BMA Cymru Wales supports the call for a ban on smoking in cars carrying children

You may have read this article in the news today.

BMA Cymru Wales fully supports the call for a ban on smoking in cars carrying children.

Anything that can be done to reduce exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and ill-health as a result of smoking must be given serious consideration.

Exposure of non-smokers to second hand smoke - known as passive smoking, consists primarily of non-inhaled sidestream smoke, together with exhaled smoke.

Almost 85% of second-hand smoke is invisible and odourless gases. Only the particulate matter, in the form of smoke, is visible. Tobacco smoke contains more than 4000 toxins, including over 50 that are known to cause cancer.

Passive smoking causes illness, including fatal illness. It also worsens existing health problems.

Smoking affects many parts of the body which are listed below – in the hope that any smokers reading this will seriously consider kicking the habit!

Smoking attacks the brain. The chemicals in smoke cause the lining of the arteries in the brain to become porous which allows cholesterol, white cells and blood clots to stick to them. Clogging arteries which supply blood to the brain leaves smokers at risk of a stroke.

Passive smoking is associated with a variety of health problems in children. It increases the prevalence of lower respiratory tract illness such as pneumonia, bronchitis, bronchiolitis, coughing and wheezing. Second-hand smoke can also cause asthma in children. It also exacerbates the condition in those who are already affected. Passive smoking is also associated with cot death (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

Smoking damages the eyes because it reduces the levels of plasma antioxidant – a substance in the bloodstream which protects retinal cells.

Smoking affects the nose. Smoking irritates the delicate membranes of the respiratory tract – including those inside the nose.

Smoking affects the mouth. The use of tobacco is connected to 90 per cent of oral cancers, including lip, tongue and palate. Many of the chemicals found in tobacco smoke are carcinogenic, and therefore, when the tissues of the mouth are bathed in toxic substances, this can lead to oral cancer.

Smoking affects the skin. Every in inhalation creates thousands of wrinkle-forming free radicals which attack collagen, cell membranes and the skin’s fatty layer. It is also thought that smoking impairs blood flow and lowers levels of Vitamin A which is vital for healthy skin, growth, so producing a dull, dry complexion.

Smoking affects the throat. The toxic content of smoke damages the delicate membranes of the larynx, making the smoker prone to laryngitis and in more severe cases – cancer of the larynx.

Smoking affects the lungs. Lungs are so vulnerable to damage because the tar that forms from burning tobacco and clogging the cillia – tiny hairs that protect the lungs from dirt and infection settles in them, damaging the surfaces.

Smoking damages the stomach. Chronic cigarette smoke may increase the amount of acid secreted by the stomach causing peptic ulcers – lesions in the lining of the stomach. Smoking is also linked to Crohn’s disease – an inflammation deep in the lining of the intestine.

Smoking affects the heart. Tobacco smoke produces carbon monoxide – a highly poisonous gas which combines with haemoglobin in the blood and makes breathing difficult. This reduces the body’s ability to carry oxygen – putting the heart under strain. Smokers also have a higher risk of hardening and narrowing of the arteries which can cause a wide range of cardiovascular problems.

Smoking affects the bones. Female smokers face an increased risk of developing osteoporosis – a condition that reduces bone substance and results in fragile bones that are liable to fracture.

We have a collective responsibility in society to protect children from the harms of second hand smoke. It is vital that we de-normalise the deadly habit and try to prevent the onset of smoking in young people.

What do you think of the call to ban smoking in cars carrying children? Join the debate and leave a comment.

Out of Sight: Out of Mind

Yesterday saw a historic victory in preventing children and young people from taking up the deadly habit of smoking as Members of Parliament voted to end the display of tobacco at the point of sale AND to ban the sale of tobacco in vending machines.

With most smokers becoming addicted before their mid-20s, it is essential that we try to prevent young people from taking up smoking in the first place. Making tobacco an ‘out of sight’ product is a huge step forward in protecting young people from a lifetime of smoking and will reinforce the increasing unacceptability of smoking.

