October 9, 2014
RJ Reynolds just announced that it was "partnering" with the National School Boards Association to promote RJR's new "Right Decisions Right Now" youth smoking prevention program. RJR's press release proudly announces that its curriculum is "aligned with the Common Core Standards."
The Common Core is supposed to promote critical thinking skills and in-depth examination of issues. One wonders if the NSBA reviewed federal Judge Gladys Kessler's landmark ruling that RJ Reynolds violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO) by forming an illegal enterprise to defraud the public that is continuing.
October 8, 2014
Robin Koval, the new President and CEO of the Legacy Foundation will keynote the 2015 "It's ABout a Billion Lives" symposium on January 30, 2015. Our closing speaker will be Joseph Gugliemo, Dean of the UCSF School of Pharmacy.
As always, there will be presentations by two UCSF faculty and two UCSF postdoctoral fellows as well as posters from a wide range of UCSF researchers.
The symposium will be in Cole Hall on the UCSF Parnassus campus. A light breakfast will be available starting at 8:00 AM. The symposium will end around 12:30 pm.
This event is open to all in the UCSF community as well as the public. Save the date!
You can view videos of past years' symposia at https://tobacco.ucsf.edu/about-a-billion-lives.
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.