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November, 2015:

Patterns of combustible tobacco use in U.S. young adults and potential response to graphic cigarette health warning labels

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25437268

Abstract

In the evolving landscape of tobacco use, it remains unclear how tobacco control efforts should be designed and promoted for maximum impact. The current study links the identification of latent classes of young adult combustible tobacco users with anticipated responses to graphic health warning labels (HWLs). Data were collected in January 2012 using an online address-based panel as part of the Legacy Young Adult Cohort Study, and analyses were conducted in 2013. Latent class analyses identified five groups of tobacco users in a national sample of 4,236 young adults aged 18-34years: (1) little cigar/cigarillo/bidi (LCC) and hookah users (4%); (2) nonusers, open to smoking (3%); (3) daily smokers who self-identify as “smokers” (11%); (4) nondaily, light smokers who self-identify as “social or occasional smokers” (9%); and (5) nonusers closed to smoking (73%). Of the nonusers closed to smoking, 23% may be better characterized as at risk for tobacco initiation. Results indicate differences in the potential effectiveness of HWLs across classes. Compared to the daily “smokers,” LCC and hookah users (RRR=2.35) and nonusers closed to smoking (RRR=2.33) were more than twice as likely to report that new graphic HWLs would make them think about not smoking. This study supports the potential of graphic HWLs to prevent young nonusers from using tobacco products. It suggests that the extension of prominent HWLs to other tobacco products, including LCCs and hookah tobacco, may also serve a prevention function.

Exposure to e-cigarette ads may boost usage among young adults

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20151121/Exposure-to-e-cigarette-ads-may-boost-usage-among-young-adults.aspx

Exposure to e-cigarette advertisements may enhance curiosity and usage among young adults, according to a study published this week in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

Researchers at the Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies at Truth Initiative assessed more than 4,200 young adults (ages 18-34) and the impact of random assignment to exposure to e-cigarette advertisements on perceptions, intentions, and subsequent use. Approximately 6% of young adults who had never before tried an e-cigarette had done so at six month follow-up; ad exposure was associated with a greater likelihood of e-cigarette trial at follow-up (3.6% exposed vs. 1.2% unexposed) in never users of cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Ad exposure was also associated with greater curiosity to try an e-cigarette (18.3% vs. 11.3%) in the full sample.

Promotional expenditures for e-cigarettes across all media channels have rapidly increased since 2010. Since e-cigarettes are not subject to the same regulations as cigarette and smokeless tobacco products, e-cigarette manufacturers have been able to advertise their products via television, radio, and sponsorship of sporting and entertainment events. This increased and far-reaching advertising has occurred concurrently with increased availability of e-cigarettes in venues ranging from tobacco shops to pharmacies.

“Our study is the first randomized controlled study to show that forced exposure to e-cigarette advertising has an impact on longer-term e-cigarette trial in a small number of never users,” said Andrea Villanti, lead author of the study. “These findings highlight the potential impact of unrestricted e-cigarette advertising to enhance curiosity and trial of e-cigarettes in young adults.”

Lawsuit charges e-cigarettes contain cancer-causing chemicals

Companies fail to warn of the chemicals as required by California law, suit alleges

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/lawsuit-charges-e-cigarettes-contain-cancer-causing-chemicals-112015.html

A non-profit group has filed lawsuits against e-cigarette manufacturers, claiming they failed to warn consumers about two cancer-causing chemicals and the health effects of nicotine.

The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) said it purchased e-cigarettes, e-liquids, and other vaping products from major retailers including RiteAid and 7-Eleven between February and October 2015 and found that 90% contained formaldehyde or acetaldehyde or both.

A test on one e-cigarette found the level of formaldehyde was more than 470 times higher than the California safety standard.

Testing for formaldehyde and acetaldehyde was conducted by an independent lab accredited by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation. The two chemicals are known to cause cancer and are also linked to genetic damage, birth defects, and reduced fertility, the lawsuits argue. Under California’s Prop 65 consumer protection law, companies must warn consumers when their products expose users to chemicals that can cause cancer and/or birth defects.

Those named in the lawsuits include RJ Reynolds (Vuse brand), Fontem/Imperial Tobacco (blu brand), and NJOY.

In all, the nonprofit has launched legal actions against more than 60 companies for failing to warn consumers about exposure from e-cigarettes to nicotine and/or one or both of the two cancer-causing chemicals, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, as required by California law.

Teen usage growing

The organization charged that teen use of e-cigarettes is skyrocketing: among 8th and 10th graders, twice as many say they use e-cigarettes as compared to those who smoke traditional cigarettes, with 17% of high school seniors nationally saying they smoke e-cigarettes.

“The tobacco industry is banned from targeting teens in cigarette ads, but they and the rest of the e-cigarette industry use all of the banned tactics in marketing e-cigarettes,” said Michael Green, Executive Director of CEH. “Parents should know that vaping presents real risks to young people. It’s long past time for this industry to end its predatory and deceptive marketing.”

In February, CEH sued 19 e-cigarette companies for failing to warn consumers about the reproductive health threats from nicotine in their products. In one settlement reached in those cases, the e-cigarette company Sapphire Vapor agreed to legally binding restrictions on sales and marketing to teens and prohibited the use of unverified health claims.

E-cigarette ads may up usage among teens

http://zeenews.india.com/news/health/health-news/e-cigarette-ads-may-up-usage-among-teens_1823980.html

Washington: E-cigarettes advertisements may not be good for young adults as a new study has revealed that these ads may enhance curiosity and usage among them.

Researchers at the Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies at Truth Initiative assessed more than 4,200 young adults (ages 18-34) and the impact of random assignment to exposure to e-cigarette advertisements on perceptions, intentions, and subsequent use.

