EUROPEAN NEWS BULLETIN - EU9827 13 JULY 1998 (fwd)

[Robert Weissman <rob@essential.org>]

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!#  GLOBALink Tobacco - Weekly European News Bulletin
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EUROPEAN NEWS BULLETIN - EU9827 13 JULY 1998

CONTENTS:

SPECIAL REPORT:

UK: Formula One and tobacco - the world's most dangerous sport?

EUROPE - SPECIFIC COUNTRIES

FRANCE: Rise in cancer figures.
IRELAND: Direct cancer link with smoking denied.
ITALY: Olive oil and tobacco quotas decided.
SPAIN: New law on alcohol and smoking.
SWEDEN: Tobacco tax reduction takes effect.
UK: Dylan fan's court victory over smokers.
UK: Synod in call to ban tobacco adverts.
UK: Tobacco firms win a hearing.
UK: Voluntary ID cards for teenagers.

INTERNATIONAL - SPECIFIC COUNTRIES

CANADA: The economic costs of alcohol, tobacco and illicit 
        drugs in Canada, 1992.
USA: Nicotine metabolism and intake in black and white smokers.
USA: Racial and ethnic differences in serum cotinine levels 
     of cigarette smokers.


SPECIAL REPORT:

UK: Formula One and tobacco - the world's most dangerous sport?

ASH in the UK held a joint press conference with the Liberal
Democrats party at which they called on Formula One motor 
racing's governing body, the FIA, to honour its promise to 
end its link with tobacco by 2002. At the conference, which 
took place on the eve of the British Grand Prix (09 July 1998),
ASH provided a dossier of evidence to the FIA, showing that 
tobacco advertising, especially through the sponsorship of 
motor racing, is likely to cause a rise in cigarette consumption
and to nurture teenage smoking. On 5th March 1998, Max Mosley, 
the President of the FIA, made a declaration at the Australian
Grand Prix, that the sport would end its use of tobacco 
sponsorship money by 2002 if it could be shown that tobacco 
advertising and sponsorship increased smoking. The ASH report,
entitled: Formula One and Tobacco: the World's most dangerous 
sport, adds to the growing evidence that the link is clear. 
Citing confidential tobacco industry documents released during 
litigation in the US, the report reveals a picture of the 
tobacco companies that is at great variance with their public 
position. The evidence from these documents leads to the 
following conclusions:

that the tobacco companies were driven by an obsessive need 
to recruit young smokers to satisfy their market demands which 
required vast numbers of new smoking recruits - in the UK alone 
they need 300 new smokers a day - and that for decades tobacco 
companies marketed their products to young people, including to 
children too young to purchase the products legally;

that this obsession with new, young smokers is evident in the
companies' market research on teenagers, some as young as 12-, 
13- and 14- years old and in one instance as young as five 
years old;

that studies showed that the majority of smokers start using
tobacco while in their teenage years, and that hardly anyone 
starts smoking in their twenties but that those who started at 
around the ages of 12 or 13 years old often want to quit by the
age of 16, concerned that smoking was damaging their ability to
participate in sports. Knowing this, the tobacco companies sought
to lure and addict children to cigarettes before the desire to 
stop grew strong, and sought sponsorship deals with sport to
counteract any concerns they may have about the health dangers 
of smoking; 

that tobacco companies knew that lifelong brand preferences 
are formed in the early teenage years and that increased visibility 
for their products could shape these preferences; 

that sponsorship of Formula One is the jewel in tobacco's crown -
it is the pinnacle of successful, glamour-laden global events with 
a massive potential to reach the young through both the televised 
events and the spin-off merchandise;

that sponsorship of Formula One and motor sport allows tobacco 
companies to advertise their products, so circumventing the 
increasing global restrictions on conventional advertising, and 
increase market share by encouraging new, young smokers - and 
not so as the industry claims, to encourage brand loyalty in 
adults.

Clive Bates, the Director of ASH, said: 

"We were very encouraged by Max Mosley's offer in Melbourne 
and take him at his word, but he's got to persuade the teams 
and circuits to go along with it. It gets down to a battle of 
healthy hearts and lungs versus 300 million dollars of tainted 
money."

