No Proof Electronic Cigarettes Combat Addiction

Selvaggia Gurrieri bought her electronic cigarette nearly two months ago and says it has helped her cut down on cigarettes. "I use it in places where I cannot smoke like in restaurants and at the movies and it has helped me cut down on the amount of cigarettes I smoke." However she now "smokes" in bed too, her non-smoking partner, added.
Another Roman, Marco Guerrieri, bought his first electronic cigarette three months ago and says he has already recouped the $100 approximate cost he spent on it as he has gone from smoking about 20 cigarettes to only five a day. "I don't know if it has really become a fashion yet but people know what it is now. I use it at the movies, at restaurants, in the airports and on planes...and nobody has once stopped me mistaking the vapor for smoke."
'I gave my girlfriend's father one for Christmas but he tried it for a day and gave it up. It was too complicated for him and too hard for him to switch now from the traditional cigarette."
Ray Story, CEO of The Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association, said there was no proof e-cigarettes had ever harmed anyone and that attacks on e-cigarettes were more about protecting revenues than public health, according to ABCNews.com.
"In Italy, tobacco is sold through government stores. That old Mafioso-type environment protects its own," he said.
Story said e-cigarettes don't claim to help people quit smoking.
"Yes, nicotine is addictive, like caffeine and sugar. We're not in the non-addictive business. We cater to someone who is already a smoker. Starbucks sells coffee; Coca-Cola sells cola. Both have caffeine. But e-cigarettes deliver nicotine in the cleanest way," he said.
Regarding the Health Ministry's recommendation that electric cigarettes not be given to young people, Story said: "Not giving them to young people is common sense. … We have age verification on our products."
He scoffed at the concern that the use of this gadget could lead young people to graduate from these devices to smoking real cigarettes. "Yeah, and virgin daiquiris make people alcoholics. It's absolutely inaccurate; there's no proof," Story said.

Plain packaging for cigarettes: at best, ineffective; at worst, harmful

In anticipation of new federal regulations that will increase the space reserved for health warnings on cigarette packages from 50 to 75%, the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) today unveils a second Economic Note on the growing tendency of governments to regulate advertising. In practice, increasing the space reserved for warnings may be seen as a form of plain packaging, and this is all the more true when a sticker is added (on the section left for the brand) to show that duty has been paid.

In Canada, health warnings on packages of cigarettes went from taking up 20% of the front and back of each package in 1989 to 50% in 2001. Over the same period, warnings in the United States took up only around 5% of each package, leaving ample room for advertising the product brand. However, there has been no observable difference in the reductions in smoking rates in the two countries, including for young smokers, despite the fact that packaging and marketing restrictions are harsher in Canada.

It should be noted that this MEI publication does take into account research that supports plain packaging. However, it also points out that according to several studies, that research has important methodological shortcomings and does not follow recognized statistical analysis techniques.

In addition to not providing the hoped-for beneficial results, plain packaging, which consists in removing all distinctive signs (logo, colour, etc.) associated with the product, could even ultimately lead to an increase in the number of smokers. This counter-intuitive result is explained by the fact that consumers are prepared to pay more for a product with a well-known name that is a synonym for quality. As a result, if plain packaging makes it harder to distinguish one cigarette package brand from another, a price war would inevitably follow, since this would be the only means of differentiation left to cigarette manufacturers. Therefore, backed up by studies, the MEI publication shows that this price drop would likely entail an increase in tobacco consumption.

For the purposes of this publication, the MEI estimated the increase in the number of smokers to be expected for the Canadian market using the most conservative hypotheses from the studies consulted. The result is an anticipated rise of nearly 3% in the number of smokers, the equivalent of 135,000 new smokers in Canada.

"If all cigarettes are sold in indistinguishable packages, why pay more for a particular brand? And in a price war, it's usually contraband products that end up having the last word," explains MEI president Michel Kelly-Gagnon.

"For reasons explained in detail in our publication, the measures the federal government is preparing to adopt will be very effective if the goal is to do as much harm as possible to legally established Davidoff cigarette manufacturers, but it will prove to be much less so if we suppose that the goal is rather to reduce the number of smokers. At the very least, the government should make a commitment right now to carry out an objective assessment of these new regulations three years after they come into force in order to see if they were effective and if unintended consequences have materialized," adds Mr. Kelly-Gagnon.

