Tobacco interests or the public interest: 20 years of industry strategies to undermine airline smoking restrictions

Objectives

To understand the evolution of 20 years of tobacco industry strategies to undermine federal restrictions of smoking on aircraft in the United States.

Design

We searched and analysed internal tobacco industry records, public documents, and other related research.

Results

The industry viewed these restrictions as a serious threat to the social acceptability of smoking. Its initial efforts included covert letter‐writing campaigns and lobbying of the airline industry, but with the emergence of proposals to ban smoking, the tobacco companies engaged in ever increasing efforts to forestall further restrictions. Tactics to dominate the public record became especially rigorous. The industry launched an aggressive public relations campaign that began with the promotion of industry sponsored petition drives and public opinion surveys. Results from polling research that produced findings contrary to the industry''s position were suppressed. In order to demonstrate smoker outrage against a ban, later efforts included the sponsorship of smokers'' rights and other front groups. Congressional allies and industry consultants sought to discredit the science underlying proposals to ban smoking and individual tobacco companies conducted their own cabin air quality research. Faced with the potential of a ban on all domestic flights, the industry sought to intimidate an air carrier and a prominent policymaker. Despite the intensification of tactics over time, including mobilisation of an army of lobbyists and Congressional allies, the tobacco industry was ultimately defeated.

Conclusions

Our longitudinal analysis provides insights into how and when the industry changed its plans and provides public health advocates with potential counterstrategies.     

Psychosocial predictors of cigarette smoking among adolescents living in public housing developments

BACKGROUND: Adolescents residing in low-income public housing developments in inner-city regions may be particularly vulnerable to a variety of risk factors associated with cigarette smoking. OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the aetiology of cigarette smoking among adolescents living in public housing developments. DESIGN, SETTING, AND SUBJECTS: We examined predictors of smoking from four domains: background characteristics, social influences, behavioural control, and psychosocial characteristics using a sample of seventh graders (mean age 12.9 years) who reside in public housing developments in New York City (n = 624). The addresses of participants in a larger investigation of the aetiology and prevention of smoking were checked to determine if they lived in one of 335 public housing developments in New York City. All participants living in public housing developments were included in the current study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: African-American and Hispanic students completed questionnaires about their cigarette use, social pressures to smoke, smoking attitudes, smoking knowledge, and smoking resistance skills. Students also provided information on demographic and behavioural control (such as church and school attendance). RESULTS: Logistic regression analyses indicated that social influences from friends and family members predicted smoking. Psychosocial characteristics such as advertising resistance skills, anti-smoking attitudes, and refusal skills lowered the odds of smoking. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that smoking prevention approaches targeted at these young people should increase their awareness of social pressures to smoke, correct misperceptions about the prevalence of smoking among friends, and teach relevant psychosocial skills.     

Effect of smoke-free policies on the behaviour of social smokers

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that proposed amendments to the Occupational Safety and Health Act making all enclosed workplaces in Western Australia smoke free would result in a decrease in cigarette consumption by patrons at nightclubs, pubs, and restaurants without adversely affecting attendance. DESIGN: Cross sectional structured interview survey. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Patrons of several inner city pubs and nightclubs in Perth were interviewed while queuing for admission to these venues. OUTCOME MEASURES: Current social habits, smoking habits; and how these might be affected by the proposed regulations. Persons who did not smoke daily were classified as "social smokers." RESULTS: Half (50%) of the 374 patrons interviewed were male, 51% currently did not smoke at all, 34.3% smoked every day, and the remaining 15.7% smoked, but not every day. A clear majority (62.5%) of all 374 respondents anticipated no change to the frequency of their patronage of hospitality venues if smoke-free policies became mandatory. One in five (19.3%) indicated that they would go out more often, and 18.2% said they would go out less often. Half (52%) of daily smokers anticipated no change to their cigarette consumption, while 44.5% of daily smokers anticipated a reduction in consumption. A majority of social smokers (54%) predicted a reduction in their cigarette consumption, with 42% of these anticipating quitting. CONCLUSIONS: One in nine (11.5%) of smokers say that adoption of smoke-free policies would prompt them to quit smoking entirely without a significant decrease in attendance at pubs and nightclubs. There can be few other initiatives as simple, cheap, and popular that would achieve so much for public health.     

