Post-Smoking Ban Studies Mislead Media & Public
- Thread starter admin
- Start date
SmokingPipes.com Updates
Watch for Updates Twice a Week
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
- Status
Come on guys these articles from the tobacco people are no better than the antis. We really need to come to grips with reality smoking is bad for you it does cause cancer it does cause heart disease if everyone in the world stoped smoking heart disease and cancer would drop lets stop kidding are selves there is allot less chance with a lite to moderate pipe and cigar smoker but the risk are still there. Lets just say we don't care but lets not be in denial. I don't fell at my level of exposer I will be at any higher risk than a non-smoker but I guess its possible. I believe that I am at much greater risk from these diseases do to my field of work than my pipe and cigar smoking. Evan the food additives and caning products cause these diseases we don't deny that I just say lets be honest with our selves.
Yes, but nearly everything can be linked to cancer. Ask a Californian. Grilling food was linked to cancer some years back. Eggs caused heart attacks. I am all for putting the information out there for letting people make informed choices. What I am against is using that information as an excuse to control people.
.gif)
I just look at like this, not a single one of us are going to get out of this world alive, we're all going to die one day. I would much rather do what I enjoy (smoking is still legal anyway), and take my chances than give up those pleasures to maybe live a little longer. Just my $.02... YMMV.
(This is what was in our paper this morning concerning the post, You should have seen a lot of the comments that followed, and how the ban is based on a bunch of lies.)
The state's nearly 2-year-old ban on smoking in restaurants and bars is making a societal contribution beyond just reducing cigarette consumption, state health officials say.
They also believe it is a pivotal factor in the 21 percent decline in North Carolinians going to a hospital emergency room with symptoms of a heart attack.
However, an official with the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), a national group that analyzes and questions scientific studies, said she doesn't believe a direct correlation exists between the smoking ban and fewer heart attacks.
"It's an outrageous claim and unscientific," said Dr. Elizabeth Whelan of the ACSH.
"There is no evidence that exposure to secondhand smoke involves heart attacks or cardiac arrest. The reduction is more likely the result of smokers giving up smoking than reduced exposure to secondhand smoke."
The state law bans smoking in all bars and restaurants except for cigar bars, nonprofit clubs and country clubs. About 24,000 businesses are affected by the law.
According to U.S. Surgeon General's reports from 2006 and 2010, chemicals in tobacco smoke narrow the blood vessels, raise blood pressure and heart rate, and trigger chemical changes in the blood that make cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks, more likely to happen in the hours after breathing the smoke.
Researchers from the N.C. Division of Public Health and the UNC Department of Emergency Medicine conducted their study as a follow-up on national and international reports that found a cause-and-effect of smoke-free laws with reduced heart attack rates.
The researchers found the number of emergency room visits for North Carolinians experiencing a heart attack was 9,066 in 2008, 8,113 in 2009 and 7,669 in 2010 -- representing a 15 percent decline in 2008 and 5 percent decline in 2009 compared with 2010.
There was a sharp decline in heart attack-related visits after the smoking ban became law among men in the categories of ages 18 to 59 and ages 60 and older. The rate dropped 28 percent for men ages 18 to 59 between 2008 and 2010, while the rate fell 33 percent for men ages 60 and older in the same time period.
However, there was a 26 percent increase in visits for women ages 18 to 59 between 2008 and 2009. In the 60-and-older category, the rate dropped 12 percent.
"While it is impossible to tease out the exact magnitude of effect of the N.C. Restaurants and Bars Law, it is likely that it contributed to this decline," the researchers said.
"The conclusions from this study, that the tobacco legislation contributed to reduced rates of (emergency) visits for acute myocardial infarction in North Carolina, are supported by toxicologic and epidemiologic data. It serves as another data point in an international effort to determine the effect of smoke-free legislation on cardiovascular health outcomes."
The researchers said it "would be helpful to conduct this type of analysis again once there are more years' worth of data available for analysis."
Dr. Jeffrey Engel, the state's health director, said the decline in heart attacks in North Carolina during 2010 represents an estimated $3.3 million to $4.8 million in health care cost savings.
