The ‘filter fraud’ persists: the tobacco industry is still using filters to suggest lower health risks while destroying the environment

BackgroundBeginning in the 1960s in the USA and globally since 1998, tobacco companies have beenaggressively promoting heated tobacco products (HTP). In 2016, Philip Morris International (PMI) applied to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking authorisation to market their IQOS HTP system and flavoured ‘HeatSticks’ in the USA as a modified-risk tobacco product (MRTP).MethodsWe systematically evaluated the publicly available data PMI submitted to FDA in its MRTP application to determine whether PMI’s IQOS product meets the US Tobacco Control Act’s standard for MRTP claims. We examined whether PMI provided sufficient data showing tobacco users will not initiate with IQOS, that youth will not misperceive the MRTP-related claims being made concerning IQOS, and how youth perceive health risks associated with IQOS.ResultsPMI’s own studies failed to provide evidence that youth, including non-users and former users, will not find IQOS appealing, will not initiate use of IQOS and will not perceive these products as risk-free. Further, PMI did not refer to independent studies conducted among adolescents which could influence their conclusions. Finally, their studies suffered from design and implementation flaws and cannot be relied on to support the proffered claims.ConclusionPMI’s own data and available evidence from scientific studies conducted independent of the tobacco industry regarding how novel tobacco products are currently being marketed suggest that introduction of IQOS will result in adolescent and young adult non-users initiating tobacco use with IQOS and could also increase poly-use of IQOS along with other tobacco products.

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Using Targeted Interventions to Lower Health Risks in a Multi-site Wellness Program

10.2118/86780-ms ◽

2004 ◽

Author(s):

M.R. Poindexter

Keyword(s):

Health Risks ◽

Wellness Program ◽

Targeted Interventions ◽

Lower Health

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Nasal snuff: historical review and health related aspects

The Journal of Laryngology & Otology ◽

10.1258/002221503322334486 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 117 (9) ◽

pp. 686-691 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Nikolay Sapundzhiev ◽

Jochen Alfred Werner

Keyword(s):

Cardiovascular Diseases ◽

Cigarette Smoking ◽

Health Risks ◽

Smokeless Tobacco ◽

Tobacco Industry ◽

Historical Review ◽

Modern World ◽

Functional Changes ◽

Health Related ◽

Firm Evidence

With cigarette smoking declining in the modern world, the tobacco industry has to look for other products that can keep the old customers and attract new ones. Different forms of smokeless tobacco are currently massively promoted and are gaining in importance. Dry nasal snuff – the oldest known form of tobacco in Europe – is one of them. The health risks associated with it are different to those attributed to smoking and oral wet snuff. The nicotine contained leads to dependency. Its resorption rate is similar to that of smoking, so it could be seen as an adequate substitutional therapy. The risk for cardiovascular diseases is lower, compared to that for smokers. Chronic abuse leads to morphological and functional changes in the nasal mucosa. Although it contains substances that are potentially carcinogenic, at present, there is no firm evidence, relating the use of nasal snuff to a higher incidence of head and neck or other malignancies.

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Leidt flexibilisering van werktijden en -plaats tot gezondheidsrisico’s?

Tijdschrift voor Arbeidsvraagstukken ◽

10.5117/2013.029.002.204 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Maroesjka Versantvoort ◽

Karolus Kraan

Keyword(s):

Panel Data ◽

Sick Leave ◽

Working Conditions ◽

Health Risks ◽

National Survey ◽

Working Hours ◽

Data Analyses ◽

Remote Workers ◽

Lower Health ◽

Independent Work

Health risks of flexibility of working hours and working place Health risks of flexibility of working hours and working place Recent studies have shown that employees with fixed-term and on-call contracts have higher health risks than employees with indefinite term contracts. This article focuses on another type of flexible labour: home- and telework. It aims to find out whether or not flexibility of working hours and working place interferes with higher health risks as well. Based on panel data analyses of data of the National Survey of Working Conditions the article concludes that place and time independent work leads to lower health risks instead. The sick leave figures of teleworkers appear 0,4 to 0,5 percent point lower than that of similar employees who do not telework. Home- and teleworkers experience more autonomy in their work. Furthermore, they have better relationships with their colleagues and managers. Remote workers encounter, however, more difficulties combining work and care than non-remote workers. They feel they neglect their family or their employer more often.

