Cell phones are used by an estimated 275 million people in the United States and 4 billion worldwide.

A recent review of studies assessed whether there was epidemiologic evidence for an association between long-term cell phone usage and the risk of developing a brain tumor.

In order to be included in the analysis, studies were required to have been published in a peer-reviewed journal, included participants who had used cell phone for 10 or more years, and analyzed the side of the brain tumor relative to the side of the head preferred for cell phone usage. Eleven long-term epidemiologic studies fit the criteria.

The results indicated that using a cell phone for 10 or more years approximately doubles the risk of being diagnosed with a brain tumor on the same side of the head as that preferred for cell phone use.

Iowa senator Tom Harkin, newly empowered to investigate health matters as chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, has promised to probe deeply into any potential links between cell phone use and cancer.

Harkin, who took over the committee after the death of Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy, said he was concerned no one has been able to prove cell phones do not cause cancer. A staffer said the senator became concerned by a report from the Environmental Working Group showing that radio wave emissions vary from one cell phone brand and model to another, as well as some reports suggesting there might be a link.

September 29 2009

China Kangtai Cactus Biotech Inc announced plans to launch low nicotine and zero nicotine cigarettes based on cacti in the fourth quarter of 2009, following the successful completion of trial production.

The Nevada-based and China-focused group grows, develops, produces, and markets cactus-derived products including nutraceuticals, nutritious food, health and energy drinks, beer, wine and liquor, extracts and powders, and animal feed.

The new patented cactus cigarettes, under the registered trademark “Shengcao”, are expected to increase sales by approximately US$220,000 in the fourth quarter, the group said in a statement.

The low nicotine cigarette is made from cactus, honeysuckle, ginkgo biloba leaves and a small amount of tobacco leaves. This cactus-derived cigarette lowers tar and nicotine content by 70 percent. The zero nicotine cigarette is made without any tobacco leaves.

China Kangtai CEO Jinjiang Wang said: “The cactus cigarette market shows huge potential for growth in China. China has about 390 million smokers, accounting for 30 percent of global smokers.”

China Kangtai controls over 387 acres of plants and maintains an active R&D group that holds 18 product patents and is seeking another 12. China Kangtai’s products are sold throughout China via a distribution network that covers 12 of China’s 23 provinces and two of China’s four municipalities.

© Sept 02, 2009 Proactiveinvestors

Smoking pot can cause as much damage to cells and DNA as tobacco smoke, according to a group of Canadian researchers who are challenging the belief that marijuana is less harmful than cigarettes. Rebecca Maertens, a researcher from Health Canada and co-author of the study, says many Canadians believe marijuana smoke is less toxic, and causes less damage than tobacco because pot is “natural.”

Despite several experiments that show marijuana use to have adverse health effects, the prevalence of marijuana use in Canada has increased over the past decade, while the incidence of tobacco use has decreased.

Nearly one quarter of Canadians between the ages of 15 and 24 reported using marijuana in the previous 12 months according to 2006 Statistics Canada report — over 14 per cent of those said they used the drug on a daily basis. The team behind this new study suggested that a lack of understanding about the dangers of marijuana plays a part in why youth are so cavalier about smoking it. Neither marijuana nor the main psychoactive component of the plant, THC, has been shown to cause cancer. There are, however, substances in marijuana that can be very harmful to a person, according to previous studies on the drug.

Negative health effects induced by smoking marijuana, such as chronic bronchitis, have been well documented, as have other negative health effects. A 2007 study from New Zealand, for example, examined the effects of cannabis on lung capacity. The results suggested that marijuana smoke compromised lung efficiency between 2.5 and five times more than tobacco smoke. Despite some knowledge surrounding marijuana’s adverse effects on human lungs, researchers still have little knowledge about the plant’s potential to cause lung cancer, Maertens said.

This is due in part to the difficulty researchers have had in identifying and following subjects who have smoked only marijuana, she said. In this study, scientists exposed animal cells and bacteria separately to smoke from marijuana and tobacco plants. Although marijuana smoke caused significantly more damage to cells and DNA than tobacco, according to the researchers, only tobacco smoke caused chromosome damage. But marijuana advocate Marc Emery dismissed the study when contacted Wednesday night. “Where is the proof of this DNA damage to Canadians?

