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ASH Daily News

Wednesday 3 November 1999

Headlines

Rise in lung cancer in women
BAT to shed 550 jobs and close factory in Durham
Carrots help man quit smoking


Full Text

Rise in lung cancer in women

Two in five people will get cancer during their lives, according to
the latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics.
This is an increase from the one in three risk a decade ago. The rise
is due to more incidences of prostate cancer among men and lung cancer
among women. Lung cancer will soon become the second most common
cancer in women after breast cancer. Overall cases of cancer in women
have risen and they are third more likely to suffer the disease than
30 years ago. Dr Peter Goldblatt, chief medical statistician at the
ONS, said this was attributed to smoking among women in the 1950s and
1960s which is finally taking its toll. While lung cancer among men
has fallen by 5 per cent between 1993 and 1996, it has risen by the
same percentage in women. Dr Goldblatt said the scenario for women
was bleak, since fewer were giving up smoking, and the rise in smoking
in teenage girls in recent years would lead to future cancer deaths.

Recent research suggests that women are more susceptible to certain
types of cancer and that they are at greater risk of contracting the
disease because females have higher levels of an enzyme in their lungs
that convert tobacco smoke into chemicals that can cause cancer.

Source: The times, Daily Telegraph, The Express, Daily Star, 3/11/99;
Evening Standard 2/11/99


BAT to shed 550 jobs and close factory in Durham

BAT is to close one of its three UK factories as part of a
restructuring plan with the loss of 550 jobs, most of them in
north-east England. The former Rothmans factory in Spennymore, county
Durham is to close with the loss of 460 jobs. This follows a review
of capacity since BAT’s takeover in June of Rothmans International.
About 70 jobs will also go at Southampton, BAT’s main plant. BAT
blamed the over capacity on several factors including economic
problems in Asia, the loss of duty-free sales in Europe, and the
impact of tobacco smuggling.

Source: FT, The Independent, Wall St. Journal, 3/11/99


Carrots help man quit smoking

The Sun reports on an unusual method of giving up smoking. Former
60-a-day smoker Silas Penfold gave up his habit by munching on carrots
which he cut up in cigarette-sized pieces. Mr Penfold said: “While it
might seem a bit odd, and I took a bit of ribbing down the pub, it did
work.”

Source: The Sun, 3/11/99

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