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ASH Daily News for 16 October 2007

Smokers admit that cigarettes cause car accidents

Researchers claim that nearly half of motorists who smoke have had an accident or near miss due to their habit.

According to the updated Highway Code, drivers who smoke while driving can be charged if police decide they are not in proper control of a car.

A poll of 1000 drivers by insurers esure found 45 per cent admit to an accident or near miss due to smoking.

This would equate to three million drivers across the UK, said esure, whose figures found 68 per cent were unaware the rules had changed.

While 46 per cent have accidentally dropped a cigarette in the car, 26 per cent of smokers admit to taking their eyes off the road to pick it up.

The research also found that 80 per cent admit taking their hands off the wheel to light up but 75 per cent of smokers do not think there is a risk in smoking while driving on a motorway.

esure said: "The risky habits of some smokers are a cause for concern."

Source: Daily Record, 15 October 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/399a3f

New medical research finds smoking prevalence higher in people with disabilities

People with disabilities are 50 per cent more likely to smoke, says a study in Preventing Chronic Disease by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The researchers say they are unsure why the smoking rate is so high, but add that people with disabilities are generally less likely to receive preventive healthcare and advice.

Source: The Times Online, 16 October 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/2c4mzn

More embarrassment for the BBC as Clarkson flouts the smoking ban

BBC chiefs faced more embarassment as Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson and James May openly flouted the smoking ban on the popular motoring show.

Anti-smoking campaigners called for an apology from the BBC after the Top Gear presenters lit up Porsche branded pipes and puffed away during the news section of the programme. 

An investigation is underway by the local Waverley Borough Council after the show was filmed at a hanger near Godalming in Surrey.  

A spokesperson said that its environmental health department had not seen the footage, but will be investigating the matter further after it had been brought to their attention.

The BBC said they had received a number of complaints from viewers but initially claimed they had not broken the law because the presenters had smoked a herbal honey mixture and not tobacco.

But the embarrassed broadcaster was forced to backtrack after being told it is illegal to light anything that is capable of being smoked in a workplace.

The stunt on Sunday's show, featured as part of a discussion, Porsche branded products that are sold on the super car manufacturer's website.

After joking about the range of keyrings and t-shirts available, Clarkson, May and co-host Richard Hammond each pulled out a pipe from under their chair.

Clarkson and May lit their pipes but Hammond, who recently revealed he had quit smoking, said he was not a fan of the pipe and did not light up.

Amanda Sandford, from anti-smoking campaign group ASH, said it was an obvious breach and called for an apology.

She said: "It was a blatant breach of the law and the BBC should offer an immediate apology that acknowledges what they have done. I understand it was meant to be a light hearted part of the programme but it does not excuse the fact that they were flouting the law."

"The law is designed to stop people from smoking exposure in workplaces such as the television studio where the incident took place. The BBC could be fined over the incident but I think that is unnecessary in this case, as long as they apologise and say it will not happen again."

"If it was really necessary for them to smoke they could have done the filming outside. It is supposed to be a programme about cars that has a young following and I do not think it is necessary to feature smoking on a programme like that," she added. 

A BBC spokesman said: "During an item in last night's Top Gear, making fun of car merchandise, the presenters lit up branded pipes, which contained herbal tobacco and there were no complaints from members of the audience present during the filming."

This is the latest in a string of incidents calling into question the BBC's longheld reputation for integrity.

Source: The Daily Mail, 15 October 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/2h3tn7

NHS 'quit smoking' service success

The NHS "quit smoking" service recorded a success rate of 50 per cent in the three-month run-up to the ban on smoking in public places in England.

Between April and June, 152,871 people in England set a quit date with their local NHS Stop Smoking Service, with 76,914 successfully quitting at four weeks, according to Department of Health statistics.

The figures represented a 12 per cent increase in the number of quitters compared with the same period last year.

An interactive service for people who want to quit at home had 3,080 sign-ups, a year-on-year increase of 36 per cent.  

The figures were released as the NHS Smokefree campaign launched a new DVD to help smokers choose which of the free services offered by the NHS will give them the best chance of beating their habit.

Source: Channel 4 News, 15 October 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/33c5rv

Smoking can lead to dementia and Alzheimer's

According to the Federal Association of Pneumologists (BdP) in Heidenheim smokers are more prone to dementia and Alzheimer's when they reach old age. Compared to non-smokers, the danger of dementia increased by 47 per cent while the risk of Alzheimer's increased by 56 per cent.

The results were made public in the recent Rotterdam Study, which studied 7,000 people over a seven-year period. Subjects were 70 years of age on average and 23 per cent were smokers.

According to the study, smokers still benefit if they do not give up the habit until late in life. Even people who waited until age 70 to quit smoking, reduced their risk of suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's.

Source: Earth Times, 15 October 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/2wlwqx