Are there mutations in the 15 million Canadians who have smoked marijuana in the last 45 years?” said publisher of Cannabis Culture Magazine in an e-mail to Canwest News Service. “Cannabis consumption completely prevents Alzheimer’s disease, cleans the lungs by shrinking tumours and breaks down necrotic cells and clears them out of the lungs. Millions of Canadians use cannabis for relief of symptoms of multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, chemotherapy, opiate medications, and numerous other ailments . . . This study is false and is in fact blatant lies once again from the least trustworthy source of health information in Canada — the lackeys at Health Canada.” Emery is on a cross-Canada farewell tour before he surrenders to U.S. narcotics officials to face charges in that country.

© Ottawacitizen

The roll-your-own cigarettes made on the machines at Tobacco Haven are controversial and inexpensive, but are they any good? Three Telegraph staffers who smoke gave them a try.

I’ll stick with my Parliament Lights, thank you.

I took one for the team Wednesday afternoon and tested one of the 200 roll-your-own cigarettes I purchased – on the paper’s tab – at Tobacco Haven in Brookline on Tuesday. They were not my favorite, but I’m not convinced it’s entirely the cigarette’s fault.

Taking a drag is difficult. I don’t know if that’s because it was made with “all-natural” tobacco like American Spirits, or if it was packed too densely. The latter explanation is at least fixable since the RYO machines can adjust the amount of tobacco in each butt.

They also didn’t taste like much. It didn’t feel like anything was in my mouth or lungs. But again, it’s possible another combination of tobacco – robust, natural or mild – and filter – light or full-flavored – would make a difference. This wasn’t exactly a scientific survey.

But the price is right. At $25.99 the carton cost far less than a carton of my cancer-sticks of choice.

– JOSEPH G. COTE

One of the few things I like about cigarettes is it gives me a short period of time to clear my head. A quick three to four minutes and I am back at my desk feeling refreshed.

The cigarettes from Tobacco Haven gave me none of that. Anyone who has ever smoked an American Spirit will know what I am referring to when I say they take far too long to finish.

In the time that I would normally be done with my cigarette, I wasn’t even half way through the one from Tobacco Haven.

With “normal” cigarettes, you can cut the allotted 15-minute work breaks into three five-minute mini breaks, taking each time to smoke a cigarette. The cigarettes from Tobacco Haven? You will be struggling to finish one cigarette in your entire break.

They are more mild then Marlborough Silver. In fact, think of them as Marlborough Mega Ultra Lights with less flavor.

– DANA SMITH

I’m in the process of trying to quit, so just about any cigarette is a good cigarette.

Since the cigarette from Tobacco Haven was hand-rolled, I was expecting a harsh cigarette with no filter. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was a filter.

However, the first puff, instead of being too harsh was too light. I normally smoke Marlboro Lights, so that caught me off guard.

I found myself puffing harder and struggling to get a good draw of smoke. I didn’t get the satisfying “ahhhh” that I normally get while smoking.

Oddly enough, despite the “lightness,” I got a throat burn and dry mouth about halfway through the cigarette, reminiscent of generic-brand cigarettes.

For the price they’ll definitely do in a pinch, but I doubt brand-loyal cigarette smokers will find them an adequate substitute for the long term.

– DONNA ROBERSON

© Nashuatelegraph

LINCOLN — The after-work regulars at Nickleby’s smoke shop soon could be returning to an old tradition.

If all goes as manager Tim Vanderpool hopes, customers will be able to start sipping scotch while smoking their cigars and discussing the world’s problems.

The Omaha shop is among a handful of businesses around Nebraska that plan to take advantage of a new state law.

The law, which takes effect Aug. 30, creates an exemption from the statewide public smoking ban for specially licensed cigar bars.
Advertising

But it might be a couple of months before the first match is lit in any cigar bar.

The Nebraska Liquor Control Commission will hold a hearing Thursday on rules and regulations to implement the new law. Hobert Rupe, the commission’s executive director, said he doesn’t expect to be ready to take applications before the end of September.

Under the new law, such bars cannot sell food or allow cigarette smoking.

They must have walk-in humidors — special rooms with temperature and humidity controls for storing and displaying cigars.

They also must get at least 10 percent of their gross revenue from selling tobacco products other than cigarettes and cannot boost tobacco revenue by offering drink specials with tobacco purchases.

