Smokers in Kansas may not realize it, but the cigarettes they’re buying now are different from what was on the shelves just two months ago. In July, fire safe cigarettes became the only kind available in the state.

Experts hope the new cigarettes will cause fewer fires because they go out much more quickly. Fire safe cigarettes have several layers of paper surrounding the tobacco making it more difficult for oxygen to feed a burning cigarette. It means if the cigarette isn’t actively being smoked, it’ll burn itself out.

Since 2006, Wichita has seen 226 cigarette-caused fires.

“We deal with people who are having their worst day ever,” says Wichita Fire Captain Stuart Bevis.

Capt. Bevis joined Eyewitness News Thursday to help compare the differences between the old and new cigarettes. He’s investigated around 2,000 fires in his time with the department.

“They’ll say nothing bad’s ever happened to them when they’ve fallen asleep with their cigarette or had too much alcohol with their cigarette,” says Capt. Bevis, “because it only takes one time. When that one time happens, it’s a tragedy.”

In our first test, we simply lit one of each type of cigarette and laid them in an ash tray. The fire safe cigarette went out in less than two minutes while the old cigarette burned all the way to the filter for 16 minutes.

“It does have a chance to be a little bit better,” Capt. Bevis says of the new cigarettes. “Two and a half minutes smoldering against 15? That gives us a much better chance of it going out before something bad happens.”

In the second test, we placed the lit cigarettes on an old recliner’s cushion. Once again, the fire safe cigarette only takes a couple of minutes to go out, leaving a small burn in the polyester fabric. The old cigarette burns to the filter, leaving a long burn mark and almost getting to the cotton fabric inside the cushion’s cover.

We use our last two tests checking what typically happens in a cigarette-caused fire, a cigarette that falls in a cushion corner or into a crevice. In these tests, both types of cigarettes burn to the filter.

In one of the tests, the fire safe cigarette chars a piece of highly-combustible lint. It likely means the recliner wasn’t far from going up in flames. Capt. Bevis says it’s a sign that just because the product is safer doesn’t mean it’s safe.

“They can have cigarettes that are supposed to put themselves out in two-and-a-half minutes, but if all the right circumstances fall into place, it can still lead to a fire if they’re dealt with carelessly,” says Capt. Bevis.

We wanted to know if you’ve ever heard of fire safe cigarettes. The results of our exclusive Fact Finder 12 scientific survey show 28% of you say you’ve heard of the new cigarettes while most, 72%, say you have not.

Not everyone likes the new cigarettes. More than 8,600 smokers nationwide have signed an online petition calling for a repeal of fire safe cigarettes. They complain the new cigarettes taste bad and have more carbon monoxide in each drag.


© Kwch

Ruyan Group Holdings Ltd, the inventor of electronic cigarettes, hailed a US regulatory agency’s warning against other brands of e-cigarettes as good news in its fight against copycats.

Scott Fraser, vice president of Ruyan Group, said the announcement by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will help Ruyan protect its intellectual property rights to its e-cigarette brand.

The FDA on July 22 reported that a laboratory test of e-cigarette samples of other brands found that they contained carcinogens and toxic chemicals such as diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze.

The two American brands tested by FDA are Njoy and Smoking Everywhere. The former has been named in an IPR lawsuit initiated by Ruyn Group.

Invented in 2003 by Hon Lik, Ruyan’s chief engineer, e-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that generally contain cartridges filled with nicotine, flavorings and other chemicals.

The electronic cigarette turns nicotine, which is highly addictive, and other chemicals into a vapor that is inhaled by the user.

Fraser said he was not surprised at the FDA’s findings, and that he encouraged the FDA to test his company’s e-cigarettes.

Praise for FDA

“The FDA is doing its job. They are concerned about consumer safety, and we support that,” Fraser said.

“As the inventor, we also consider the safety of customers the top issue, and we are always testing our product,” he said. “We understand the test results (of the other brands). The two copycats infringed on intellectual property. It is not surprising.”

Ruyan considers its progress in North America a major achievement in 2008.

After months of intensive efforts by Ruyan America Inc, its US-based agent and distributor, the company established marketing and distribution channels to facilitate the North American launch of its product this year.

