brieftly introduction

Standards of evidence, both scientific and medical, must be met in cases involving large-scale, serious dangers to public health. A strong case can be made for imposing restrictions on the sale, promotion, and even consumption of a certain products, such as cigarettes, which harm public health and the global economy. There is now a substantial body of evidence demonstrating how damaging tobacco use is on individual nations and on the global economy. Because there are now laws restricting tobacco adverting in the U.S, the tobacco market has diminished in the U.S. Therefore, tobacco companies are focusing marketing on Asian countries. In many Asian countries, smoking is fashionable. And, Asian smokers seem to be susceptible to glitzy advertising campaigns. Smoking American or European cigarettes is seen as "cool." According to The New York Times article "No gift is more appreciated in Vietnam than British-made ‘555' cigarettes. In China, the choice is Marlboro. Among the gentry of Thailand, it is Dunhill"(Shenon, 1994, p.10). “Rates of smoking are extremely high among Asian men: 60 percent in Japan and China, for example, and a whopping 73 percent in Vietnam” (Pollack, 1997. p.1). Physicians and scientists are concerned about how increased smoking will affect the health of the Asian people. One scientist estimates that "because of increasing tobacco consumption in Asia, the annual worldwide death toll from tobacco-related illnesses will more than triple over the next two or three decades, from about 3 million a year to 10 million a year, a fifth of them in China. His calculations suggest that 50 million Chinese children alive today will eventually die from diseases linked to cigarette smoking" (Shenon, 1994, p.16). History of the Problem The tobacco industry, in general, and individual companies, in particular, conduct themselves to ensure a profit from smokers. But, this industry does have many enemies, and the issue that unites these various groups is health. Cigarette smoking has been linked with heart and lung disease and many forms of cancer. Are the giant multinational tobacco companies in financial danger? Probably not, because cigarette use is growing in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and in the former Soviet Union. “In Asia alone, the World Health Organization estimated at the beginning of the 1990s that smoking would increase by one-third during the decade” (Allin, Mossialos, McKee and Holland, 2004, p.82). While some Asian governments have followed the lead of Western nations and banned tobacco advertising on television and radio, the tobacco companies find ways to get their message to the people-at sporting events, for example, or through clothing that sports cigarette logos. In Japan, the tobacco industry and four multinational tobacco companies have voluntarily developed new, tough advertising standards, effective April 1, 1998. These standards are designed to control smoking by young people (Nakagawa, 1998). In strict Singapore, anti-smoking laws, such as laws against selling cigarettes to minors, carry heavy penalties. Such laws indicate that anti-smoking attitudes of Western countries are finding their way to some Asian countries, (Nakagawa, 1998). Scope of the problem The multinational tobacco companies say that they are not trying to get nonsmokers in Asia to start smoking. Instead, they say, they are trying to get Asian people who already smoke to change brands. The evidence suggests otherwise, however. “In previous years, the ministry had tried to include such a section but had been overruled by the more powerful Ministry of Finance, which represents the interests of the tobacco industry (note that the Japanese government owns a major share of Japan Tobacco),” (Pollack, 1997, p.16). In Hong Kong, very few women smoke. Thus, if companies are not interested in creating new smokers, Hong Kong would not appear to be a good market for a cigarette brand aimed at women. “Yet Philip Morris introduced their Virginia Slims brand aimed specifically at women in Hong Kong a few years ago (Shannon, 1994, p.17). Under the Bush Administration particularly, the US government pushed for agreements that allow free trade in cigarettes, thus ensuring that Asian countries would be open markets for American-based tobacco companies. The 1993 annual report of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco claimed that "today, Reynolds has access to 90 percent of the world's markets, a decade ago, only 40 percent." (Greenberg, 2001, p.101). Clearly, trade negotiators' efforts to support the American tobacco industry have been successful. Population China is an especially attractive market to the multinationals because it has “a huge population (1.2 billion people) and a growing economy. The number of smokers in China is greater than the population of the United States” (Shenon, 1994, p.17). Other market groups targeted by the tobacco companies are Asian women and young people. While adult males have been the most common smokers in Asia, advertising aimed particularly at women and young people seek to change that. “Increasing numbers of Asian women see smoking as a sign of their liberation” (Pollack, 199, p.1). Rationale There are served reasons why this subject is important to me. It involves large-scale serious danger to public health in Asia and affects my family, and friends, as well as, the health of the next generation. This paper attempts to examine in the case of “cigarette companies who have promoted tobacco use, which is the number one cause of cancer-related death globally” (Williams, 1992, p.74.). The paper also focuses on the efforts to the tobacco companies to target Asian women and young people, and the dangers of passive smoke. This paper also reflects on the lessons learned from the history of England and its use of drugs in China in the nineteenth century. Because China was richly resources that England did not have, England wanted to have China in its colonial plan. Therefore, “their plans failed Chinese Scholars recognized England’s intention and the result was the opium war” (Waley, 1979, p.15). Now again, Western tobacco companies and politicians uses cigarettes to exploit an in Asian market. Thus, it may be said that the cigarettes companies which have harmed public health in the past continue to the present have been were among the pioneers in the processes of market globalization that we are witnessing today.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Side effect of Tobacco