"The documents show that teenagers are a key market for tobacco
companies and that their marketing strategies, including motorsport,
have been targeted at the young. You have to conclude that Formula
One, through its association with tobacco, ultimately leads to 
unnecessary addiction, illness and premature death."

"It is ironic that the FIA with its focus on driving safety, 
should be posing such a serious threat to health through tobacco
advertising in Formula One. The people that run the sports should 
think carefully about what Formula One actually stands for." 

The report is available from ASH, 16 Fitzhardinge Street, London
W1H 9PL, Price L5 including postage and packaging.

Source: Action on Smoking and Health 09/7/98; ASH press release
09/7/98; Marketing 09/7/98 


EUROPE - SPECIFIC COUNTRIES

FRANCE: Rise in cancer figures.

A rise has been reported in the incidence of cancer in France.
Between 1975 and 1995 the figure rose from 92,000 to 135,000 in
males, and from 78,800 to 105,000 for females. The rise is 
attributed to improved diagnostic techniques, general ageing of
the population, smoking and a fatty diet. 

Source: Impact MZdecin (XMZ) 12 Jun 1998 p.19 
Language: FRENCH No. 06649208
Source: Information Access Company 10/7/98


IRELAND: Direct cancer link with smoking denied.

The tobacco industry continued its public disinformation campaign 
in Ireland this month (July) with its public denial that smoking 
causes cancer, despite the overwhelming evidence from its own 
internal documents confirming such a link as long ago as the 
1950s. The latest statement was made by Ian Birks, head of 
corporate affairs of Gallaher Group (UK), to the Irish Government's 
Joint Committee on Health and Children. In language which it 
could be argued was not meant to convey clarity, Mr Birks said 
that the company accepted the evidence of studies indicating 
that smoking was a "risk factor" in illnesses like lung cancer, 
and that smokers were statistically more likely to contract 
them. He added: "But that is not the same thing as saying that 
smoking causes lung cancer." Asked repeatedly by committee 
members if he believed that smoking was addictive, he said he 
did not. Mr Birks kept to the now familiar tobacco industry 
stance that the term addiction could be used to describe people's
craving for sweets or for browsing the Internet. He said: "But 
we reject the suggestion that smoking is addictive. People can
choose to smoke and they can choose to give up smoking, as 
millions do." (Internal tobacco industry documents show that 
the industry has known since the 1960s that the crucial selling
point of its tobacco products is the chemical dependence of its 
customers. Without nicotine addiction there would be no tobacco
industry.) When asked by Deputy John Gormley if he accepted that
 the Gallaher Group were "drug-pushers, albeit legal ones," Mr 
Birks said this was "emotive language". Respiratory physician 
Dr Luke Clancy told the committee that tobacco was addictive in
the medical sense and those who try to give it up experience 
withdrawal symptoms. Commenting on Mr Birk's claim that smoking 
was not a direct cause of lung cancer, Dr Clancy said that he 
sees thousands of patients with the disease every year and 
"almost none are non-smokers". Committee Chairman Batt O'Keeffe 
noted that a lot of questions had been left unanswered. He said 
that smoking as a health issue highlighted the need for the 
introduction of legislation which would allow the committee 
to compel witnesses and send for documents.  ASH understands
that the three main tobacco companies in Ireland were invited
to appear before the Joint Committee, but only Gallaher chose 
to do so.

Source: Irish Independent 10/7/98; Irish Times 10/7/98; 
Examiner 10/7/98 


ITALY: Olive oil and tobacco quotas decided.

European Agriculture Ministers have decided the quotas for olive
oil and tobacco. On the tobacco side, Italy (which is the main 
European tobacco producer with a 40% market share) will maintain 
its 132,800 tonnes quota and L 700bn in tobacco subsidies. 

Source: Il Sole 24 Ore (ISO)  27 Jun 1998 p.13 
Language: ITALIAN No. 06650556
Source: Information Access Company 10/7/98


SPAIN: New law on alcohol and smoking.

