Dealing with an innovative industry: a look at flavored cigarettes promoted by mainstream brands.
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Product and marketing innovation is key to the tobacco industry's success. One recent innovation was the development and marketing of flavored cigarettes as line extensions of 3 popular brands (Camel, Salem, and Kool). These products have distinctive blends and marketing as well as innovative packaging and have raised concerns in the public health community that they are targeted at youths. Several policy initiatives have aimed at banning or limiting these types of products on that basis. We describe examples of the products and their marketing and discuss their potential implications (including increased smoking experimentation, consumption, and "someday smoking"), as well as their potential impact on young adults. (+info)
The importance of nonelectrostatic materials in holding chambers for delivery of hydrofluoroalkane albuterol.
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INTRODUCTION: Electrostatic attraction of aerosolized particles to the inner walls of an aerosol holding chamber (HC) made from a nonconducting material can reduce medication delivery, particularly if there is a delay between actuation and inhalation. OBJECTIVE: Compare total emitted mass and fine-particle mass (mass of particles < 4.7 microm) of hydrofluoroalkane-propelled albuterol from similar-sized HCs manufactured from conductive material (Vortex), charge-dissipative material (AeroChamber Max), and nonconductive material (OptiChamber Advantage, ProChamber, Breathrite, PocketChamber, and ACE), with and without wash/rinse pretreatment of the HC interior with ionic detergent, and with 2-s and 5-s delays between actuation and inhalation. METHODS: All the HCs were evaluated (1) directly from their packaging (with no wash/rinse pretreatment) and (2) after washing with ionic detergent and rinsing and drip-drying. We used an apparatus that interfaced between the HC mouthpiece and the induction port of an 8-stage Andersen cascade impactor to simulate a poorly coordinated patient, with delays of 2 s and 5 s between actuation and inhalation/sampling, at 28.3 L/min. RESULTS: With the 2-s delay, the delivered fine-particle mass per actuation, before and after (respectively) wash/rinse pretreatment was: AeroChamber Max: 23.8 +/- 4.8 microg, 21.5 +/- 3.2 microg; Vortex: 16.2 +/- 1.7 microg, 15.5 +/- 2.0 microg; OptiChamber Advantage: 2.6 +/- 1.2 microg, 6.7 +/- 2.3 microg; ProChamber: 1.6 +/- 0.4 microg, 5.1 +/- 2.5 microg; Breathrite: 2.0 +/- 0.9 microg, 3.2 +/- 1.8 microg; PocketChamber: 3.4 +/- 1.6 microg, 1.7 +/- 1.6 microg; ACE: 4.5 +/- 0.9 microg, 5.4 +/- 2.9 microg. Similar trends, but greater reduction in aerosol delivery, were observed with the 5-s delay. Significantly greater fine-particle mass was delivered from HCs made from conducting or charge-dissipative materials than from those made from nonconductive polymers, even after wash/rinse pretreatment (p < 0.01). The fine-particle mass was also significantly greater from the AeroChamber Max than from the Vortex, irrespective of wash/rinse pretreatment or delay interval (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: HCs made from electrically conductive materials emit significantly greater fine-particle mass, with either a 2-s or 5-s delay, than do HCs made from nonconducting materials, even with wash/rinse pretreatment. (+info)
The influence of product packaging on young people's palatability rating for RTDS and other alcoholic beverages.
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AIMS: To investigate the influence of product packaging of ready to drink (RTD), or pre-mixed drinks, and other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages on the palatability ratings of adolescents and adults. Respondents were interviewed at their own schools or a campus of the University of NSW. The experiment tested palatability ratings in blind and non-blind conditions with a selection of 12- to 30-year-old Australians (140 adolescents and 210 adults) from seven private schools across NSW and students from the University of NSW and Macquarie University. METHODS: Beverage palatability was measured utilizing an interval ratio scale from 1 to 7 before and after packaging was presented. Views on whether the beverage packaging was designed to appeal to the participant were also analysed. RESULTS: In general, the alcoholic beverage packaging was thought to be designed to appeal more to adults and palatability ratings significantly increased in the non-blind conditions. In contrast, the Bacardi Breezer packaging was especially palatable to younger participants. CONCLUSIONS: Although most alcoholic beverage packaging was not of particular appeal to adolescents, some RTD beverages may be appealing more to adolescents. Unlike other alcoholic products, the difference in palatability ratings for the Bacardi Breezer, from blind to non-blind conditions, was greater for younger participants. (+info)
Acute pesticide poisoning in the U.S. retail industry, 1998-2004.