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Product Liability: Florida Jury Finds that Cigarettes Caused Smoker's Disease

The Journal of Law Medicine & Ethics ◽

10.1111/j.1748-720x.2000.tb00017.x ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 28 (2) ◽

pp. 197-197

Author(s):

Matthew Morton

Keyword(s):

Health Risks ◽

Tobacco Industry ◽

Product Liability ◽

Class Action ◽

Punitive Damage ◽

Punitive Damages ◽

The Public ◽

Former Smokers ◽

Compensatory Damages ◽

First Time

On April 7,2000 a Florida jury ordered the tobacco industry to pay $12.7 million in compensatory damages to three former smokers who were chosen to represent hundreds of thousands of Florida residents in an unprecedented class action lawsuit. The decision not only marks the first time that a jury has found on behalf of smokers in a class action lawsuit, it also sets the stage for a huge punitive damage award against the industry. The awards followed a finding by the same jury last July that the cigarette manufacturers have “acted with reckless disregard” and “engaged in extreme and outrageous conduct” while conspiring to mislead the public about the health risks of smoking. These previous findings make it likely that there will be punitive damages levied against the tobacco companies when the jury reconvenes in May.

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Adapting the reverse pyramid airplane boarding method for social distancing in times of COVID-19

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0242131 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (11) ◽

pp. e0242131 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

R. John Milne ◽

Liviu-Adrian Cotfas ◽

Camelia Delcea ◽

Liliana Crăciun ◽

Anca-Gabriela Molănescu

Keyword(s):

Health Risks ◽

Social Distance ◽

Recent Literature ◽

Infection Risk ◽

Agent Based ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Agent Based Modelling ◽

Airport Terminal ◽

Lower Health ◽

Reduce Health Risk

Social distancing resulting from the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) has disrupted the airplane boarding process. Social distancing norms reduce airplane capacity by keeping the middle seats unoccupied, while an imposed aisle social distance between boarding passengers slows the boarding. Recent literature suggests the Reverse Pyramid boarding method is a promising way to reduce health risk and keep boarding times low when 10 apron buses (essentially 10 boarding groups) are used to transport passengers from the airport terminal to a two-door airplane. We adapt the Reverse Pyramid method for social distancing when an airplane is boarded using a jet bridge that connects the terminal the airplane’s front door. We vary the number of boarding groups from two to six and use stochastic simulation and agent-based modelling to show the resulting impact on four performance evaluation metrics. Increasing the number of boarding groups from two to six reduces boarding time only up to four groups but continues to reduce infection risk up to six groups. If the passengers carry fewer luggage aboard the airplane, health risks (as well as boarding times) decrease. One adaptation of the Reverse Pyramid (RP) method (RP-Spread) provides slightly faster boarding times than the other (RP-Steep), when luggage volumes are high, while RP-Steep results in less risk to window seat passengers from later-boarding passengers walking by their row. Increasing the minimum aisle social distance from 1 m to 2 m increases boarding times but results in lower health risks to passengers walking down the aisle and to the previously seated passengers they pass.

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Effects of advertising features on smokers’ and non-smokers’ perceptions of a reduced nicotine cigarette modified risk tobacco product

Tobacco Control ◽

10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2020-056441 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. tobaccocontrol-2020-056441

Author(s):

Melissa Mercincavage ◽

Lauren R Pacek ◽

James Thrasher ◽

Joseph N Cappella ◽

Cristine Delnevo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Risk ◽

Factorial Design ◽

Health Risks ◽

Perceived Health ◽

Tobacco Product ◽

Adult Participants ◽

Addiction Risk ◽

Lower Health ◽

The Impact ◽

Product Perception

IntroductionResearch is needed to determine the impact of marketing on perceptions and use of reduced nicotine content (RNC) cigarettes, particularly as US regulators have permitted the sale of an RNC cigarette modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) that seeks further authorisation to advertise using modified risk claims. This study examined the effects of two advertising elements (product name and disclaimer content) on perceptions of an RNC cigarette MRTP.MethodsAdult participants (n=807, 28.7% smokers, 58.2% male, 74.2% non-Latinx white) completed an online MTurk survey. Participants were randomised to view one of six RNC cigarette advertisements, using a 2×3 between-subject factorial design to manipulate product name (‘Moonlight’ vs ‘Moonrise’) and disclaimer content (industry-proposed: ‘Nicotine is addictive. Less nicotine does NOT mean a safer cigarette’ vs focused: ‘Less nicotine does NOT mean a safer cigarette’ vs no content), then completed recall and product perception questionnaires.ResultsAll participants who viewed the industry-proposed disclaimer (vs no content) perceived greater addiction risk (p’s<0.05). Non-smokers who viewed this disclaimer also perceived greater health risks and held fewer false beliefs (p’s<0.05). Smokers who viewed Moonlight (vs Moonrise) ads perceived lower health risks (p<0.05).ConclusionsDisclaimer content may effectively inform consumers about addiction risk of a new RNC cigarette MRTP, and further inform non-smokers about health risks. This element, however, had little effect on perceived health risks among smokers, among whom the Moonlight product name was associated with health risk misperceptions similar to the banned ‘light’ descriptor.

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