Exposure to fine and ultrafine particles from secondhand smoke in public places before and after the smoking ban, Italy 2005

Background

A smoking ban in all indoor public places was enforced in Italy on 10 January 2005.

Methods

We compared indoor air quality before and after the smoking ban by monitoring the indoor concentrations of fine (<2.5 μm diameter, PM_2.5) and ultrafine particulate matter (<0.1 μm diameter, UFP). PM_2.5 and ultrafine particles were measured in 40 public places (14 bars, six fast food restaurants, eight restaurants, six game rooms, six pubs) in Rome, before and after the introduction of the law banning smoking (after 3 and 12 months). Measurements were taken using real time particle monitors (DustTRAK Mod. 8520 TSI; Ultra‐fine Particles Counter‐TRAK Model 8525 TSI). The PM_2.5 data were scaled using a correction equation derived from a comparison with the reference method (gravimetric measurement). The study was completed by measuring urinary cotinine, and pre‐law and post‐law enforcement among non‐smoking employees at these establishments

Results

In the post‐law period, PM_2.5 decreased significantly from a mean concentration of 119.3 μg/m³ to 38.2 μg/m³ after 3 months (p<0.005), and then to 43.3 μg/m³ a year later (p<0.01). The UFP concentrations also decreased significantly from 76 956 particles/cm³ to 38 079 particles/cm³ (p<0.0001) and then to 51 692 particles/cm³ (p<0.01). Similarly, the concentration of urinary cotinine among non‐smoking workers decreased from 17.8 ng/ml to 5.5 ng/ml (p<0.0001) and then to 3.7 ng/ml (p<0.0001).

Conclusion

The application of the smoking ban led to a considerable reduction in the exposure to indoor fine and ultrafine particles in hospitality venues, confirmed by a contemporaneous reduction of urinary cotinine.     

烟田施用腐熟小麦秸秆对烤烟产质量的影响

通过大田试验,研究了腐熟小麦秸秆用量对烤烟产、质量的影响。结果表明,烟田施用腐熟小麦秸秆能够明显提高烤烟产量、上等烟比例,增加烟叶的经济性状,改善烤后烟叶的物理特性,协调化学成分,提高石油醚提取物含量及中性致香物质含量,改善评吸质量。总体来说,施用腐熟秸秆6000 kg/hm^2为最佳。     

What contributed to the major decline in per capita cigarette consumption during California's comprehensive tobacco control programme?

Objectives

California experienced a notable decline in per capita cigarette consumption during its comprehensive tobacco control programme. This study examines what proportion of the decline occurred from: (1) fewer ever smokers in the population, (2) more ever smokers quitting, and (3) current smokers smoking less.

Design, subjects

Per capita cigarette consumption computed from cigarette sales and from adult respondents to the large, cross‐sectional, population‐based California Tobacco Surveys of 1990 (n  =  24 296), 1996 (n  =  18 616) and 2002 (n  =  20 525) were examined for similar trends.

Main outcome measure

Changes (period 1: 1990–1996; period 2: 1996–2002) in per capita cigarette consumption from self‐reported survey data were partitioned for the entire population and for demographic subgroups into the three components mentioned above.

Results

In periods 1 and 2, most of the decline in per capita cigarette consumption for the population as a whole was from current smokers smoking less followed by a reduction in ever smokers. The decline from smokers smoking less was particularly evident among young adults (18–29 years) in period 1. While the portion of the decline due to quitting in the entire population in period 1 was negligible, in period 2 it accounted for 22% of the total per capita decline. The decline from quitting in period 2 was mostly observed among women.

Conclusions

Rather than near‐term benefits from smokers quitting, population health benefits from reduced per capita cigarette consumption will likely occur over the longer term from fewer people becoming ever smokers, and more less‐addicted smokers eventually quitting successfully.     

