HEADLINES

• Wales: Smoking is banned in the grounds of Griffithstown's County Hospital
• Streatham pensioner died after smoking cigarette out of window, court hears
• Study finds e-cigarettes affect airways, and quickly
• Turkey: Smoking rate decreases by 15 percent with anti-smoking law
• Canada: Metro Vancouver parks now off limits to smoking, except in designated areas
• Chinese academy of engineering honours tobacco researcher

• Wales: Smoking is banned in the grounds of Griffithstown's County Hospital

  Smoking has now been banned in the grounds of the County Hospital at Griffithstown along with most other Gwent hospitals - with the exception of the Royal Gwent, St Woolos and Nevill Hall.

  Source: Free Press - 04 January 2012
  Link: http://bit.ly/w0ANpx

• Streatham pensioner died after smoking cigarette out of window, court hears

  A pensioner plunged to her death after leaning out of her bedroom window for a cigarette, an inquest heard.

  Smoker Elena Brennan, 79, died from the massive head injury she sustained after falling 20 feet onto a concrete ramp beneath her second storey flat at Coventry Hall in Polworth Road, Streatham.

  Source: Your Local Guardian - 05 January 2012
  Link: http://bit.ly/zQNuqM

• Study finds e-cigarettes affect airways, and quickly

  The electronic cigarettes marketed as a safer alternative to the real thing produce immediate changes in users' airways, a small study suggests.

  The researchers found that after five minutes, users showed signs of airway constriction -- as measured by several types of breathing tests -- and of inflammation.

  Source: Reuters - 05 January 2012
  Link: http://reut.rs/y31pWi

• Turkey: Smoking rate decreases by 15 percent with anti-smoking law

  Smoking has declined by 15 percent in Turkey since an amendment was made to Law 4207 on the Prevention and Control of Hazards of Tobacco Products four years ago, the chairwoman of the National Cigarette and Health Committee (SSUK) has said.

  Source: Today's Zaman - 04 January 2012
  Link: http://bit.ly/wcMk6L

• Canada: Metro Vancouver parks now off limits to smoking, except in designated areas

  As of Jan. 1, a general ban came into effect on smoking in Vancouver's 33 regional parks and greenways to protect park users from second-hand smoke, as well as to control the litter resulting from smoking.

  Many regional parks have designated smoking areas in entry parking lots.

  Source: The Province - 05 January 2012
  Link: http://bit.ly/zpkpcK

• Chinese academy of engineering honours tobacco researcher

  Last month's promotion to its ranks by the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) of a scientist working for the state-owned tobacco industry after his fourth attempt has caused a small furor.

  Source: TIME - 05 January 2012
  Link: http://ti.me/zvDb3c