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ASH Daily News

7 December 2005

[View html version: http://www.globalink.org/nbuk]

HEADLINES

Smoking on screen 'as cool' and as prevalent as in the 50s, study

Debate over smoking age blazes

Pensions reform Lord calls for total smoking ban

BAT believes its own hype and installs ventilation

FULL TEXT

Smoking on screen 'as cool' and as prevalent as in the 50s, study

The number of Hollywood films showing on-screen smoking is back up to the levels of the 1950s, with nearly 80% of films rated for young audiences including scenes in which characters light up, according to researchers in California.

Researchers claim that nearly half of all US teenagers smoking can be linked to on-screen cigarette use, leading the researchers to call for an adult rating for all films that depict tobacco use. "The science is very solid. Smoking in the movies has a very substantial effect on the risk that kids will get addicted to nicotine," said Stanton Glantz, one of the researchers at the University of California San Francisco.

A sample of the top-grossing films over the last 50 years found that smoking decreased from an average of 10.7 events an hour in 1950 to 4.9 in 1982 - and then shot up to 10.9 by 2002. An "event" ranges from a character lighting a cigarette to a shot of a tobacco advertisement.

A spokeswoman for the Motion Picture Association of America told the San Jose Mercury that industry statistics showed that only about half of PG-13 movies over the past two years had featured tobacco use.

"Everybody agrees that ... our industry shouldn't be encouraging or glamourising smoking," the spokeswoman said.

But the study, published in December's issue of the journal Pediatrics, found that nearly four out of five PG-13 movies show somebody smoking cigarettes or cigars or chewing tobacco.

Source: Guardian, 7 December 2005
Article link: http://tinyurl.com/9lpge
Study link: http://tinyurl.com/99mqj


Debate over smoking age continues to blaze

Moves by ministers to consider raising the minimum legal age for buying tobacco in England from 16 to 18 have been cautiously welcomed.

"If we can make it a little bit more difficult for teenagers to start smoking then hopefully by the time they get to be a bit older they will be more aware that they are not immune to the effects of smoking," said Dr Sarah Jarvis from the Royal College of GPs.

But she said the move could be seen an attempt to divert attention away from some MPs' criticism of its Health Bill, which would bring in a partial smoking ban in public places.

"There is absolutely no evidence that it would make it more difficult for young people to get hold of cigarettes," said Deborah Arnott, director of ASH.

"The measure that will have the most impact is to introduce a comprehensive ban on smoking in all enclosed public places, including all pubs, bars and clubs," she told BBC TV.

"That's where young people really start smoking and start getting addicted to it."

"Anything that can discourage children from smoking is a good thing," Simon Clarke from the tobacco industry funded pressure group Forest told BBC Radio Five Live.

(So can we look forward to his championing of a comprehensive ban? Ed.)

Source: BBC, Reuters, 7 December 2005
Article link: http://tinyurl.com/7vgeh


Pensions reform Lord calls for total smoking ban

Lord Turner has hit back at critics of his proposal to raise the state pension age, saying that they should call instead for an outright ban on smoking in public places.

Critics say his plans will penalise those with shorter life expectancies. But Turner told the Sunday Telegraph that getting workers to quit smoking was the best way to tackle this.

Turner said three years of analysing mortality statistics had convinced him that the main reason for the early deaths of low earners is that they smoke more.

His call is at odds with health secretary Patricia Hewitt's plan to exempt pubs and clubs that do not serve food from the smoking ban.

He said: "The biggest single issue for life expectancy is smoking. We should be asking what we can do about this. If you look at the mortality of different socio-economic classes, it is all related to smoking. This makes me a hawk on the issue."

The TUC said: "We would need to see evidence that a smoking ban would lengthen manual workers' lives before agreeing to their state pension age being raised."

Source: Telegraph, 7 December 2005
Article link: http://tinyurl.com/asz5o


BAT believes its own hype and installs ventilation

British American Tobacco has installed filter systems at its London headquarters so the staff can carry on smoking indoors.

The systems have been put in rest areas and remove smoke produced as staff take cigarette breaks stopping them from having to go outside.

The measure comes ahead of an expected ban on smoking at work from summer 2007.

Editorial note:

It is well known that ventilation doesn't actually work in protecting people from the harmful components in smoke. Philip Morris USA carries the following disclaimer on its website, for instance:

"While not shown to address the health effects of secondhand smoke, ventilation can help improve the air quality of an establishment by reducing the sight and smell of smoke and by controlling smoke drift."

Source: Sun, 7 December 2005
Related link: (Ventilation companies disclaimers) http://tinyurl.com/dup5c

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