Wales top of pregnant smokers list

Wales' chief medical officer announced that Wales is the UK's pregnancy smoking capital as mums to be are more likely to smoke during or just before their pregnancy than women in any other area of the UK.

Almost four out of ten pregnant women across the nation have smoked at some stage during their pregnancy. With more than one in five (22%), smoking throughout their pregnancy. In some areas such as Gwent it has been reported that up to 60% of women smoke throughout their pregnancies.

Currently, women planning to start a family are advised to give up smoking a year before falling pregnant as research shows that it increases the risk of babies being born prematurely and it can also trigger the onset of sudden infant death syndrome.

But a report, published by the Wales Centre for Health (WCfH), also revealed that some mothers chose to ignore medical warnings about the risks of smoking, and in almost 40% of households with children in Wales, at least one adult smoked on a daily basis.

Dr Tony Jewell, chief medical officer for Wales and adviser to the Welsh Assembly Government, whose first report is due this week, said, "Smoking is one of the largest single preventable causes of premature death in Wales, and one of the main determinants of health inequalities."

"It accounts for more than half the difference in risk of premature death between social classes, with striking differences in prevalence by social position and geography in Wales."

Tanya Buchanan, director of anti-smoking group ASH in Wales, said children as young as 10 should be warned of the risks of smoking during pregnancy.

"The average age of children starting to smoke is now 12.5 years.

"We need to be telling girls the risks of smoking while pregnant when they reach the ages of 10, 11 and 12, and direct women towards good sources of advice when they fall pregnant and want to stop smoking."

The report, entitled Smoking in Wales: current facts, investigated smoking habits of women and teenagers between 2005 and 2006. Among 15-year-olds, it found that 28% of girls and 19% of boys smoked on a regular basis. Dr Jewell says that while his ultimate aim is for a smokefree Wales, he hopes the interim goal of cutting prevalence rates from today's 25% to 17% can be achieved.

Source: Calibre, 17 December 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/2lj2wy

Children 'hooked' on illegal cigarettes

A new generation of children are becoming addicted to smoking because of the availability of smuggled cigarettes.  

Experts have revealed how organised criminal gangs are using North East England as a base to bring contraband cigarettes into the country.

Most of the smuggled tobacco is brought in from Russia and Eastern Europe and once they are in the UK it is sold on for around £3, meaning a vast profit margin for the criminal gangs.

John Kinghorn, the head of detection for the North of England Revenue and Customs, said: "People sometimes assume that tobacco smuggling is a fairly low level crime and often the public turn a blind eye to it. But what they don't realise is that means big business for serious criminals and gangs."

He added, "This is far more than passengers simply bringing back a few extra cigarettes. These are professional gangs who go to great lengths to smuggle in goods."

Up to one in five cigarettes and half of all loose tobacco in the North is sold at reduced prices.

Experts say a new generation of young people are becoming addicted to smoking because of the easy availability of counterfeit and smuggled tobacco.

Mr Kinghorn said the region had become a hub for the illegal trade in contraband tobacco with unprecedented quantities entering the country via the ports on Tees, Tyne and Humber as well as the region's airports.

Ailsa Rutter, Director of Fresh Smoke Free North East, said: "Smuggled and counterfeit tobacco poses a real threat to smokers' chances of quitting. It has the potential to undo all of the progress which has been made in improving public health."

Source: Hartlepool Mail, 14 December 2007   
Link: http://tinyurl.com/2ekt39

Loews to spin off tobacco business

Loews, the insurance-to-hotel group controlled by the Tisch family, is to sever its 40 year ties with its 14 bn US dollar tobacco business Lorillard, in a move that underlines the US conglomerate's desire to capitalise on the slowing domestic economy.

The spin-off of Lorillard, maker of Newport menthol cigarettes, the second largest brand in the US, will enable Loews to tap into investors' renewed appetite for tobacco companies, which are less exposed to a downturn.

The separation of Lorillard, acquired by Loews in 1968, is also aimed at lifting the threat of tobacco litigation from the rest of the group, improving its credit rating and reducing the cost of raising funds for acquisitions.

The move by Loews suggests conglomerates and other value investors such as Warren Buffett are looking to the liquidity squeeze and deteriorating economic environment as an opportunity to reshape their portfolios and make acquisitions.

Analysts said independent Lorillard, which last year had revenues of 3.8bn US dollars and profits of 826m dollars, about a third of Loews' total earnings, could be a target for tobacco groups looking to improve their fortunes in the slow-growing US market.

Jim Tisch, Loews' chief executive said, "the Lorillard spin-off was driven by the desire to increase shareholder returns and improve Loews' ability to hit the acquisition trail."

He added, "We are here to create value for our shareholders. As a result of the transaction, there will be a dramatic improvement in our perceived risk profile."

Mr Tisch added that the Lorillard spin-off should prompt Wall Street analysts to revaluate Loews.

Source: The Financial Times, 18 December 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/2jfb2s

Secondhand smoke exposure in early infancy increases children's allergy risk

New research to be published in the journal Thorax found that breathing in secondhand tobacco smoke in early infancy boosts the risk of developing allergies.

The findings are based on parental survey responses from more than 4000 families about their children's allergies and environmental factors to which they had been exposed before and after birth.

Parents completed questionnaires when their children were 2 months old,  12 months olds, 2 yrs old and 4 yrs old.

A blood sample was taken from over 2500 children at the age of 4 to look for the presence of immunoglobulin E, (IgE).

IgE is an immune system chemical released in response to allergic substances or allergens. High levels indicate 'sensitisation' to allergens.

One parent of one in five children smoked after their baby was born and one in 20 children (4%) were exposed to tobacco smoke from both parents.

One in four children had high IgE levels by the time they were 4 yrs old, with 15% allergic to inhaled allergens, 16% to food allergens, and 7% to both types.

Children exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke in early infancy were almost twice as likely to be allergic to inhaled allergens, such as pet dander and foodstuffs, as those who had not been so exposed.

Source: Medical News Today, 17 December 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/2w7jls

Northern Ireland: Bingo players find smoke ban enhances style

A North West bingo hall has allayed fears that the workplace smoking ban would sound the death knell for the industry by discovering an overwhelming number of players now support it.

It had been feared that bingo would suffer badly from April's new laws, which banned smoking in all enclosed work and public places across Northern Ireland, as 75% of players smoke, three times the national average.

However, almost eight months later, Strand Bingo in Londonderry has found that the majority of its customers feel the smokefree premises has enhanced their bingo playing environment.

Strand Bingo carried out a customer survey and found 87% of patrons said the change had been positive.

The business took an unusual approach to the ban by offering patrons who wanted to stop smoking help from the Western Health and Social Services Board (WHSSB).

As well as offering guidance, and information, players were advised on how to get patches and gum to aid their bid to give up smoking.

Customers also raised £1,000 for the Foyle Hospice in the run-up to the smoking ban.

Proprietor Thomas Doherty said he was pleasantly surprised with the result of the survey.

"It is great that our members feel the smoking ban has had a positive effect on their bingo experience. We have worked really hard to make the transition as easy as possible for our patrons and we will continue to deliver a fantastic bingo experience."

Mark McBride, coordinator for tobacco control, WHSSB, said: "The survey shows that the majority of people prefer to be in non-smoky environments."

Source: Belfast Telegraph, 17 December 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/39uuhk