As the only legal company producing e-cigarettes in China, Ruyan has been fighting copycats since 2003.

Ruyan Group Executive Director Miu Nam said safety concerns are directly linked to copycats.

“The copycats pay less attention to the health of people and seldom conduct effective tests. Therefore, the quality of their products cannot be guaranteed,” Miu said.

The company has filed eight lawsuits against copycat factories operating mostly in Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces. Many of the companies also sell counterfeit MP3s and cell phones, Ruyan has alleged.

© Chinadaily

Nigeria lawmakers began debating over a landmark comprehensive tobacco control bill in an attempt to overcome the dramatic smoking rates across the country. The bill is strongly supported by local and international public health agencies and anti-smoking advocates.

The government collaborated with public health agencies to introduce an educational program for schools and universities across Nigeria, trying to educate teenagers about the risks related to the use of tobacco.

Associated Press reporters visited the Shepherd Secondary School in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city and ex-capital, in order to hear an anti-smoking lecture and make a non-smoking pledge together with the students.

“If I want my life to be changed I swear I will never smoke, as I am the future of the country, and I want our country to be smoke-free,” Shepherd Secondary School students repeated after the lecturer.

Almost 25 percent of local minors puff occasionally, with several barely reaching 10, and the number of adult smokers is even more staggering in the country.

Dikembe Obikwelu, a 16-year-old ex-smoker and Shepherd student, told AP that he was smoking for 4 years before quitting, when he took part in the campaign.

The student said that he wasn’t aware about all the dangers and negative consequences of tobacco to his health and safety of people that surround him.

The most popular tobacco products in Nigeria are smokeless tobacco items and unpacked individual cigarettes that could be bought for an average of 7 cents per stick. Experts have been concerned that smoking rates in the most populous African country could keep increasing.

Therefore, the Nigerian lawmakers didn’t hesitate to take actions. They introduced a universal tobacco regulation bill that would ban smoking, hike taxes and restrict advertisements. If approved, the bill would become a landmark tobacco regulation act in the history of the country.

Olorunnimbe Mamora, Senator who introduced the bill said that he had sworn on the Constitution to protect the Nigerian people, and would apply every possible effort to defend the welfare of Nigerians, as it has been his primary duty.

Looking at the example of developed nations, the Nigerian legislators, who used to make large concessions to tobacco industry, have stopped supporting cigarette companies and filed a lawsuit against the tobacco industry, asking $45 billion in damages for luring teenagers into smoking.

Senator Mamora named the tobacco companies as the “vendors of death and pain.”

However, not everybody is so happy about the possible tobacco outlawing in the country. A coalition of tobacco growers issued an emotional query to the government when the public hearing of the tobacco bill was held. The growers urged lawmakers to think about the consequences of tobacco cracking down to the farmers.

The group leader Okeke Abiola said that tobacco ban would immediately hit 300,000 poor farmers, who have no other job but growing tobacco, so a tobacco restriction would result in loosing the source of money for many families.

Nigeria would be just the sixth country in Africa to implement any tobacco control measures. Smoking is also banned in Zambia, Niger, Mozambique, South Africa, and Uganda.

Selection
As with wines, you’ll need to try a variety of cigars to home in on your taste. And your budget. Some good choices to start out with are the Leon Jimenes Robusto ($6), the Monte Carlo #3 ($8), the Ashton Cabinet #6 ($9.50), and the Davidoff 5000 ($16). For special occasions, I like the God of Fire by Don Carlos, Robusto 2006 ($57 for three).

Cutting

The most common type of cutter is the double-blade guillotine, which you can find at any cigar shop. Cut about a quarter of an inch below the head of the cigar. Jrcigars.com suggests this easy method: Lay the cutter flat on the table, stand the cigar straight up in it, and cut.

Lighting

Always use wooden matches or a butane lighter. Roll the cigar while puffing, and once you feel it’s properly lit, blow on it to evenly distribute the burn.

The Ring

Leave it alone. At least until you’ve smoked down to that point. If you try to take it off before then, the glue on the ring could stick to the paper and tear apart the cigar.

