Last week saw the 50th anniversary of the publication of the report of the US surgeon general which officially, and for the first time, highlighted the serious health consequences of smoking.
Commenting on the significance of Dr Luther Terry’s 1964 report, the chairman of Ash Ireland, Dr Ross Morgan, said: “This ground-
breaking report not only provided new and irrefutable medical evidence of the harm caused by smoking, but also commenced an informed public debate on smoking . . .
“In 1958, only 44 per cent of Americans believed that smoking caused cancer, while in 1968, four years after the report was published, 78 per cent believed that smoking was a cause of cancer.”
Smoking ban
There has been much water under the bridge since then. Ireland played a leading role in the worldwide implementation of the smoking ban in public places.
And the battle with the tobacco industry continues as it fights a rear-guard action against the introduction of standardised packaging across all cigarette brands.
But the tobacco industry is also looking ahead. It is investing heavily in what it sees as the future of smoking: electronic cigarettes.
E-cigarettes do not contain tobacco. Instead they contain a cartridge filled with nicotine that has been dissolved in water.
Add in a battery and a heating element designed to turn the liquid into nicotine-laced vapour and the “vaper” (as the consumer of e-cigarettes is popularly known) gets a noticeable nicotine “hit” with each puff.
No harmful tar or carbon monoxide to worry about and, so far, no real regulatory concern.
Evidence about the use of e-cigarettes is still being gathered but no evidence has yet emerged of the transfer to the consumer of tar and some of the other harmful chemicals contained in traditional smoke.
Another major selling point for manufacturers is the absence of second-hand smoke to affect those around the “vaper”.
Source: Muiris Houston, Irish Times, 20/01/14
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