The law will let Nickleby’s, once again, offer alcohol with its cigars.

Vanderpool said the business was a smoking lounge until last year. When the Omaha smoking ban was broadened, the business dropped its liquor license and stuck with tobacco sales.

Other businesses, such as Jake’s Cigars and Spirits in Omaha, chose to keep their liquor licenses and move smoking outdoors.

Jake’s owner John Larkin pushed hard to get the cigar bar exemption passed. He said his business took a big hit under the smoking ban.

“For us, it’s going to be awesome, but it’s definitely a niche thing,” he said of the new law.

Larkin plans to allow indoor smoking again at his Omaha location, at least for those smoking cigars or pipes. He is expanding his Lincoln smoke shop and opening a cigar bar there for the first time.

Nebraska’s smoking ban applies to all public buildings and workplaces. It exempts tobacco shops, some hotel rooms, laboratories used for research on smoking and home-based businesses.

The law faces a pending legal challenge. Big John’s Billiards, an Omaha pool hall, argued in Lancaster County District Court that exemptions to the smoking ban are arbitrary and amount to special legislation in violation of the state constitution.

Contact the writer:

402-473-9583, martha.stoddard@owh.com

PHOENIX–With the economy continuing to stall and Americans’ wallets being impacted by more and more taxes, Crown7.com, a leading electric cigarette manufacturer, announced on August 17 it is helping smokers making the switch to a smoking alternative by offering 35% off to those who trade in traditional cigarettes for a Crown7 HYDRO.

In response to global smoking bans and stricter tobacco laws, electric cigarettes have become increasingly popular in replicating the act of smoking, using a nicotine cartridge, a microchip and a water vapor mist. Instead of second-hand smoke, a water vapor mist is dispersed without the effects of second-hand smoke from traditional cigarettes, and it is permissible in all public places where smoking is now banned.

“The Cash for Cigarettes program is helping consumers get their hands on a more affordable option than traditional cigarettes,” said Ron MacDonald, founder and CEO of Crown7. “The best thing about electric cigarettes is a consumer can now smoke anywhere and anytime they wish, including indoors, with an electric cigarette at an affordable price.”

According to Matt Salmon, president of the Electronic Cigarette Association, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group, sales have been brisk, with many former cigarette smokers reporting they no longer need to buy several packs of traditional cigarettes each week, and the e-cigarette industry is on track to make $100 million this year.

“Crown7 is a privately owned company, and we know how hard this economic recession is hitting hard-working Americans across the country,” added MacDonald. “We have a responsibility to our customers, and every smoker impacted by these tough times, to offer an alternative that will add more money to Americans’ wallets with a high quality product.”

During the “Cash for Cigarettes” program the Crown7 HYDRO Kit is $54.95 and refill cartridges (pack of 5) are $9.95.

© Businesswire

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. — Among businesses that could be affected by tougher restrictions on smoking in Berkeley County’s public places and workplaces, King Street Coffee & Tobacco Emporium arguably tops the list.

While coffee is first in the shop’s name at 320 W. King St. in Martinsburg, pipe tobacco and cigars have been owner Ed Trout’s primary calling card for more than 16 years.

Tobacco shops are not exempt in the Berkeley County Health Department’s existing “clean indoor air” regulations or the newly revised rules that are out for public comment.

The current regulation was adopted Sept. 15, 2001, by the Board of Health, but Trout received a special exemption for his business, County Health Department Administrator Bill Kearns confirmed.

“The conditions of that special exemption are that I not have any paid employees, that I do not allow anyone under the age of 18 to enter the premises and that my primary business is retail sale of tobacco products (and I still meet) all of those conditions,” Trout said Wednesday.

Trout said he has received no guarantee from the health department that his special exemption will remain in effect if the current clean air regulations are revised.

A rewritten draft of the regulations has been released for public comment and residents have 30 days to submit feedback in writing to the Health Department through the agency’s Web site at www.bchealthdept.org or by mail or in person at the agency’s offices. At least one public hearing, if not more, is expected to be scheduled in the coming weeks, officials have said.

While he was writing a letter to the Board of Health on Wednesday, Trout said he found that clean indoor air regulations in at least 23 West Virginia counties have a definition for tobacco shops and exempt them. Jefferson County, which is one of the counties that exempts tobacco shops, is not currently reviewing its regulations, according to Jefferson County Health Department administrator Amy B. Jones.

