October 5, 2014
Esteve Fernández' group has just published an important paper, "Cigarettes vs. e-cigarettes:Passive exposure at home measured by means of airborne marker and biomarkers," that found elevated levels of airborne nicotine in homes of e-cigarette users that, while not as high as in cigarette smoekrs' homes was significantly elevated over that observed in nonsmokers' homes. More important, the levels of salivary and urinary cotinine, measures of absorbed nicotine was elevated to similar levels in bystanders in both the e-cigarette and cigarette users' homes.
This paper shows in real world enviornments, that bystanders are bystanders are taking nicotine into their bodies (and, by inference, the other pollutants that e-cigas put into the air) as a result of passive exposure.
This paper, together with earlier research (from chamber studies), provides a compelling case for including e-cigarettes in clean indoor air laws and for people to prohibit their use in smokefree homes.
Here is the abstract:
October 3, 2014
E-cigarette enthusiasts are now routinely saying that the effects of nicotine are no more bothersome than caffeine (for example, Peter Hajeck and John Britton on BBC).
They (and the media quoting them) should read Chapter 5 "Nicotine" of the 2014 Surgeon General's report. Here are the conclusions:
1. The evidence is sufficient to infer that at high-enough doses nicotine has acute toxicity.
2. The evidence is sufficient to infer that nicotine activates multiple biological pathways through which smoking increases risk for disease.
3. The evidence is sufficient to infer that nicotine exposure during fetal development, a critical window for brain development, has lasting adverse consequences for brain development.
4. The evidence is sufficient to infer that nicotine adversely affects maternal and fetal health during pregnancy, contributing to multiple adverse outcomes such as preterm delivery and stillbirth.
September 30, 2014
A couple days ago ACS CAN in California launched its website to reward California politicians who have accepted ACS' challenge to swear off tobacco money,
This is a step in the right direction, but the real need is to hold those who do take tobacco money, including Governor Jerry Brown, accountable (not just leave them off the list of "good guys").
Here is their press release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 29, 2014
Contact: Stephanie Winn McCorkle
Associate Director of Media Advocacy, Western Region
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Phone: 916 802-4033
Email: [email protected]
“SNUFF TOBACCO MONEY OUT OF CALIFORNIA POLITICS”
LAUNCHES WEBSITE TO EXPOSE POLITICANS
SACRAMENTO – Nearly 50 candidates and officeholders have taken the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) up on its challenge to “just say no” to Big Tobacco campaign money. With the launch of its www.notobaccomoney.org website today, September 29, 2014, ACS CAN goes public with the names of candidates who have signed the pledge to swear off tobacco campaign cash.
September 30, 2014
Shareholders Challenge Major Hollywood Studios to Account for 1,000,000 Smoking Deaths (press release and NY Times story)
Surgeon General and CDC Directly Link Smoking in Movies to Youth Initiation that Could be Eliminated with an R Rating
Milwaukee, WI – Today (September 26, 2014) faith-based shareholders, who are part of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) and the shareholder advocacy organization As You Sow, filed shareholder resolutions with The Walt Disney Company and Viacom (parent of Paramount) asking the Hollywood movie studios to respond to the Surgeon General and CDC report that an R rating of films with smoking imagery could save 1,000,0 lives.
September 25, 2014
Maciej L. Goniewicz and Lily Lee have published a paper, "Electronic Cigarettes Are a Source of Thirdhand Exposure to Nicotine" in Nicotine and Tobacco Research. The title says it all, but here is the abstract:
Introduction: Substances remaining on the surfaces in areas where people have smoked contribute to thirdhand exposure. Nicotine from tobacco smoke has been shown to react with oxidizing chemicals in the air to form secondary pollutants, such as carcinogenic nitrosamines. While previous studies have demonstrated thirdhand exposure to nicotine from tobacco smoke, none has investigated whether nicotine from electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) can also be deposited on various surfaces.
Methods: Three brands of e-cigarettes were refilled with varying nicotine concentrations. We released 100 puffs from each product directly into an exposure chamber. Surface wipe samples were taken from five indoor 100cm2 surfaces (window, walls, floor, wood, and metal) pre and post release of vapors. Nicotine was extracted from the wipes and analyzed using gas chromatography.