THERE must be something in the acronym ETS that makes leading climate change sceptic Nick Minchin see red. In the mid 1990s, the letters ETS stood for environmental tobacco smoke or passive smoking, as evidence around the world increasingly linked side-stream smoke to lung cancers in non-smokers and respiratory illnesses in children. Medical scientists and health professionals lobbied for tougher anti-smoking laws. They came to Canberra armed w ... Jump to full article >>

Legislation proposed to prohibit the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors and include e-cigarettes in the state’s Smoke Free Air Act, which prohibits smoking in indoor public places and workplaces, was unanimously approved Monday by an Assembly panel. Assemblywoman Connie Wagner (D-Bergen), a co-sponsor, said she’s concerned e-cigarettes are being marketed to children because they offer flavors like chocolate, banana and strawber ... Jump to full article >>

Researchers in the US found that exposure to tobacco in the womb and to lead during childhood was linked to a particularly high risk for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children, suggesting that while we tend to focus on treatment for ADHD, eliminating such exposures might prevent the condition in many hundreds of thousands of children. The study was the work of senior author Dr Robert Kahn, a physician and researcher at Cinci ... Jump to full article >>

Children exposed prenatally to tobacco smoke and during childhood to lead face a particularly high risk for ADHD, according to research done at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. The study estimates that up to 35 percent of ADHD cases in children between the ages of 8 and 15 could be reduced by eliminating both of these environmental exposures. This could translate into up to 800,000 children “Tobacco and lead exposure ea ... Jump to full article >>

Almost half of Victoria’s cigarette smokers still light up around children, despite an increase over the last decade in the number of homes that enforce a no-smoking policy. New research released today by the Cancer Council Victoria found significant improvement in the efforts of parents to keep tobacco smoke away from their kids. In 1998 just over half of surveyed households had home smoking bans, but in the latest survey just under three ... Jump to full article >>

Canada has banned the manufacture, importation and sale of most flavored cigarettes and small cigars, which have been slammed as little more than an enticement to get children to start smoking. The law, which came into effect on Thursday, was backed by both government and opposition lawmakers. It also bans tobacco advertising in newspapers and magazines, closing a loophole that had allowed ads in publications that claimed they were read only by ... Jump to full article >>

A new study finds that smokers in rural Indonesia finance their habit by dipping into the family food budget—which ultimately results in poorer nutrition for their children. The findings suggest that the costs of smoking in the developing world go well beyond the immediate health risks, according to authors Steven Block and Patrick Webb of Tufts University. The study is published in the October issue of Economic Development and Cultural Change ... Jump to full article >>

MedWire News: Children born to women exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) during pregnancy face an increased risk for asthma symptoms in early life, researchers warn. “Smoking during pregnancy has been shown to be a considerable risk factor for changes in growth and maturation of the fetal lungs and the later development of wheeze and asthma,” explain Paraskevi Xepapadaki (University of Athens, Greece) and team in the journal Pediatr ... Jump to full article >>

With asthma rates on the rise, are there any steps parents can take to prevent it from developing in their children? Judith Palfrey: The worldwide increase in asthma is thought to be due to many factors, including air pollution, climate change, environmental allergens, respiratory infections, and stress. By keeping the home environment free of triggers such as dust, mites, animal dander, and cockroaches, parents can minimize the chance that c ... Jump to full article >>

By PETRA SILFVERSKIOLD NEW research has showed the ban on smoking in public places is still as popular as it was on the two-year anniversary of being introduced. All public places and workplaces became smoke free, including shops, offices, factories, pubs, cafes, restaurants, membership clubs and work vehicles. And in the 2009 national YouGov survey of 13,000 people, broken down by region, found that 80 percent of people in the north east say t ... Jump to full article >>