Approximately 6 percent of young adults, who had never before tried an e-cigarette, had done so at six month follow-up; ad exposure was associated with a greater likelihood of e-cigarette trial at follow-up in never users of cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Ad exposure was also associated with greater curiosity to try an e-cigarette in the full sample.

The study is the first randomized controlled study to show that forced exposure to e-cigarette advertising has an impact on longer-term e-cigarette trial in a small number of never users, said lead author Andrea Villanti, adding that these findings highlight the potential impact of unrestricted e-cigarette advertising to enhance curiosity and trial of e-cigarettes in young adults.

The study is published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

Electronic Cigarette Use and Respiratory Symptoms in Chinese Adolescents in Hong Kong

http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2469198

This study investigates the association between e-cigarette use and respiratory systems in Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong.

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are increasingly used, but their health effects remain unclear. The primary ingredients of e-cigarette liquid, propylene glycol and flavoring chemicals (eg, diacetyl or diketone), are respiratory irritants and harmful to the lungs.1 Well-documented respiratory toxicants, such as particulate matters, volatile organic compounds, and metals, were found in e-cigarette aerosol, although in lower concentrations than conventional cigarettes.2 Short-term adverse effects of airway resistance and inflammation have been observed in adults, but null associations were also reported.3 Children are particularly vulnerable to respiratory pollutants, yet, to our knowledge, no study has evaluated the respiratory effects of e-cigarettes in children. We assessed the association between e-cigarette use and respiratory symptoms in Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong.

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E-cigarette explosions prompt three lawsuits in California

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-e-cigarette-lawsuits-20151119-story.html

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Vicente Garza was getting ready for bed in his Bakersfield home when he decided to use an electronic cigarette.

He lifted the device to his mouth, pushed the vapor button and started to inhale. Then it exploded near his face, badly burning his mouth and dominant left hand, which was holding the device. Doctors amputated Garza’s left index finger, and he had to undergo immediate surgery on his tongue after the Oct. 16 incident. He still can barely eat.

Garza’s attorney, Gregory L. Bentley, said Thursday that he had filed a product liability lawsuit against the e-cigarette’s manufacturer and designer, Flawless Vapes & Supplies, LLC; the Bakersfield store where Garza bought the battery and device, Luxor Cafe & Vape Lounge; and the Bakersfield store where he bought his e-cigarette charger, Vape Fame.

“I never in my life thought that something like this would happen,” Garza, 23, said at a Glendale news conference Thursday.

Garza’s is one of three e-cigarette explosion lawsuits filed by Bentley this week in Kern and Orange counties.

“E-cigarette explosions are becoming all too common as this industry is taking off,” Bentley said. “Consumers have the right to expect that products have been properly designed, manufactured and tested for safety before they are put into the marketplace.”

The suits allege the e-cigarettes and their components, including lithium ion batteries and chargers, were unsafe and that the businesses in the supply chains failed to properly warn of the defects.

Employees at Luxor Cafe & Vape Lounge and Vape Fame said they were unaware of Garza’s lawsuit. Other defendants in his and the other suits could not be reached for comment.

E-cigarettes constitute a multibillion-dollar industry, with millions of users, according to a 2014 report on e-cigarette fires and explosions by the U.S. Fire Administration. The report said e-cigarettes use lithium ion batteries that include flammable liquid electrolytes that can explode when they overheat, such as when they receive too much voltage while charging.

Despite huge sales, the fledgling industry is largely unregulated, with few safeguards for consumer protection, Bentley said.

In September, a Riverside County Superior Court jury awarded a client of Bentley’s, Jennifer Ries, nearly $1.9 million after she sued the distributor, wholesaler and store where she bought vaping devices that exploded. She was badly burned after a charging e-cigarette battery caught fire in her car. Bentley said that was the first e-cigarette explosion lawsuit to be tried in the country and that his phone has since been ringing nonstop with similar cases.

Bentley this week filed a suit in Kern County on behalf of Bakersfield resident Gregory Phillips, Jr., whose leg was burned in September when an e-cigarette battery exploded in his pocket. He required skin grafts. Phillips is suing the device’s seller, Bakersfield store Cigarette World 4.

Bentley also filed suit this week in Orange County Superior Court on behalf of retired former Los Angeles Galaxy soccer player Daniel Califf. In February, Califf was using an e-cigarette when it exploded near his face, blasting a large hole in his cheek. It gave him a concussion and set the room on fire, the suit alleges. Califf is suing the distributor of one of the device’s components, Washington-based UVAPER Inc., and the seller, Newport Beach-based 32nd Street Vapors, which closed but is now doing business as R&D Creations, according to the attorney

Health group sues e-cigarette makers

http://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/260784-health-group-sues-big-tobacco-companies

An environmental group on Thursday announced it has filed lawsuits in California against 15 leading tobacco and electronic cigarette companies for manufacturing products that allegedly contain high levels of cancer-causing chemicals.

The companies being sued by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) include R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company for its Vuse brand, Fontem Ventures/Imperial Tobacco for its Blu brand, and NJoy. CEH said it conducted independent tests and found dangerous levels of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in products purchased between February and October. The chemicals have been linked to cancer, birth defects and infertility.

Under California’s strong Proposition 65 consumer protection law, companies must warn consumers when their products expose users to chemicals that can cause cancer and/or birth defects.
CEH said that when companies are forced to change their products to meet California laws, the changes benefit consumers nationwide.

The group said it’s also initiated legal action against four e-cigarette companies, including Logic, a division of Japan Tobacco, and Fin, a division of Electronic Cigarettes International. Prop 65 requires companies be given a 60-day notice before filing suit.

Tobacco Tactics – Plain Packaging Opposition in Ireland

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Tobacco Tactics – FCTC Compliance in Africa

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Tobacco Tactics – International Tax and Investment Center

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