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Research papers: M Nebot, M J López, G Gorini, M Neuberger, S Axelsson, M Pilali, C Fonseca, K Abdennbi, A Hackshaw, H Moshammer, A M Laurent, J Salles, M Georgouli, M C Fondelli, E Serrahima, F Centrich, and S K Hammond Environmental tobacco smoke exposure in public places of European cities Tob Control 2005; 14: 60-63 [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]

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Why does press ignore these results?

Manfred A Neuberger   (18 March 2005)

Why does press ignore these results? 18 March 2005
Manfred A Neuberger, professor of environmental health Medical University of Vienna Send letter to journal: Re: Why does press ignore these results? manfred.neuberger{at}univie.ac.at Manfred A Neuberger	The highest nicotine concentrations of this study have been found in Austria. Some background for this is given by http://tc.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/14/1/3. Most amazing, however, was that these results had been presented to the Austrian press without causing a reaction. A study of Moshammer et al. (2004) Int.J.Hyg.Environ.Health 207, 4, 337-343 even showed high correlations of nicotine with active particle surface, indicating not only chronic risk for employees but also acute risk for customers <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Citation&list_uids=15471097>, but at a press conference on the occasion of the annual meeting of the Austrian Society for Occupational Medicine there was little interest in these news and journalists continue to write on the dangers of fine particulates without mentioning indoor pollution by cigarettes. This can only partly be explained by a high proportion of smoking journalists and the business of the editors with tobacco advertising (which largely will come to an end in Europe in July). Another main reason is to be seen in the joint distribution of cigarettes and newspapers by tobacconists in Austria. This is another reason why we should attempt to restrict the sale of tobacco to stores licensed to sell tobacco products only. Nobody would have to enter these places to buy newspapers, no child would have to go there for a pencil and see the tobacco ads, which could be restricted to the interior of stores for the addicted.