Tobacco control
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Multicenter Study
Indoor air quality in prisons before and after implementation of a smoking ban law.
To ascertain whether a new indoor smoking ban law in North Carolina correctional facilities was successfully implemented and whether the indoor air quality has improved as a result. ⋯ Laws banning tobacco use in correctional facilities can significantly reduce indoor SHS exposure among inmates, visitors and staff and potentially lead to reduced use. To date, 24 US states have enacted 100% smoke-free correctional facility policies for all indoor areas even though inmates and staff have much higher tobacco use prevalence rates than the general population. With an estimated nine million people incarcerated worldwide, prison smoking bans could have a substantial impact in terms of health outcomes and long-term costs if they can effectively reduce exposure to secondhand smoke.
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Multicenter Study
Exposure to nicotine and a tobacco-specific carcinogen increase with duration of use of smokeless tobacco.
Smokeless tobacco is an efficient delivery vehicle for nicotine and can contain significant amounts of carcinogens. However, few studies have examined factors that might moderate levels of nicotine or carcinogen exposure. ⋯ Smokeless tobacco users adjust their intensity of use with experience in order to increase their nicotine dose, resulting in a corresponding increase in exposure to NNK, a powerful carcinogen. These results indicate the importance of educating smokeless tobacco users about the effects of prolonged use of these products.
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Nasal use of snuff is the predominant form of tobacco use among black South African women. This study examines the association between snuff use and chronic bronchitis (CB) among black South African women. ⋯ These data suggest that snuff use, in the form predominantly used in South Africa, increases the risk of CB. This challenges the idea that snuff may be a much less harmful alternative to smoking in South Africa.