The Health Bill 2009 will enable the Assembly Government to implement these measures and - as a Member of the Wales Tobacco Control Alliance - BMA Cymru is joining calls for this to be done as soon as possible. The Bill represents a brave move against a powerful international tobacco lobby which employs multimillion pound marketing tools aimed at recruiting new young smokers.

In July 2008, the BMA produced a report, Forever Cool: The effect of smoking imagery on young people. This report examined trends in smoking prevalence and initiation and it reviewed the different forms of pro-smoking imagery and the evidence for how they can affect behaviours and attitudes among young people.

The fact that the Health Bill was amended to include a ban on tobacco vending machines without the need for a vote shows the strength of feeling in the importance cutting off the supply of cigarettes to our young people, de-normalising the deadly habit and preventing the onset of smoking.

ARM – day four – rounding off with occupational health, tobacco and alcohol debates

To kick off the last session of the BMA’s 2009 ARM conference, members looked at the topic of occupational health, something which has been a pertinent issue at BMA Cymru Wales recently. We’ve been seeking assurances that the future of the Primary Care Support Service (PCSS), which is the ONLY occupational health service for doctors in primary care, will be secured during the NHS reorganisation agenda.

Next – on to motions on the environment, calling on the BMA to do more to highlight the global health risks associated with climate change and to reduce our own carbon footprint. We then turned to the important public health issues of nutrition, exercise and obesity, an area in which Wales faces considerable challenges if we are to address them, particularly childhood obesity. Motions calling for more local recreational facilities (swimming pools, cycle routes etc) remind me that when I get back I must find out how Dr Dai Lloyd AM’s proposed Measure on playing fields is getting on.

The HPV vaccine sparked a valuable and lively debate with conference deciding that the roll-out of the vaccine should be extended to boys not just girls, and that it has been a missed opportunity to vaccinate against other diseases such as genital warts.

Also a subject with high prevalence rates in Wales: drugs and addiction. The topics covered by this set of motions call for minimum unit pricing for alcohol; clearer labelling; a ban on alcohol advertising in the media and the redirection of revenue into prevention and rehabilitation programmes. These motions passed UNANIMOUSLY.

Tobacco also generated a good discussion with motions proposed for all forms of tobacco advertising to be banned, including at the point of sale and another calling for cigarette vending machines to be restricted.

After four days of rigorous and impassioned debate, conference draws to a close and its time to return to Cardiff. The ARM has set BMA policy and determined many of the issues that we will be working on for the next twelve months.

For anyone who wants to see a full webcast and results of the motions debated this week click here.

National No Smoking Day is still needed

It’s that time of year again when smokers are urged to kick the habit. Some people may be surprised that we still have such National Days as, fortunately, many of us never come into contact with cigarettes and smoking since the introduction of the smoking ban in Wales. National No Smoking Day is still very much a necessary and worthwhile day however, with thousands of people continuing to smoke here.

Despite the fact we’ve had the ban on smoking in enclosed public places for almost two years now, thousands of people here are still dying each year from smoking-related illnesses. And it is our members, doctors that see first-hand the devastating consequences of developing such a deadly habit.

The planned legislation to ban the display of cigarettes at point of sale in Wales and England needs to happen sooner, rather than later, to try and help prevent the next generation here from starting to smoke. Children who do so face years of tobacco addiction that can lead to life-threatening diseases and premature death. So awareness-raising days will continue to serve a purpose, until we’ve convinced everyone of the dangers of smoking.

Smoking displays ban doesn’t go far enough

I do very much welcome the move by England’s Health Secretary to ban the open display of tobacco in shops across Wales and England. It should hopefully make smoking less accessible to youngsters.

Research shows that point of sale displays does encourage youngsters to take up the deadly habit.

I do however also understand that plans for an outright ban on tobacco vending machines and branding on cigarette packets have been scrapped, which is somewhat disappointing. I would have liked the Department for Health to have gone a step further, by scrapping the sale of packs of 10 cigarettes and getting completely rid of tobacco vending machines.