Smoking and Oral Health






(Picture:-Somker)

http://www.petersonlawfirm.com/Info.Tobacco.html

Fact Sheet
Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking
Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body; causing many diseases and reducing the health of smokers in general.1 The adverse health effects from cigarette smoking account for an estimated 438,000 deaths, or nearly 1 of every 5 deaths, each year in the United States. More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined.
Cancer
Cancer is the second leading cause of death and was among the first diseases casually linked to smoking.
Smoking causes about 90% of lung cancer deaths in women and almost 80% of lung cancer deaths in men. The risk of dying from lung cancer is more than 23 times higher among men who smoke cigarettes, and about 13 times higher among women who smoke cigarettes compared with never smokers.
Smoking causes cancers of the bladder, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx (voice box), esophagus, cervix, kidney, lung, pancreas, and stomach, and causes acute myeloid leukemia.
Rates of cancers related to cigarette smoking vary widely among members of racial/ethnic groups, but are generally highest in African-American men.
Cardiovascular Disease (Heart and Circulatory System)
Smoking causes coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. Cigarette smokers are 2–4 times more likely to develop coronary heart disease than nonsmokers.
Cigarette smoking approximately doubles a person’s risk for stroke.
Cigarette smoking causes reduced circulation by narrowing the blood vessels (arteries). Smokers are more than 10 times as likely as nonsmokers to develop peripheral vascular disease.
Smoking causes abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Respiratory Disease and Other Effects
Cigarette smoking is associated with a tenfold increase in the risk of dying from chronic obstructive lung disease.7 About 90% of all deaths from chronic obstructive lung diseases are attributable to cigarette smoking.
Cigarette smoking has many adverse reproductive and early childhood effects, including an increased risk for infertility, preterm delivery, stillbirth, low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Postmenopausal women who smoke have lower bone density than women who never smoked. Women who smoke have an increased risk for hip fracture than never smokers.
Tobacco use
A harmful oral habit is the use of tobacco. Here are some oral problems that may occur with the use of tobacco.
Oral Side Effects of Tobacco
sticky tar deposits or brown staining on the teeth
smoker's palate' - red inflammation on the roof of the mouth
delayed healing of the gums
increased severity of gum disease
bad breath or halitosis
black hairy tongue
oral lesions
gum recession - with chewing tobacco at the site of the tobacco "wad", the gums react by receding along the tooth root, exposing the root
oral cancer
Hazards of Tobacco
One of the most devastating effects of tobacco is the development of oral cancer. Approximately 75% of all oral cancers in North America are associated with tobacco use and alcohol consumption. The risk of oral cancer increases with the number of cigarettes smoked each day and the number of years that the person has been smoking. Cigarettes are not the only oral habit that can cause oral cancer, all tobacco products, such as; smokeless/spit tobacco, cigars, and pipes are associated with oral cancer. The type of tobacco product will also dictate where the oral cancer can be located in the mouth. For instance, smokeless tobacco is linked to cancer of the cheek and gums.
Benefits of Tobacco Cessation
The most significant preventive measure used to prevent oral cancer is cessation of tobacco products. When a person stops using tobacco, the risk of developing oral cancer drops rapidly. In 10 years of tobacco use cessation, the risk is similar to an individual who has never smoked. Oral cancer can be prevented by choosing to be a non-tobacco user.
Quitting tobacco use is very difficult, since it is an addiction. There can be temporary withdrawal symptoms that occur a short period after your last tobacco use.
A few "quitting" aids have been found to help users. These aids decrease withdrawal symptoms and the craving for tobacco. Some examples are:
the nicotine patch
nicotine gum
nicotine inhaler
nicotine nasal spray All of these aids are beneficial if the individual is motivated to quite, and if used at the same time with counseling or self-help groups. Your dental office may offer a tobacco use cessation program as more and more dental offices are becoming involved in such programming. Other program sources may be medical and nursing associations, heart and lung associations, or even a community center.
Detection of Oral Cancer







Oral cancer can be detected in the early stages. Some signs and symptoms of oral cancer are:
swelling, lump, growth, or hardness in the mouth or neck. These lumps are usually painless
red or white patches in the mouth
repeated bleeding from the mouth or throat
difficulty in chewing or swallowing
Any sore that does not heal after 2 weeks should be checked out by your dentist or physician.
Visiting your dental professional regularly is a way to help diagnose or detect oral cancer. Dental hygienist and dentists are trained to detect abnormalities. If there are any abnormal tissue changes, the dentist or oral pathologist can take a biopsy to confirm a diagnosis. Most lesions are not cancer, but it is best to be safe if anything looks unusual.
To know the difference between a healthy mouth and any suspicious lesion, you can perform a monthly Oral Cancer Self Examination.
Remember, if the lesion or sore does not heal after 2 week, promptly see your oral health professional or physician. Early detection of cancer increases the chance of successful treatment.



Lung Cancer





Also called: Bronchogenic carcinoma
Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. It is a leading cause of cancer death in men and women in the United States. Cigarette smoking causes most lung cancers. The more cigarettes you smoke per day and the earlier you started smoking, the greater your risk of lung cancer. High levels of pollution, radiation and asbestos exposure may also increase risk.
Common symptoms of lung cancer include
A cough that doesn't go away and gets worse over time
Constant chest pain
Coughing up blood
Shortness of breath, wheezing, or hoarseness
Repeated problems with pneumonia or bronchitis
Swelling of the neck and face
Loss of appetite or weight loss
Fatigue
There are many types of lung cancer. Each type of lung cancer grows and spreads in different ways and is treated differently. Treatment also depends on the stage, or how advanced it is. Treatment may include chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.




Published by: Sanjaya Timilsina








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1 comment:

Blogger said...

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November 9, 2016 at 8:12 AM

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