The regional government of the Basque Country, Spain, has 
approved a new law on drug-addiction. From now on, tobacco 
and alcohol advertising will be banned in public places such 
as the streets, public transport, cinemas, sports centres, 
and places frequented by young people. Advertising connecting 
the consumption of these substances with young people, dangerous
behaviour, and social success are also forbidden. 

Source: El Correo Espanol (YWL) 26 Jun 1998 p.65 
Language: SPANISH No. 06648840
Source: Information Access Company 10/7/98


SWEDEN: Tobacco tax reduction takes effect.

In Sweden, a 14% tax reduction on cigarettes will take effect 
as from 1st August. Snuff is not covered by this reduction. The 
tax reduction is meant to halt the rise in cigarette smuggling 
into Sweden. 

Source: Dagens Nyheter (DI) 01 Jul 1998 p.08
Language: SWEDISH No. 06650265

Comment: Unfortunately, the decrease could also result in an 
increase in cigarette consumption and with that an increase in 
the incidence of smoking related diseases.

Source: Information Access Company 10/7/98


UK: Dylan fan's court victory over smokers.

Asthma sufferer Lynne Newton has won a court case in which 
she claimed the Bournemouth International Centre did not uphold 
their stated commitment to no smoking. Mrs Newton who purchased 
tickets for a Bob Dylan concert after being told it would be 
smoke free had to leave after one song as people started smoking.
Mrs Newton was awarded compensation and costs. ASH described 
the victory as "a significant legal breakthrough which will 
have clear implications for every public arena in Britain which
has a no-smoking policy". Spokeswoman Amanda Sandford added: 
"This puts the onus on owners of public places to make sure no
smoking policies are enforced."

Source: The Express 13/7/98; Daily Mail 13/7/98; Daily 
Telegraph 13/7/98


UK: Synod in call to ban tobacco adverts.

The Church of England has entered into the smoking debate, calling 
on the Government to ban all tobacco advertising, sponsorship and
promotion. Members of the General Synod overwhelmingly backed a 
private members' motion "deploring the continued advertising of 
cigarettes in Britain and the aggressive marketing of tobacco in
the Third World despite overwhelming evidence that smoking kills."
The motion was carried by 375 to 5, with only one member speaking 
against it. Synod members urged the Government to implement the 
European Union Directive on tobacco advertising and sponsorship 
by 31 December 1999. Synod members went further in calling for
all point of sales advertising and the use of tobacco brand 
names on non-tobacco products to also be banned. The Reverend 
Christopher Hall, who tabled the motion, singled out advertising 
tobacco at sports events. He said: "The peer pressure is 
deliberately created by commercial interests: advertising creates
a climate in which smoking is seen as acceptable, as macho, as 
progressive, as modern. Hence the choice of sport as a prime
vehicle for that advertising." 

Source: The Independent 08/7/98; Daily Telegraph 08/7/98; 
The Times 08/7/98 


UK: Tobacco firms win a hearing.

A judge, Mr Justice Moses, has granted the tobacco industry 
leave for a judicial review of a report by the Scientific 
Committee on Tobacco and Health (SCOTH) while rejecting three 
of the four tobacco industry grounds for appeal. The report by 
SCOTH, the Government's main advisory body on smoking, reviewed
the evidence on passive and current smoking and included 
recommendations for bans on tobacco advertising and smoking in 
public places. Tobacco companies, BAT, Gallaher, Imperial and
Rothmans are seeking an injunction banning the Government from 
taking the report into account in formulating a white paper on 
smoking. Mr Justice Moses said it was arguable that the report,
published last March, contained passages which might do 
"commercial damage" to the tobacco companies. He said that it
was also arguable that they should have been consulted and 
given the chance to comment before it was published. Clive 
Bates, the Director of ASH, said: "Leave for a judicial review
has been granted solely on the grounds of a statement in SCOTH
that the tobacco industry needs to recruit more than 300 new 
smokers a day to replace those who die from smoking related 
diseases. It's typical that the tobacco industry should continue 
to deny the obvious." A spokesperson for the Department of 
Health confirmed that all but one of the industry's complaints 
had been rejected by the judge. Leave to seek judicial review 
was granted "on the narrow point" that SCOTH should have 
consulted the industry before including the opinions of a 
marketing person on the industry's marketing and promotions 
strategy. A spokeswoman for SCOTH said, "It should be noted 
that the decision to grant leave does not impugn the accuracy 
of the committee's conclusions, it merely reflects the fact
that, on one particular aspect, its procedure may have been 
open to criticism." Mr Bates added that there was hardly any 
chance that the tobacco companies would succeed. He expressed 
incredulity at the industry's self-importance and its unwillingness 
to accept what are universally agreed to be core facts surrounding 
tobacco and health. He noted that the: "Tobacco industry continues
to deny the most basic facts about smoking, yet it wants full 
access to the scientists that are doing their level best to 
give an authoritative assessment of the evidence on smoking 
and health".