Storage

Cigars are made to be smoked, not stored. But if you plan on keeping them longer than a week, you’ll need somewhere to store them. Until you’re sure you like smoking and are ready for a humidor, try an inexpensive option like the F.G.T. Enterprises Connoisseur Humi-Pouch ($2.95), which can store cigars for up to three months.


© Esquire

ALEC BRADLEY PRENSADO
Made by: Fabrica de Tabacos Raices Cubanas S. de R.L., Honduras
Wrapper: Honduras
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua

Price: $8.95—$11.75
Details: The Alec Bradley Prensado was built around a Corojo 2006 wrapper leaf grown in Trojes, Honduras, near the Nicaraguan border. Alec Bradley owner Alan Rubin first smoked the tobacco in 2008, and he decided to build a brand around it. The cigars are box pressed and powerful. They come in five sizes: Corona Gorda, Robusto, Churchill, Gran Toro and Torpedo, and will be released in very limited quantities starting in September.
What makes it special: The first box-pressed cigar from Alec Bradley, and the company’s strongest cigar to date.

ALEC BRADLEY FAMILY BLEND

Made by: Fabrica de Tabacos Raices Cubanas S. de R.L., Honduras
Wrapper: Honduras
Binder: Indonesia
Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua
Price: $6.50
Details: This is a one-size blend created for David Rubin, Miguel Montero and Reinaldo Sosa, the fathers of the top executives at Alec Bradley Cigar Co. The pigtailed cigars measure 5 1/2 inches by 50 ring gauge, and come in boxes of 50, the top of which is adorned with the signatures of the three men. While the blend’s components seem similar to the powerful Tempus, the Family Blend employs medium primings, giving it a far more mellow flavor.

ALEC BRADLEY SELECT CABINET RESERVE
Made by: Fabrica de Tabacos Raices Cubanas S. de R.L., Honduras
Wrapper: Honduras
Binder: Honduras and Indonesia
Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua
Price: $5.50—$8.25
Average Cigar Insider Rating: 87.8 points
Details: The Alec Bradley SCR is intended as a less powerful, more balanced version of the Alec Bradley Tempus. The cigars come in five sizes: Churchill (7 by 48, $7); Robusto (5 by 50, $6.25); Corona (5 1/2 by 42, $5.50); Gran Robusto (5 1/2 by 60, $8.25); and Torpedo (6 1/8 by 52, $7.75). The cigars are made with two binders, and the tobacco blend relies heavily on Honduran tobacco grown in Trojes, near the border of Nicaragua.

ALEC BRADLEY VICE PRESS
Made by: Tabacos de Oriente (Nestor Plasencia), Honduras
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Costa Rica, Colombia
Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico
Price: $7.50—$8.50
Details: This is a new take on an old idea. Vice Press replaces Alec Bradley’s 2007 Maxx Vice release, which had big, pressed cigars in a huge bulky crate. The crate proved too large for many cigar store humidors to easily stock, so Alec Bradley ditched the packaging and took the pressing concept to more manageable boxes of 20. Vice Press comes in three sizes: 6T (a torpedo measuring 7 inches long by 60 ring, $8.50); 6T2 (6 1/2 by 62. $8.50) and the relatively diminutive 6T4 (5 by 64, $7.50). These cigars use a double binder, one leaf of Colombian, one Costa Rican.

© Cigaraficionado

Dear Straight Talk: My 17-year-old son just left for the hookah bar. He said this is a popular social activity where you sit around outdoors smoking flavored tobacco from a shared water pipe. He says he’s been going to this club for almost a year.

What exactly is this hookah trend? Isn’t flavored tobacco now illegal? And don’t you have to be 18? He insists it’s no big deal, but I’m worried he will develop a tobacco addiction and start smoking cigarettes.

– Mom in Oroville, Calf.

Liva, 20, Oakland, Calif.: What will soon be illegal are flavored cigarettes, but flavored tobacco (hookah) is totally legal. Yes, you must be 18, but many hookah bars only card the person who buys the hookah, not the friends who attend with that person. People smoke hookah because it’s fun and tastes delicious. I’ve smoked a reasonable amount and am not addicted to nicotine in any form.