Without the exemption, Trout said he thinks a smoking ban on the business he’s owned since 1992 would be a “severe detriment.”

“It may take enough of my profits away to where I would really have to seriously consider whether it’s worth continuing to put the time in to get the income out of it,” Trout said.

“Not only is it a situation where a customer should be allowed to try a certain blend of pipe tobacco or to try a certain cigar to decide if they want to buy several ounces of that pipe tobacco or a box of those cigars. But yes, also I have several customers who come in and buy a cigar with the intent of sitting down and smoking the cigar,” Trout said.

Trout said members of the Churchill Society, a club that he and more than a dozen other cigar smokers chartered last year, also hoped to be exempt.

“We’re really hoping now that by being a private club, not having any employees and not providing any goods or services, that we don’t come under the regulation of this ordinance,” Trout said.


© Herald-mail

Cutting-edge nightlife usually finds its way to Hollywood rather quickly.

The neighborhood is generally a destination for all sorts of new social gathering places. Whether it be upscale clubs, dive bars or multi-purpose venues that feature a night club, bar and restaurant all in one, Hollywood has not lacked for party options.

Until recently, however, the area had yet to really latch onto the growing national popularity of hookah lounges.

As recently as a year ago it was a challenge to find a place in Hollywood in which to partake in the ancient Indian tradition.

In much of the rest of California and around the country, hookah lounges have been springing up rapidly for years.

It has become an alternative to the traditional bar and club scene for many hipsters. For those who don’t know, it involves smoking tobacco (known as shisha) through a water pipe (which is the hookah).

Typically, groups get tables for a flat rate and those sitting around the table take turns smoking from the hookah.

With these establishments having taken off in many urban and college areas, it seems natural that they would fit right in among the Hollywood scene.

And they appear to be doing so, now that they have finally arrived.

Within the past few months, three have sprung up within a six-block radius of Hollywood Boulevard.

All three are often crowded on weekends and have carved out a niche for themselves among the throng of partiers that flock to Hollywood on a weekly basis.

The hookah lounge isn’t for everyone (I have never tried one and have no interest in doing so), but it definitely brings a new and different vibe to the Vegas-ization of the Boulevard.

If nothing else, it provides some pretty awesome looking pipes to stare at from the windows while strolling down the Hollywood strip.


© Examiner

If you’re looking for a safe alternative to smoking, you’d be wise to skip the electronic cigarette – unless inhaling a toxic, bubble gum-flavored component of antifreeze sounds yummy.

The Food and Drug Administration recently ran preliminary tests on two brands of battery-powered, cigarette-shaped devices billed as safe alternatives to tobacco. The devices heat up a liquid containing nicotine and produce a vapor that can be drawn directly into the lungs. Among other things, scientists found forms of nitrosamine, a carcinogen common in real cigarettes.

The tests also turned up diethylene glycol, an ingredient in antifreeze, in some samples. It’s the same chemical involved in deaths and illnesses around the world in 2007; unscrupulous toothpaste manufacturers in China used it as a cheap substitute for the thickening agent glycerine.

The Electronic Cigarette Association, a trade group representing manufacturers, says the FDA’s tests of devices marketed by Arizona-based NJoy and Florida-based Smoking Everywhere were too limited to reach “any valid and reliable conclusions.”

But, tellingly, the industry is reluctant to submit its products for safety approval, arguing that the agency doesn’t have jurisdiction.

Many of the devices are made in China, where they’re popular. But the FDA reports that there’s little quality control in the manufacturing – which isn’t surprising, given the multitude of problems with toys, pet food and other products imported from China.

Numerous U.S. health groups have issued warnings against e-cigarettes. The American Academy of Pediatrics has condemned the production of e-cigarettes flavored to taste like bubble gum, chocolate and various fruits – a move they say is intended to lure children and teens.

FDA officials, who contend e-cigarettes fall under their jurisdiction as drug-delivery devices, say they’re contemplating further action against manufacturers. Some members of Congress are calling for a ban.

Whether it’s possible to produce a safe e-cigarette remains an open question. But the FDA’s recent tests indicate there are dangerous versions on the market. They, at the very least, should be yanked from store shelves.


© Hamptonroads