Source: The Guardian 07/7/98; The Independent 07/7/98; The 
Times 07/7/98; Financial Times 07/7/98; Daily Mail 07/7/98; 
ASH press release 06/7/98 


UK: Voluntary ID cards for teenagers.

The Government is giving its support to a national identity 
card scheme aimed at reducing underage access to tobacco, 
alcohol, scratch cards, videos and solvents. The Citizen Card,
which has the support of a coalition of retail and industry 
groups, including the Tobacco Manufacturers Association and 
the National Federation of Retail Newsagents, will be available 
to all those aged 12 and over. Although the card will not be 
compulsory, it is thought that the scheme will provide some 
protection to retailers who will be able to demand a universally
recognised form of ID if they are in doubt about the age of 
the customer. Some of the scheme's backers believe it could
develop into an identity card for all young people. Consumer
Affairs Minister, Nigel Griffiths, said about the scheme: "I 
strongly support this initiative... I am keen on anything that
helps the retailer to know the age of young people they are 
dealing with". Business and industry are being asked to contribute 
approximately L330,000 to fund start-up costs for a company 
which would be self-supporting but non-profit making. The
identification cards could cost L5 each.

Comment: Such voluntary 'prove your age' identity schemes 
could be useful, but in order to be truly effective they should 
be part of a comprehensive tobacco control strategy.

Source: Independent on Sunday 05/7/98; Daily Mail 06/7/98


INTERNATIONAL - SPECIFIC COUNTRIES

CANADA: The economic costs of alcohol, tobacco and illicit 
drugs in Canada, 1992.

The economic costs of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs to 
Canadian society in 1992 were estimated utilising a cost-of-
illness framework and recently developed international guidelines.
For causes of disease or death (using ICD-9 categories), pooled 
relative risk estimates from meta-analyses were combined with 
prevalence data by age, gender and province to derive the 
proportion attributable to alcohol, tobacco and/or illicit 
drugs. The resulting estimates of attributable deaths and
 hospitalisations were used to calculate associated health 
care, law enforcement, productivity and other costs. The 
results were compared with other studies, and sensitivity
analyses conducted on alternative measures of alcohol consumption,
alternative discount rates for productivity costs and the 
use of diagnostic-specific hospitalisation costs. The results 
revealed that the misuse of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs
cost more than $18.4 billion in Canada in 1992, representing 
$649 per capita or 2.7% of GDP. Alcohol accounted for 
approximately $7.52 billion in costs, including $4.14 billion
for lost productivity, $1.36 billion for law enforcement and 
$1.30 billion in direct health care costs. Tobacco accounted 
for approximately $9.56 billion in costs, including $6.82 
billion for lost productivity and $2.68 billion for direct 
health care costs. The economic costs of illicit drugs were 
estimated at $1.4 billion. The study concluded that substance 
abuse exacted a considerable toll to Canadian society in terms 
of illness, injury,death and economic costs. (Author abstract.)

Source: Addiction 1998; 93(7): 991-1006


USA: Nicotine metabolism and intake in black and white smokers.

