Presents a ruling of a group of Orthodox rabbis, arguing that smoking is an "immediate and inevitable danger" and an "assault" on the health and physical integrity of those who are forced to breathe secondhand smoke.

http://ash.org/rabbitext.html


Comments: Read the decision to find out why Rabbi Tendler says that it's a greater sin to smoke a cigarette than to eat a ham sandwich!

How to prevent 100 million deaths from tobacco

(Disponible en anglais seulement.)
Dr. Thomas Frieden of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Mayor Michael Bloomberg present their viewpoint on the tobacco epidemic and tobacco control. Suggest that all nations increase tobacco taxes, change the image of tobacco through advertising bans and anti-tobacco marketing, establish smoke-free places, help smokers to quit, and rigorously assess the implementation of tobacco control measures.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60782-X

Comment: It's nice to see an elected official being so proactive, not just in their community, but on a global scale.