"Secondhand smoke is a known trigger for other health conditions like asthma, stroke, and chest pain, and is a major risk factor for lung cancer, the state's leading cancer killer," Engel said.
Dr. David Goff, of the Justus Warren Heart Disease and Stroke Task Force, said the report should serve as a galvanizing force "to protect all workers in North Carolina, not just those working in restaurants and bars, from the hazards of secondhand smoke."
Whelan, with the ACSH, said that while cigarette smoke "is annoying and can give you a headache, it won't give you lung cancer."
Bars and restaurants that fail to abide by the smoking ban get written warnings for the first two violations, and a fine of up to $200 for each subsequent violation. Customers who refuse to comply with requests to stop smoking can be fined up to $50.
Local health departments are responsible for enforcing the law, and officials have emphasized that their investigations into potential violations will be driven by complaints from the public.
According to the N.C. Division of Public Health, Chronic Disease and Injury Section, there have been 55 enforcement actions related to the law this year through Nov. 6. Guilford County led the Triad with 10 enforcement actions, followed by three in Watauga County, two each in Alamance and Alleghany counties and one each in Ashe and Surry counties.
John Spangler, a professor of family and community medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, said similar studies on smoking bans have proved the importance of the laws related to heart attacks.
For example, a study in Montana found that heart attack rates fell during the six months that a smoking ban was in effect. However, when the smoking ban was lifted by a judge, the heart attack rates went back up to the rates prior to the ban.
North Carolina's experience is in extremely close agreement with a study in Pueblo, Colo., which experienced a 27 percent reduction in hospital admissions for heart attack comparing 1 1/2 years before with 1 1/2 years after a smoke-free ordinance, Spangler said.
"These Colorado researchers also noted that in a number of pooled studies, people who had never smoked had an estimated 30 percent greater risk of ischemic heart disease if they lived with a smoker.
"This was almost half the risk of smoking 20 cigarettes daily, even though the exposure to tobacco smoke was only 1 percent of that of a smoker. All of this points to the fact that secondhand smoke is extremely dangerous, and is not to be taken lightly.
The state's nearly 2-year-old ban on smoking in restaurants and bars is making a societal contribution beyond just reducing cigarette consumption, state health officials say.
They also believe it is a pivotal factor in the 21 percent decline in North Carolinians going to a hospital emergency room with symptoms of a heart attack.
However, an official with the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), a national group that analyzes and questions scientific studies, said she doesn't believe a direct correlation exists between the smoking ban and fewer heart attacks.
"It's an outrageous claim and unscientific," said Dr. Elizabeth Whelan of the ACSH.
"There is no evidence that exposure to secondhand smoke involves heart attacks or cardiac arrest. The reduction is more likely the result of smokers giving up smoking than reduced exposure to secondhand smoke."
The state law bans smoking in all bars and restaurants except for cigar bars, nonprofit clubs and country clubs. About 24,000 businesses are affected by the law.
According to U.S. Surgeon General's reports from 2006 and 2010, chemicals in tobacco smoke narrow the blood vessels, raise blood pressure and heart rate, and trigger chemical changes in the blood that make cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks, more likely to happen in the hours after breathing the smoke.
Researchers from the N.C. Division of Public Health and the UNC Department of Emergency Medicine conducted their study as a follow-up on national and international reports that found a cause-and-effect of smoke-free laws with reduced heart attack rates.
The researchers found the number of emergency room visits for North Carolinians experiencing a heart attack was 9,066 in 2008, 8,113 in 2009 and 7,669 in 2010 -- representing a 15 percent decline in 2008 and 5 percent decline in 2009 compared with 2010.
There was a sharp decline in heart attack-related visits after the smoking ban became law among men in the categories of ages 18 to 59 and ages 60 and older. The rate dropped 28 percent for men ages 18 to 59 between 2008 and 2010, while the rate fell 33 percent for men ages 60 and older in the same time period.
However, there was a 26 percent increase in visits for women ages 18 to 59 between 2008 and 2009. In the 60-and-older category, the rate dropped 12 percent.
"While it is impossible to tease out the exact magnitude of effect of the N.C. Restaurants and Bars Law, it is likely that it contributed to this decline," the researchers said.
