Smoking

FRIDAY, Jan. 10, 2025 -- Young teens might think smoking makes them look cool, but it’s likely to take their breath away in adulthood, a new study says. Children who start smoking prior to age 15 have a 27% increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) as adults, compared to those who started smoking later, researchers found in a new study published previously in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation .. “Our study suggests that a person with a childhood smoking history has an increased risk of developing COPD, regardless of current smoking status, smoking duration, cigarette pack years and exposure to secondhand smoke,” senior researcher Dr. Laura Paulin , a pulmonologist at Dartmouth Health’s Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, said in a news release from the university. COPD is a chronic lung disease that makes it increasingly difficult for sufferers to breathe. There’s no cure for the condition, which grows steadily worse over time. Previous research has shown that COPD is more common in people who started smoking younger than 15, researchers said in background notes. The new study aimed to examine whether childhood smoking increases COPD risk later in life, even after accounting for a person’s smoking history and exposure to secondhand smoke. For the study, researchers analyzed data on more than 10,100 participants in an ongoing federal research project into smoking’s health effects, called the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study. Results showed that about 29% of people who’d started smoking younger than 15 had developed COPD, compared with 21% for those who started at 15 or older and just under 8% for those who never smoked. Childhood smokers also were more likely to currently smoke, had been smoking for longer, and had greater secondhand smoke exposure. But even after all those factors were taken into account, childhood smokers still had an increased risk of COPD compared to those who took up smoking later, results show. “Critical lung development occurs in childhood and early adolescence, making children’s lungs particularly susceptible to damage caused by cigarette smoking,” Paulin said. “These findings highlight the need for additional public health efforts to reduce, and ultimately prevent, childhood smoking.” Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.

THURSDAY, Dec. 19, 2024 -- Even low levels of arsenic exposure in drinking water may increase the risk for kidney cancer, according to a study published online Dec. 15 in Environmental Pollution . Nishat Tasnim Hasan, Dr.P.H., from Texas A&M University in College Station, and colleagues assessed the association between county-level drinking water arsenic levels and kidney cancer incidences using data from 240 counties in Texas. The analysis included 28,896 cancer cases among adults aged 20 years and older and 101,776,294 person-years from 2016 to 2020. The researchers found that when adjusting for spatial factors and covariates (e.g., demographic and socioeconomic factors and cancer risk factors such as obesity, smoking, and diabetes), there was a 6 and 22 percent higher incidence of cancer in the medium (1 to 5 ppb; relative risk, 1.06) and high arsenic (>5 ppb) group counties (relative risk, 1.22) versus low arsenic-level counties (<1 ppb), showing a dose-response relationship. When arsenic was treated as a continuous variable, the incidence increased by 4 percent for each doubling of drinking water arsenic level (relative risk, 1.04). "This suggests that even low-level arsenic exposure in drinking water may be associated with an increased risk of kidney cancer, which aligns with previous research indicating an association between this exposure and lung, bladder, and skin cancers," coauthor Taehyun Roh, Ph.D., also from Texas A&M University, said in a statement.

Leading patient advocacy network urges provinces to use settlement pay-outs solely to combat lung disease following historic creditors vote on December 12TORONTO, Dec. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Lung Health Alliance (NLHA) recognizes the successful outcome of ‘Big Tobacco’ settlement compensation plan vote on December 12. Canada’s most powerful lung health advocacy network stands firm in its message to the provinces that the next steps are what really matters. “This creditors vote is the first step to achieving some degree of reparations for the harms caused by commercial tobacco,” says Jessica Buckey, President and CEO of the Lung Health Foundation, the national organization spearheading the NLHA. “We are calling on provincial governments to use this settlement as a springboard for transformative action and lung health investment. Their action or inaction is what will decide whether this landmark decision is remembered as a success or a failure.” A Tragedy in the Making “The settlement’s vagueness is not just disappointing -- it’s a tragedy in the making for the one in five Canadians who struggle to breathe,” says Buckley. “Provinces have a rare chance to redress decades of harm caused by tobacco. These funds must be directed toward programs and resources that transform lung health outcomes -- not squandered on unrelated initiatives,” she urges. As the settlement awaits court approval, Buckley says NLHA will remain optimistic that legislators will do right by the lung health of Canadians past, present and future. “The provinces can be the heroes in this settlement if they use the funds wisely.” The High Cost of Nicotine Addiction For every $100 provinces collect in tobacco taxes, they incur $300 in direct healthcare costs from nicotine-related harm. Tobacco-related illnesses cost Canadians $12 billion annually, with Ontario alone spending an estimated $7 billion per year to address the fallout. This doesn’t include the emotional toll on families or lives lost. Despite this, the $24.7 billion earmarked for provinces in the settlement comes with no mandate for cessation programs, addiction and mental health supports or preventive measures. “Imagine the impact if even a fraction of this sum was invested in programs to help Canadians quit smoking or vaping -- or prevent them from starting,” says Buckley. What’s Missing? While the settlement also provides financial restitution to class-action claimants and allocates funds to a vaguely defined research foundation, it lacks critical measures for: Adequate supports to prevent Canadian youth from starting smoking, vaping and other nicotine products.Adequate cessation supports for Canadians trying to quit smoking and other nicotine products.Comprehensive screening programs for smoking related illnesses and diseases like lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Adequate treatment and supports for Canadians living with lung health conditions caused by smoking. A Call to Action “Provinces must rise to the occasion and allocate these funds where they are needed most: prevention, education, and treatment programs that improve lung health for all Canadians,” says Buckley. About National Lung Health Alliance: The National Lung Health Alliance (NLHA) is Canada’s leading advocacy network for lung health. Led by the Lung Health Foundation, the alliance includes several organizations: BC Lung Foundation, Alberta Lung, LungSask, Association Pulmonaire du Quebec, NB Lung, LungNSPEI, Lung Cancer Canada, Asthma Canada and COPD Canada. NLHA mission National Lung Health Alliance member organizations are currently working together to advance specific asks at the federal level based on collective decision making. Its mission focuses on three key areas: Youth vaping: Advocating for a Smoke-Free Generation; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): Improving diagnostics and support; and Air quality: Reducing radon exposure and promoting healthier homes.