smoking

Health & Safety

Progress On Lung Cancer Drives Historic Drop In U.S. Cancer Death Rate

7:08pm January 08, 2020

by Richard Harris

The U.S. cancer death rate dropped more than 2% between 2016 and 2017, the biggest single-year drop ever, according to the American Cancer Society. Better treatment for lung cancer is a factor.

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The CDC is still trying to understand the mechanism by which Vitamin E acetate, an additive in some vapes, injures lung tissue. It may interfere with a natural fluid in the lung called surfactant, which helps make lung tissue stretchy. Or a byproduct may

CDC Confirms A THC Additive, Vitamin E Acetate, The Culprit In Most Vaping Deaths

4:02pm December 20, 2019

by Richard Harris

The spate of more than 2,500 acute vaping-related lung injuries tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is on the decline, epidemiologists say, and the number of deaths has slowed.

Using e-cigarettes doesn't seem to be as risky as smoking tobacco. But both activities can cause long-term lung problems, research finds — and the effect seems to be additive for people who do both.

Vaping Nicotine Linked To Increased Risk Of Chronic Lung Disease

8:24pm December 16, 2019

by Allison Aubrey

A new study suggests the use of e-cigarettes can increase smokers' and nonsmokers' risk of developing chronic lung disease, including conditions such as COPD, chronic bronchitis, emphysema or asthma.

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Even as the popularity of e-cigarettes exploded — with unknown health risks — the federal government was slow to regulate vaping companies.

Health & Safety

How Vaping Snuck Up On Regulators

11:34pm November 15, 2019

by Jim Zarroli

Even as the popularity of e-cigarettes like Juul has exploded — with unknown health risks — the federal government has been slow to regulate vaping companies.

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Vanderbilt University professor John Geer sits for a video-taped deposition in 2014, defending his expert witness report which backed up the tobacco industry position that smokers knew of the health risks of smoking as early as the mid-1950s. Academics of

Health & Safety

Some Academics Quietly Take Side Jobs Helping Tobacco Companies In Court

5:55pm October 30, 2019

by Blake Farmer

Faced with lawsuits from sick smokers, tobacco firms argue the health risks were "common knowledge" for decades, and they often pay professors to help make that point as expert witnesses.

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This notice on a cigarette packet in Thailand shows the potential impact of reduced blood circulation to extremities because of smoking. Such pictorial warnings are among the anti-smoking measures that are more likely to be found in countries that have li

Which Countries Do Best — And Worst — At Keeping Big Tobacco Out Of Politics

8:57am October 21, 2019

by Nurith Aizenman

The first-ever Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index points to the creative rules that some nations use — and what happens when contact isn't policed.

NPR is looking to hear from people about their experiences quitting smoking.

Health & Safety

Have You Quit Smoking? NPR Wants To Hear Your Story

1:10pm August 21, 2019

by Merrit Kennedy

Tell us about how you decided it was the right time to quit, what your strategy was, and what you learned that could be useful to other people trying to ditch the habit.

North Carolina Schools Add E-Cigs To 'No Smoking' Signs

11:49am August 21, 2019

by Associated Press

North Carolina public schools have added a picture of an electronic cigarette to their "no smoking" signs.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to require tobacco companies to include 13 health warnings on cigarette packaging and advertisements.

New Look For Cigarettes? FDA Proposes Graphic Warnings On Packages And Ads

7:10pm August 15, 2019

by Vanessa Romo

The Food and Drug Administration has rolled out a proposed rule to require tobacco companies to include graphic warnings, depicting some of the lesser known health risks of smoking tobacco products.

Airway-irritating acetals seem to form in some types of vape juice even without heat, researchers find — likely a reaction between the alcohol and aldehydes in the liquid.

Irritating Compounds Can Show Up In 'Vape Juice'

4:42pm July 30, 2019

by Susie Neilson

Among the possibly harmful compounds are "acetals," which form when some ingredients combine on the shelf, researchers say, and can inflame airways when inhaled.