"The conclusions from this study, that the tobacco legislation contributed to reduced rates of (emergency) visits for acute myocardial infarction in North Carolina, are supported by toxicologic and epidemiologic data. It serves as another data point in an international effort to determine the effect of smoke-free legislation on cardiovascular health outcomes."
The researchers said it "would be helpful to conduct this type of analysis again once there are more years' worth of data available for analysis."
Dr. Jeffrey Engel, the state's health director, said the decline in heart attacks in North Carolina during 2010 represents an estimated $3.3 million to $4.8 million in health care cost savings.
"Secondhand smoke is a known trigger for other health conditions like asthma, stroke, and chest pain, and is a major risk factor for lung cancer, the state's leading cancer killer," Engel said.
Dr. David Goff, of the Justus Warren Heart Disease and Stroke Task Force, said the report should serve as a galvanizing force "to protect all workers in North Carolina, not just those working in restaurants and bars, from the hazards of secondhand smoke."
Whelan, with the ACSH, said that while cigarette smoke "is annoying and can give you a headache, it won't give you lung cancer."
Bars and restaurants that fail to abide by the smoking ban get written warnings for the first two violations, and a fine of up to $200 for each subsequent violation. Customers who refuse to comply with requests to stop smoking can be fined up to $50.
Local health departments are responsible for enforcing the law, and officials have emphasized that their investigations into potential violations will be driven by complaints from the public.
According to the N.C. Division of Public Health, Chronic Disease and Injury Section, there have been 55 enforcement actions related to the law this year through Nov. 6. Guilford County led the Triad with 10 enforcement actions, followed by three in Watauga County, two each in Alamance and Alleghany counties and one each in Ashe and Surry counties.
John Spangler, a professor of family and community medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, said similar studies on smoking bans have proved the importance of the laws related to heart attacks.
For example, a study in Montana found that heart attack rates fell during the six months that a smoking ban was in effect. However, when the smoking ban was lifted by a judge, the heart attack rates went back up to the rates prior to the ban.
North Carolina's experience is in extremely close agreement with a study in Pueblo, Colo., which experienced a 27 percent reduction in hospital admissions for heart attack comparing 1 1/2 years before with 1 1/2 years after a smoke-free ordinance, Spangler said.
"These Colorado researchers also noted that in a number of pooled studies, people who had never smoked had an estimated 30 percent greater risk of ischemic heart disease if they lived with a smoker.
"This was almost half the risk of smoking 20 cigarettes daily, even though the exposure to tobacco smoke was only 1 percent of that of a smoker. All of this points to the fact that secondhand smoke is extremely dangerous, and is not to be taken lightly.
Totally agree jship079 - never ceases to amaze me the number of cigar/pipe smokers who live in complete denial with comments such as "Pipe smokers are not even considered smokers for Life Insurance policies" - errr where does one find a company with that policy I wonder, I'll sign up straight away!
However, my thoughts are that there is just so much crap that goes into our food, water, air & environment these days, it's pretty well unavoidable. Not a case of "if I get cancer", more of "when I get cancer, which type will it be?".
Hardly anyone knows plastic spring water bottles let off super deadly toxic chems into their contents when they're in cars being heated to extreme dangers, yep people still drink the contents, even recyling the bottles over and over! Trans-fat, they've only just starting going on about that, it's in every takeaway (and more) food you can think of.
Better to just live and enjoy whilst you can, but don't live in naive denial.
However, my thoughts are that there is just so much crap that goes into our food, water, air & environment these days, it's pretty well unavoidable. Not a case of "if I get cancer", more of "when I get cancer, which type will it be?".
Hardly anyone knows plastic spring water bottles let off super deadly toxic chems into their contents when they're in cars being heated to extreme dangers, yep people still drink the contents, even recyling the bottles over and over! Trans-fat, they've only just starting going on about that, it's in every takeaway (and more) food you can think of.
Better to just live and enjoy whilst you can, but don't live in naive denial.
I'm a firm believer something will aid in my death eventually. I choose this as a hobby and personally feel it's a matter of genetics with cancer. For now, I smoke my pipe to enjoy it not to become tense over will it or not discussions. As far as bans, I don't see where anyone is healthier with them.
- Status