Nicole, 19, Arcata, Calif.: I went to hookah bars for years when I was in high school. It was the place to be. Yes, you need to be 18 but most clubs don’t card. I do smoke cigarettes now, perhaps because of these bars. Let your son know that innocent as smoking hookah seems, it can lead to serious cigarette addiction. And even though the smoke is filtered, it still isn’t good for you.

Peter, 22, Monterey, Calif.: Smoking hookah is like taking a mouthful of flavored fog. It’s smoother on the lungs than cigarettes, cigars, or pipe tobacco and I’ve never gotten even buzzed from it. It’s a way to relax and chat with friends.

Brie, 18, Ashland, Ore.: It’s a social thing. I’ve smoked hookah quite a lot and have never smoked a cigarette or had a tobacco craving of any sort.

Ashley, 21, Auburn, Calif.: I already smoke cigarettes so I don’t know if hookah is addicting, but it definitely does not get you high.

Lennon, 22, Fair Oaks, Calif.: I’ve smoked hookah occasionally and have never felt addicted to it. There is a slight high you can achieve by taking several hits in a row, but that’s from lack of oxygen. Hookah is popular because the smoke is filtered and cooled (it goes through ice water like a bong), so you can inhale without feeling an inkling of a cough. However, I’ve stopped smoking it heavily because I wake up feeling hung over.

Mariah, 17, Collinsville, Okla.: I’ve never heard of a hookah bar, but the people I know who smoke from a hookah aren’t smoking tobacco!

Betsy, 21, Durham, N.H.: In New England, owning a hookah pipe is more common than going to a hookah bar. I’ve been to hookah bars a couple of times and judging from the hemp necklaces and dreads, it attracts the same crowd that smokes weed.

Julian, 17, Auburn: I’ve never felt a craving for a cigarette even though I’ve smoked hookah a few times. Because hookah is exotic, it seems less harmful – but it’s not.

Maureen, 17, Redding, Calif.: Hookah bars are the new place to be in college towns and urban areas. Some have non-tobacco hookah for those under 18.

Dear Oroville: The info from the panel is correct. However, to clarify a couple of points: Most hookah lounges do not offer non-tobacco hookah because smoking dried leaf matter (unless that leaf is tobacco) is a tough sell no matter how much candy and flavorings are pounded in.

I can safely bet that your underage son is smoking flavored tobacco. Secondly, despite what most of the panel perceives, smoking hookah is not a safe, non-addictive alternative to cigarettes. Hookah has been smoked for centuries in the Middle East and the same maladies reported with cigarettes abound, including nicotine addiction. Hookah is smooth, tasty – and extremely deceptive. It’s still tobacco with all tobacco’s problems.

Contact the writer: To ask a question or to be a panelist, write to www.StraightTalkForTeens.com or P.O. Box 963, Fair Oaks, Calif., 95628. Lauren Forcella holds a master’s degree in consciousness studies and co-founded the nonprofit Teens-Matter organization in Auburn, Calif.

As trust in the government fades fast in the United States, they may be on the verge of another critical mistake: outlawing electronic cigarettes and giving smokers only two options: quit or die.

A recent laboratory study performed at the request of the Food and Drug Administration revealed ingredients in e-cigarettes that skeptics suspected all along. The minuscule presence of diethylene glycol, an ingredient that is found in antifreeze and certain levels of nitrosamines, were found in some cartridges.

Concern over the safety of these products is at a peak and the opposition questions the effects of the product on people’s health as well as the theory that the different flavored cartridges will attract children.

“When I think of the type of person that would use an e-cigarette, I think of a person who wants a good alternative to real cigarettes, not a child or a non-smoker,” says Juliet Herstrom, a supporter of e-cigarettes. “It’s not labeled as a cessation device, but they can’t control what people try to use it for.”

The e-cigarette is neither a cessation device nor has it been classified by the FDA as of this time.

“It matters, of course, that there is the presence of this chemical in e-cigarettes,” continues Herstrom. “But given the choice between the two, the smarter choice for a smoker is the e-cigarette. Hands down.”

Another supporter of e-cigarettes, Michael Norton, sounds off. “It’s ridiculous. It really is. They find a single chemical in the e-liquid and suddenly e-cigarettes are dangerous. How about the fact that tobacco cigarettes contain this same chemical and thousands of others at higher concentrations? How come those nicotine patches and inhalers are allowed to be sold? Why is there all of this concern when there are already products that deliver nicotine?”

