Gutkha ban: Supreme Court seeks compliance report from states

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought compliance reports from all state governments that have banned the sale and manufacture of gutkha and paan masala containing tobacco. They have been given four weeks to submit their reports.

Gutkha, zarda, pan masala, gul, bajjar and such other toxic and addictive forms of chewing tobacco are mandated to be banned by various states, as per Regulation 2.3.4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations of 2011, made under the Food Safety and Standards Act. Presently, 23 states and five Union Territories in India have banned the gutkha products.

The bench comprising Justices G S Singhvi and Kurian Joseph issued notices to the health secretaries of all the 23 states and 5 Union Territories to file compliance reports on the implementation of the ban. The court also asked why the products have not been banned in other states and why Regulation 2.3.4 has not yet been implemented. The order was given in the case of Ankur Gutkha vs. Indian Asthma Care Society.

The Supreme Court passed its order after the submissions by additional solicitor general Indira Jaisingh on behalf of the Centre that gutkha is being manufactured and sold in these states, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, in violation of law. She also claimed that the rules are not being properly implemented by the state authorities.

Shri Prashant Bhushan, appearing for Health for the Million Trust, in his submissions underlined how the ban is not being properly enforced as there is no control over manufacturing units. The banned products are also easily available from states where gutkha has not been banned. Advocate Vishnu Behari Tewari, appearing on behalf of Indian Dental Association, demanded a nationwide ban on all forms of chewing tobacco products.

Source: Down to Earth

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Smoking right after waking up raises cancer risk

Smoking a cigarette immediately after waking up in the morning may increase the risk of developing lung or oral cancer, a new study has warned. This finding is critical in Kerala, where 58.6% of daily tobacco users in Kerala consume tobacco within half an hour of waking up, according to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (2009-10).

The study found that smokers who consume cigarettes immediately after waking have higher levels of NNAL — a metabolite of the tobacco specific carcinogen NNK — in their blood than smokers who refrain from smoking a half hour or more after waking , regardless of the number of cigarettes smoked per day. 

The study was conducted by said Steven Branstetter, assistant professor of biobehavioural health in Pennsylvania State University, and his colleague Joshua Muscat, professor of public health sciences. The researchers examined data on 1,945 smoking adult participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey who had provided urine samples for analysis of NNAL. These participants also had provided information about their smoking behaviour, including how soon they typically smoked after waking. researchers.

The researchers found that around 32% of the participants they examined smoked their first cigarette of the day within 5 minutes of waking; 31% smoked within 6 to 30 minutes of waking; 18% smoked within 31 to 60 minutes of waking; and 19% smoked more than one hour after waking.

According to Branstetter, other research has shown that NNK induces lung tumours in several rodent species. Levels of NNAL in the blood can therefore predict lung cancer risk in rodents as well as in humans. In addition, NNAL levels are stable in smokers over time, and a single measurement can accurately reflect an individual's exposure.

In addition, the researchers found that the NNAL level in the participants' blood was correlated with the participants' age, the age they started smoking and their gender. 

Branstetter said, "Most importantly, we found that NNAL level was highest among people who smoked the soonest upon waking, regardless of the frequency of smoking and other factors that predict NNAL concentrations. People who smoke sooner after waking inhale more deeply and more thoroughly, which could explain the higher levels of NNAL in their blood." 

Source: Times of India

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Bidi use increases Kerala’s most common cancer risks: Study

India’s first cohort studies have conclusively proven that bidi smoking presents a many fold increase in the incidence of Kerala’s most prevalent cancers among men.

Separate studies on the impact of bidi smoking on lung and oral cancers, and cancers of larynx and hypo pharynx in men between the age group of 30-84 in Karunagappally of Kollam district show that bidi – unfiltered tobacco flakes rolled in tendu leaf and tied with thread - is indeed among the most harmful smoking products.

The cohort study on bidi and lung cancer, covering a total of 65,829 men, found that bidi smokers had a 3.9-fold increase in lung cancer incidence when compared to those who never smoked bidis. The risk of cancers affecting the cheek (buccal) and lips (labial) showed a nearly four-fold increase in the cohort study covering 66,277 men.

Yet another painful group of cancers are those affecting the lower part of the throat including voice box, known as laryngeal and hypo pharyngeal cancers. Another cohort study conducted on 69,943 men, again in the 30-84 age group in Karunagappally, shows a significant relationship relation between bidi smoking and cancers affecting the larynx and hypo pharynx.

Dr P Jayalekshmi of Regional Cancer Centre and the principal author of the studies on bidi-induced lung, oral, laryngeal and hypo pharyngeal cancers said, “The mainstream smoke of bidi contains a much higher concentration of carcinogenic hydrocarbons. Bidi smokers also are found to be taking five puffs per minute compared to two puffs by cigarettes in the same time. All these contribute to increasing the carcinogenic nature of bidi smoke.”

The Karunagappally studies have also reiterated the common knowledge that bidi smoking is more widespread among those with lowers levels of education and lower family income. The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS 2009-10) has it that 31.1 per cent of male bidi smokers in the country have no formal schooling while 19.7 per cent are self-employed. Bidi smokers in Kerala spend nearly Rs.140 monthly on this habit. 

Image courtesy Wikipedia

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