Racial differences in tobacco-related diseases are not fully
explained by cigarette-smoking behaviour. Despite smoking 
fewer cigarettes per day, black people have higher levels of 
serum cotinine, the proximate metabolite of nicotine. A study
based in the US compared the rates of metabolism and the daily
intake of nicotine in black smokers and white smokers. Participants
received simultaneous infusions of deuterium-labelled nicotine 
and cotinine. Urine was collected for determination of total 
clearance of nicotine and cotinine, fractional conversion of 
nicotine to cotinine, and cotinine elimination rate. Using 
cotinine levels during ad libitum smoking (smoking for pleasure)
 and clearance data, the daily intake of nicotine from smoking
was estimated. The study took place in the metabolic ward of a
university-affiliated public hospital. A total of 40 black 
smokers and 39 white smokers, who smoked on average 14 and 14.7 
cigarettes per day, respectively, took part in the study. 
Subjects were of similar age (mean, 32.5 and 32.3 years,
respectively) and body weight (mean, 73.3 and 68.8 kg,respectively). 
Data was collected on clearance (renal and nonrenal), half-life,
and volume of distribution of nicotine and cotinine and the
calculated daily intake of nicotine. The results revealed that 
the total and nonrenal clearances of nicotine were not 
significantly different, respectively, in black smokers (17.7 
and 17.2 mL. min-1 .kg-1) compared with white smokers (19.6 and
18.9 mL. min-1. kg-1). However, the total and nonrenal clearances
of cotinine were significantly lower, respectively, in black 
smokers (0.56 and 0.47 mL. min-1 .kg-1) than in white smokers 
(0.68 vs 0.61 mL. min-1. kg-1). The nicotine intake per cigarette
was 30% greater in black smokers compared with white smokers 
(1.41 vs 1.09 mg per cigarette, respectively). Volume of 
distribution did not differ for the two groups, but cotinine 
half-life was higher in black smokers than in white smokers 
(1064 vs 950 minutes, respectively). The study concluded that
higher levels of cotinine per cigarette smoked by black smokers 
compared with white smokers could be explained by both slower 
clearance of cotinine and higher intake of nicotine per cigarette 
in black smokers. Greater nicotine and therefore greater tobacco
smoke intake per cigarette could, in part, explain some of the 
ethnic differences in smoking-related disease risks. (Truncated 
author abstract.)

Source: JAMA 1998; 280(2): 152-156 JAMA 1998; 280(2): 179-180 
(editorial comment.) 


USA: Racial and ethnic differences in serum cotinine levels of
cigarette smokers.

Cotinine, a metabolite of nicotine, is a marker of exposure to
tobacco smoke. Previous studies suggest that non-Hispanic blacks
have higher levels of serum cotinine than non-Hispanic whites 
who report similar levels of cigarette smoking. A study investigated 
the differences in levels of serum cotinine in black, white, and 
Mexican American cigarette smokers in the US adult population. 
Data on serum cotinine levels were obtained from a representative
sample of adult smokers and non-smokers of the Third National
Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1991. Participants 
were aged 17 years or older. Statistics were collected on serum 
cotinine levels by reported number of cigarettes smoked per day 
and by race and ethnicity. A total of 7,182 subjects were involved
in the study; 2,136 subjects reported smoking at least 1 cigarette
in the last 5 days. The results revealed that black smokers had 
cotinine concentrations substantially higher at all levels of 
cigarette smoking than did white or Mexican American smokers. 
Serum cotinine levels for blacks were 125 nmol/L (22 ng/mL) to 
539 nmol/L (95 ng/mL) higher than for whites and 136 nmol/L (24 
ng/mL) to 641 nmol/L (113 ng/mL) higher than for Mexican Americans. 
These differences did not appear to be attributable to differences 
in environmental tobacco smoke exposure or in number of cigarettes 
smoked. The results of the study have provided what is probably 
the first evidence from a national study that serum cotinine 
levels are higher among black smokers than among white or Mexican 
American smokers. If higher cotinine levels among blacks indicate 
higher nicotine intake or differential 

pharmacokinetics and possibly serve as a marker of higher 
exposure to cigarette carcinogenic components, they may help 
explain why black people find it hard to quit and are more likely
to experience higher rates of lung cancer than white smokers.  
(Truncated author abstract.)

Source: JAMA 1998; 280(2): 135-139 JAMA 1998; 280(2): 179-180 
(editorial comment.)



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