Jennifer Corcoran, a supporter and user of e-cigarettes, declares that “there will be war in the courtroom if any law is passed that prohibits the sale of these devices.” She, among others, believes that the e-cigarette could truly help smokers stop smoking. “I’m on month 3, and I haven’t smoked a cigarette since I turned to the e-cigarette. If these are banned, the FDA will have hell to pay!”

Amidst the controversy, the e-cigarette, a product that could very well revolutionize the smoking industry, has collected the loyalty of its supporters.


© Prnewswire

It may be a symbol of Middle Eastern culture and a trendy pastime for British youths, but the shisha water pipe that burns sweet scented tobacco is just as bad for your health as smoking cigarettes.

Research from Britain’s Department of Health and the Tobacco Control Collaborating Center showed that people who regularly smoke shisha can suffer from dangerous levels of carbon monoxide — similar to sucking on a car exhaust or entering a room with a faulty boiler.

“We are trying to say to people ‘if you want to do it, this is the effect it will have on you,’” said Paul Hooper of the Department of Health.

Hooper said results varied on how individuals inhaled the smoke, but one session of shisha smoking can result in carbon monoxide levels at least five times higher than the amount received by one cigarette.

Shisha, traditionally smoked in Middle Eastern countries, has grown in popularity in Britain, with many young people smoking the water pipe in cafes and bars around the country.

The shisha pipe, also known as a hookah or nargile, works by burning flavored tobacco on hot coals and enables users to suck the shisha through an ornate water vessel positioned underneath.

The findings showed that many shisha smokers were unaware of the dangers and didn’t think of shisha as smoking.

Hooper gave an example of a pregnant woman who quit cigarette smoking to protect her unborn baby but kept smoking shisha. When she was tested for carbon monoxide, she had an extreme reading of 70 parts per million (ppm) of carbon monoxide as opposed to 30 ppm expected from a heavy smoker.


Copyright © Reuters

A research by the Department of Health and the Tobacco Control Collaborating Centre has revealed that smoking a shisha pipe is as injurious to health as smoking tobacco.

Shisha is an Arabic pipe with a flexible tube. Water is used to cool the smoke that is produced by burning fruit-scented tobacco.

The study also found that one shisha smoking session could produce four to five times more carbon monoxide than smoking a cigarette could do, though the exact level of carbon monoxide inhaled by each cigarette smoker was different and could not be ascertained.

High carbon monoxide levels can cause damage to the brain and unconsciousness.

When the carbon monoxide exhale by various people was measured it showed that a normal non-smoker”s level was three parts CO per million parts of air (ppm) which means less than 1 per cent of blood his blood was not working properly, a light smoker to had CO levels of 10-20 ppm (2-4 per cent of blood not working properly), and a heavy smoker 30-40 ppm (5-7 per cent).

Shisha smokers had 40-70 ppm of CO in their breath, which affected 8-12 per cent of their blood.

The BBC quoted Dr. Hilary Wareing, director of the Tobacco Control Collaborating Centre, as saying: “Our mouths opened at the level of harm – none of the tests we did showed anything other than shisha is hazardous to health.”

Paul Hooper, regional manager at the Department of Health, said that the study showed that the dangers of shisha smoking were a “major issue”, though many people believe it “as not even smoking”.

ShishaBars have become quite popular across the UK especially in the cities of London, Manchester and Birmingham and the misconceptions generated here encouraged the scientists to carry out the research on the effects of Shisha smoking.

Dr. Wareing said: “We found one session of smoking shisha – that”s 10 milligrams (of fruit tobacco) for 30 minutes – gave carbon monoxide levels that were at the lowest four and five times higher than having a cigarette…But at the worst, shisha was 400 to 450 times more dangerous than having a cigarette.”

She added shisha was still awaiting more research to find out its adverse effects. Paul Hooper said the department was trying “how best to get the message – that it is dangerous – across to the consumer”.

“But how do you label the tobacco and the shisha pipe? It”s not as simple as labelling a packet of cigarettes,” he added.