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ASH Daily News

20 November 2006

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

HEADLINES

Possible England smoking ban date: 4 June 2007

Businesses in Wales urged to go smokefree early

Businesses in Manchester urged to go smokefree early

Risk of HPV and cervical cancer increases for smokers

Italian smokers may get paid less

FULL TEXT

Possible England smoking ban date: 4 June 2007

The Sunday Mirror speculates that the date of implementation of the
English smoking ban is to be 4 June 2007.

According to a health insider the Mirror states that the Health
Secretary Patricia Hewitt will announce next month when the total ban on
smoking in public will be brought into England.

And she will also launch the Government's biggest anti-smoking campaign
in January to get people to give up before it comes into force.

A health source said: "The importance of New Year's resolutions in
helping people to give up smoking cannot be underestimated. January is
when most people try to give up."

"If they know it is only a few months before they are no longer allowed
to smoke in public this will give them a huge added incentive to quit.
It really is a unique opportunity," the source added.

Source: Mirror 18 November 2006
Link to article: http://tinyurl.com/y97kzh



Businesses in Wales urged to go smokefree early

Businesses and organisations across Wales are being sent information
about how the forthcoming smoking ban will affect them. The ban on
smoking in enclosed public spaces in Wales comes into force on 2 April
2007.

Health Minister Dr Brian Gibbons said he was delighted that many hotels
and bars had already voluntarily introduced bans on lighting up.

Martin Morgan, owner of Morgans Hotel in Swansea and The Cawdor in
Llandeilo, both nonsmoking, said they thought "long and hard" about
going smokefree.

He said when Morgans opened four years ago there were no other
nonsmoking establishment in Swansea, so it was a difficult decision to
make.

"At that point we had no idea of the impact on the business that the
decision would make, but, it was something that we felt really strongly
about, and when we decided to take that unique decision in Swansea, we
held our breath and waited for the response," he said.

Staff responded positively because it ensures they work in a clean
environment, without any risk to their health, said Mr Morgan, and
guests were "very happy to discover we are smoke free".

Stephen Leeke, managing director of The Vale Hotel Golf and Spa Resort
in the Vale of Glamorgan, said they were looking forward to the
introduction of the full smoking ban. He said: "As the training ground
for both Welsh football and rugby squads, we are mindful of the need to
keep our sporting stars in peak performance."

Source: BBC News 20 November 2006
Link to article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6163406.stm


Businesses in Manchester urged to go smokefree early

Health Minister Andy Burnham has launched a campaign to encourage bars
and clubs across Manchester to go smokefree early, ahead of next
summer's ban. This campaign also urges smokers not to wait for new laws
banning lighting up in public places before quitting.

The 'Why wait to go smokefree?' campaign was launched at the city's
hottest nightspot the Hilton's Cloud Bar - which has been smokefree
since it opened in October.

Bernadette Gilligan, manager of Cloud, said: "We believe that choosing
to be smoke free was absolutely the right choice. People are more
comfortable here in a smoke free environment and our staff are more
comfortable too."

Dr Peter Elton said he hoped smokers will quit gradually rather than
face a huge rush when the ban comes in. "People are saying they are
going to wait for the ban and quit then. The more places that ban
smoking before then, the more people will start giving up and the easier
it will be to support people to quit."

Source: Manchester Evening News 18 November 2006
Link to article: http://tinyurl.com/y8rs9v


Risk of HPV and cervical cancer increases for smokers

A woman who has human papilloma virus (HPV) and smokes has a much higher
risk of developing cervical cancer than a woman who has HPV positive and
does not smoke.

The heavier the smoking is the higher the risk, say researchers from the
Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.

Lead author, Anthony Gunnell, said "The risk for developing
pre-malignant cervical cancer increases as HPV load increases.
Importantly though, it increases more if you smoke than if you don't."

Source: Medilexon 18 November 2006
Link to article: http://www.medilexicon.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56983

Link to journal article: http://tinyurl.com/y27xn7
Also reported in News Medical http://www.news-medical.net/?id=21033


Italian smokers may get paid less

Italian smokers could receive lower pay. An association of personnel
managers claimed that a law introduced last year outlawing smoking in
the workplace had led to falls in productivity.

The association has calculated that it took, on average, four minutes
for smokers to leave the building or get to the smoking rooms allowed by
the law. A further six minutes was spent smoking a cigarette. At a rate
of six breaks a day, it meant that smokers were doing an hour less work
than others, it claimed. The personnel managers have said that smokers'
pay should be reduced accordingly.

Source: Guardian 17 November 2006
Link to article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1950043,00.html

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Sarah Ward
Information Manager
Action on Smoking & Health (ASH)
102 Clifton Street
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