豫中、豫南烟区烤烟品质综合评价

对豫中、豫南两个烟区,3个等级,36个烤烟样本的化学成分、营养元素、烟气成分和评吸质量进行了系统的比较和评价.结果表明:1)豫中和豫南两个烟区烟叶的烟碱含量均偏高,总氮和钾含量偏低.2)豫中烟区烟叶pH、钙含量和氯含量高于豫南烟区,大多数评吸指标也优于豫南烟区,但钾、镁、硫等营养元素含量、钾氯比及有关烟气成分的含量低于豫南烟区.3)与巴西、津巴布韦烟叶相比较,豫中、豫南烟区烟叶的烟碱、pH、两糖差、氯含量、钙含量,及大多数烟气成分含量均较高,而氮碱比、钾氯比、总氮和钾含量偏低;刺激性、燃烧性、灰分等评吸指标也较巴西、津巴布韦烟叶低.     

Fatty acid composition and sensory properties of Wels catfish (Silurus glanis) hot smoked with different sawdust materials

This study aims to compare chemical, physical and sensorial parameters of the Wels catfish (Silurus glanis), hot smoked using vine, poplar, lemon tree and oak sawdust as well as corncob. Significant differences (P < 0.05) in proximate composition were found between fresh and smoked samples; however, the changes in fatty acid composition were less significant. In the fatty acid composition of control group, monounsaturated fatty acids (41.60%) had the highest share in fatty acids, which was followed by saturated fatty acids (29.95%) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (28.34%). The major fatty acids were observed to be C16:0, C18:0; C16:1 n‐7, C18:1 n‐9c, C18:1 n‐9t and C18:2 n6c. There were significant differences (P < 0.05) between the groups considering their colour measurement results. General preference criteria such as appearance, odour, texture, colour and taste were chosen for the sensorial analysis, which were rated by the panellists. According to the results of overall appearance, the fillet pieces smoked with lemon tree (9.00), poplar (8.66), corncob (8.00), oak (7.33) and vine (5.33) sawdust were determined as the most preferred, in order.     

单料烤烟主流烟气中主要酚类化合物及其与感官质量相关性分析

考察了云南部分烟叶产地、部位和品种对主流烟气中主要酚类化合物含量的影响及与感官质量之间的相关关系,结果表明:主流烟气中的主要酚类化合物包括对苯二酚、间苯二酚、邻苯二酚、苯酚、间甲酚、对甲酚和邻甲酚,这7种酚类化合物的含量受烟叶的产地、部位和品种的影响较大,变异系数均大于15%,最高达到80%,其中着生部位的影响最大,最大变异系数达到63.5%;在主流烟气中这7种酚类化合物的含量间呈现复杂的关系,均表现为极显著的正相关.通过因子分析发现,主流烟气中这7种酚类化合物的含量与感官质量部分指标间也有较为明显的相关性,随着综合得分的增加,劲头和烟气浓度的感官得分均增加,而刺激性和湿润程度得分显著减少,香型偏向浓香型,对香气、杂气和余味影响较小.     

液熏法生产熏鳗的工艺研究

为了解决烟熏鳗鱼加工过程中油脂外溢及氧化的技术难题,并控制微生物生长,研究液熏法生产熏鳗的技术。通过控制烘烤温度及时间防止油脂外溢及氧化,并保持鲜度。对腌液的成分、浸渍条件及鳗鱼的烘烤条件进行了优化,确定了鳗鱼液熏的加工工艺条件,并对其工艺稳定性及产品保藏性进行了研究。结果表明,利用液熏法制备熏鳗适宜的工艺是:盐液质量分数6%,熏液质量分数8%,浸渍时间5h,烘烤温度85℃。用该工艺生产液熏鳗鱼,不仅有效地解决了油脂外溢引起过氧化值快速增加的技术难题,还控制了微生物的生长,保证了产品的安全性。该工艺稳定性好,产品卫生安全,各批次产品间的相对标准偏差小于6%。在冷冻状态下保藏6个月后其菌落总数、大肠菌群及过氧化值均符合国家卫生标准。对该工艺进一步研究及应用,有助于推动鳗鱼加工技术的进步。