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OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to describe the national magnitude and characteristics of acute pesticide poisoning among workers and customers in retail establishments. METHODS: Analyses included retail employees 15-64 years of age and customers with acute pesticide poisoning identified from the Sentinel Event Notification System for Occupational Risks-Pesticides (SENSOR-Pesticides) and California Department of Pesticide Regulation from 1998 to 2004. Pesticide poisoning incidence rates and incidence rate ratios (IRR) were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 325 cases of acute pesticide poisoning were identified. Of these cases, 287 (88%) were retail employees and 38 (12%) were customers. Overall, retail employees had a significantly lower acute pesticide poisoning incidence rate compared with non-agricultural, non-retail employees (IRR=0.53; 95% confidence interval 0.47, 0.59). However, significantly elevated pesticide poisoning incidence rates were observed for four retail occupations (janitors, stock handlers/baggers, bakery/deli clerks, and shipping/receiving handlers). In addition, workers employed in two retail industry sectors (farm supply stores and hardware stores) had significantly elevated acute pesticide poisoning incidence rates. Incidence rates among the retail employees demonstrated a quadratic trend, monotonically decreasing from 1998 to 2000 and monotonically increasing from 2000 to 2003. The rates appear to have leveled off in 2003 and 2004. CONCLUSIONS: Preventive measures to decrease acute pesticide poisoning incidence in the retail sector include adoption of unbreakable and tear-resistant container requirements, increased utilization of integrated pest management strategies, and advisement to store managers, employees, and customers about poisoning prevention. (+info)
Bisphenol A is released from polycarbonate drinking bottles and mimics the neurotoxic actions of estrogen in developing cerebellar neurons.
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The impact of endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) exposure on human health is receiving increasingly focused attention. The prototypical EDC bisphenol A (BPA) is an estrogenic high-production chemical used primarily as a monomer for the production of polycarbonate and epoxy resins. It is now well established that there is ubiquitous human exposure to BPA. In the general population, exposure to BPA occurs mainly by consumption of contaminated foods and beverages that have contacted epoxy resins or polycarbonate plastics. To test the hypothesis that bioactive BPA was released from polycarbonate bottles used for consumption of water and other beverages, we evaluated whether BPA migrated into water stored in new or used high-quality polycarbonate bottles used by consumers. Using a sensitive and quantitative competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, BPA was found to migrate from polycarbonate water bottles at rates ranging from 0.20 ng/h to 0.79 ng/h. At room temperature the migration of BPA was independent of whether or not the bottle had been previously used. Exposure to boiling water (100 degrees C) increased the rate of BPA migration by up to 55-fold. The estrogenic bioactivity of the BPA-like immunoreactivity released into the water samples was confirmed using an in vitro assay of rapid estrogen signaling and neurotoxicity in developing cerebellar neurons. The amounts of BPA found to migrate from polycarbonate drinking bottles should be considered as a contributing source to the total "EDC-burden" to which some individuals are exposed. (+info)
Oxidation and wear of 100-Mrad cross-linked polyethylene shelf-aged for 30 years.
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Oxygen supplies during a mass casualty situation.
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Mass casualty and pandemic events pose a substantial challenge to the resources available in our current health care system. The ability to provide adequate oxygen therapy is one of the systems that could be out-stripped in certain conditions. Natural disasters can disrupt manufacturing or delivery, and pandemic events can increase consumption beyond the available supply. Patients may require manual resuscitation, basic oxygen therapy, or positive-pressure ventilation during these scenarios. Available sources of oxygen include bulk liquid oxygen systems, compressed gas cylinders, portable liquid oxygen (LOX) systems, and oxygen concentrators. The last two are available in a variety of configurations, which include personal and home systems that are suitable for individual patients, and larger systems that can provide oxygen to multiple patients or entire institutions. Bulk oxygen systems are robust and are probably sustainable during periods of high consumption, but are at risk if manufacturing or delivery is disrupted. Compressed gas cylinders offer support during temporary periods of need but are not a solution for extended periods of therapy. Personal oxygen concentrators and LOX systems are limited in their application during mass casualty scenarios. Large-capacity oxygen concentrators and LOX systems may effectively provide support to alternative care sites or larger institutions. They may also be appropriate selections for governmental emergency-response scenarios. Careful consideration of the strengths and limitations of each of these options can reduce the impact of a mass casualty event. (+info)
A difference that makes a difference: young adult smokers' accounts of cigarette brands and package design.
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