Training is smoking hot for firefighters

Last week, fire departments from around north Okaloosa County gave a helping hand for the fourth annual Northwest Florida Volunteer Firefighter Weekend.
The event at Northwest Florida State College ran Sept. 18 – 20 and provided volunteer firefighters from across the state with free training and class instruction.
Without the help of many of the local departments, this event, which boasted 205 participants, would not have been nearly as successful as it was, organizers said.
The first day of the event began with a demonstration of vehicle extrication. Crews from Almarante and Dorcas provided water, lighting and equipment support, as firefighters cut away at the four vehicles set out.
With the help of some nationally known companies, both newcomers and veterans, fire personnel were able to play with some new tools of the trade, and learn or refresh their skills.
The second morning dawned with the burn tower. Crews from Crestview, North Okaloosa, Laurel Hill and Holt fire departments provided apparatus, equipment, water and medical support, as new recruits experienced their first structure fire.
Without this training firefighters cannot enter a structure and the drill is a critical component of their training.
For those who had already achieved the certification, this was a controlled practice environment not occurring during actual firefighting. Inside of the burn tower, temperatures were controlled at around 800 degrees. At times, the fire spiked up to 1000 degrees, allowing the firefighters to safely experience the grueling heat they will encounter during future fires.
During the exercise, the crew, consisting of an instructor and six firefighters, would enter the structure and extinguish the fire, which was composed of wooden pallets and hay to simulate furniture.
While working the blaze, firefighters are taught about fire and thermal currents with the use of a thermal imaging camera.
In addition to continued training in the burn tower, the afternoon events included several other training sessions, including but not limited to, department vehicle and apparatus operations, search and rescue techniques, pump operations and a foam-based fire attack.
The first fire consisted of wooden pallets and hay, your typical brush fire. The attack truck was used to spray foam out of a small nozzle, extinguishing the fire within 30 seconds.
The second fire was much more intense; an alcohol fire. This alcohol wasn't your typical store brand, but rather 100 percent pure alcohol.
A “pool” of alcohol was lit with a large “whoof” sound. Alcohol burns with very light and hazy white smoke at around 800 degrees and the base of the fire is invisible, making this fire very dangerous.
Water was first applied with no success; the water evaporated before it even reached the fire due to the intense heat.
Next the attack truck was used and foam sprayed out with force, but the wind currents caused by the spraying foam just spread the fire and made it more intense. The final attempt was with a small hand-held device reminiscent of a super-sized gas can.
At the back of this “gas can,” a small water supply hose was connected. The front had a 15-foot rubber hose with a large funnel-type nozzle like that found on an industrial-size fire extinguisher.
The final fire was a dangerous mix of alcohol and gasoline. The smoke was dark black and the fire intense.
On this fire, only the portable foam device was used. Despite the fire burning hot and strong, the firefighters were able to cover and extinguish the fire within 15 seconds.
By the end of the third day, all of the firefighters, from new recruits and volunteers to well-seasoned veterans, were displaying their newly acquired skills and techniques.

The Many Problems Associated With Smoking Cigarettes

What cigarettes can do and how bad the damages can become is very well known these days. All cigarettes have chemicals and toxins in them which are very bad for your health and sometimes even those around you. There are over 4,000 chemicals in every cigarette and you are putting them in your body every time you smoke one. Cigarettes are very addictive and they are hard to quit for a lot of people, some worse than others. It can cause problems with your body like the way it functions and eventually even the way you live because it can change the things you are able to do the longer you smoke.

Smoking can hurt you in many ways, like from cancer, damaged organs, and much more. Your body become weaker by the day and over time you will see it. Your will feel the damages start to take their toll and you can become very sick. You can have breathing trouble and it can get so bad that you could end up having to stay on oxygen just to survive. It can ruin your lungs by turning them black and it can make it hard and eventually impossible for them to work. Having to carry around an oxygen tank with you everywhere you go will not be a very pleasant way to spend your retirement years, if you even make it that long.

Smoking can make it hard to do many things if the lungs are damaged because an inadequate amount of oxygen is getting into your blood stream. It can cause your body to age making your feel not as strong and make you look older than your real age. It can cause wrinkles, dark lines under the eyes, and bags as well. Your teeth will start to turn unappealing colors because the cigarettes will stain them and can damage the gum. Even the skin on your fingers can turn yellow from tobacco smoke stain.

It can affect your mind by damaging your brain and the cells. It could cause you to not think clearly. This is not good for you, you do not want this to happen at all. You need to stop smoking before too much damages is done to your body and your mind. It may not do anything to you for a few years, but it will happen sooner or later. For a woman who is pregnant and smokes, it can cause problems for the child she is carrying, low birth weight is very common among other things.