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妙龄女街边吞云吐雾 香港禁烟令难遏女烟民增多 

在上班时间，路过香港写字楼集中区，常常会看到一些打扮入时、年轻靓丽的女士站在街边烟蒂箱旁吞云吐雾。香港禁烟令的严格化，使得香港女烟民走向街头吸烟，也使女烟民多的问题暴露在公众面前。

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香港将对违规吸烟者处以定额罚款１５００港元 

香港特区政府食物及卫生局局长周一岳表示，自《２００５年吸烟（公众卫生）（修订）条例草案》通过后，香港市民享受到的无烟空间 及健康环境比以前大幅增多，大部分烟民相当守法，不再在室内或会影响到其他人的情况下吸烟。但公众期望可以更严厉打击少数在禁烟区吸烟的人。

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Huabao to Buy China Tobacco Fragrance Group for HK$871 Million 

Huabao International Holdings Ltd., a Hong Kong-based fragrance provider, said it agreed to buy a company producing flavors and fragrances used in tobacco from its controlling shareholder for HK$871 million ($112 million). ... The acquisition of Wealthy King Investments Ltd. will strengthen the company's core tobacco flavors business and help it to expand its market share in China, the world's largest tobacco market by volume, the statement said.

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Quit-smoking option expenses spelled out ($$) 

A Democratic lawmaker's proposal to offer smoking offenders a quit course would require the government to pay half the cost of treatment, the Food and Health Bureau says.

Andrew Cheng Kar-foo made the suggestion last week in an amendment to the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance as the Legislative Council considered a government plan to introduce a HK$1,500 fixed penalty for offenders.

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Legco chief rejects idea of flexibility in smokers' fines ($$) 

Legislative Council president Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai has rejected a proposed amendment to the anti-smoking law that would allow people caught puffing illegally to spend the amount of the penalty on a course to help them kick the habit.

The amendment, proposed by democratic legislator Andrew Cheng Kar-foo, was to have been raised for discussion in Legco today.

But Mrs Fan dismissed the amendment as irrelevant to the Fixed Penalty (Smoking Offences) Bill, which proposes a fine of HK$1,500 for smoking in places where it is banned.

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Legco passes bill setting smoking fine at HK$1,500 ($$) 

A bill to impose a fixed-penalty fine on people caught illegally lighting up under the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance was passed by the Legislative Council yesterday.

Smokers caught in no-smoking areas will be given a fixed fine of HK$1,500, to be settled within 21 days. If the offenders fail to settle the fine in time, they will receive a letter requiring payment within another 10 days. But if they still fail to do so, a court order will be issued.

The bill also gave officers of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Housing Department and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department the power to issue the tickets

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Smoking Habits Among Hong-Kong Chinese Pregnant Women 

The study provides information on the smoking habits of Hong Kong Chinese couples during pregnancy and finds smoking during pregnancy to be an emerging health issue among Chinese women.

Smoking significantly increases the fetal risks and neonatal hazards.

Although the Chinese women had a higher cessation rate during pregnancy than Caucasian figures, their relapse smoking rate was similar after delivery.

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Smoking ban sees 6,600 convictions 

Smoking ban sees 6,600 convictions Police and Tobacco Control officers have issued 9,851 summonses for smoking ban violations, seeing 6, 635 court convictions.

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Appeal bid by absent tobacco tycoon fails ($$) 

Jun 18, 2008 *

The appeal court yesterday rejected an application by the director of a tobacco company - who has absconded - to argue in the top court against the continuation of his criminal trial in the District Court.

The challenge was mounted after lawyers cited what they said was a deliberate breach of legal privilege, by anti-corruption officers who bugged the office of a defendant, as grounds for halting the trial. The trial judge rejected that argument, and a subsequent request for a judicial review of that decision was also rejected.

Lu Dayong, 57, former executive director of Nanyang Brothers Tobacco Co Ltd, failed to appear last week at a District Court hearing on his alleged involvement in the illegal smuggling of Double Happiness cigarettes. A warrant for his arrest was issued.

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Arrest warrant issued for ex-tobacco executive 

The District Court has issued an arrest warrant for a former tobacco executive, for skipping a court hearing this morning. Lu Dayong, the former chairman of Nanyang Brothers Tobacco Company Limited, is accused of accepting bribes in return for supplying cigarettes to Mainland smugglers.

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Secondhand Smoke Leaves Kids Prone to Severe Infections  

In addition to developing asthma and respiratory infections, children in households where someone smokes are more likely to catch a whole range of severe infections, including meningococcal disease. Many even have to be hospitalized, a new study found.

Being around smoke during the first few months of life was most dangerous, especially if the newborn was born underweight or premature.

"This is just adding to the list of why people should not be smoking," said Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonary specialist with Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "It's probably that smoking is not just a respiratory irritant, but many things in smoke affect the immune system."

The ill effects of secondhand smoke on people of all ages is well known. As more bans are put in place, children -- and others -- are exposed less and less to secondhand smoke in public places. But secondhand smoke in the home is another matter, according to the study authors, from the University of Hong Kong, whose findings are published online May 28 in the journal Tobacco Control.

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Second-Hand Smoke in Infancy Increases Childhood Infections  

Exposure to second-hand smoke during infancy significantly increases the risk of severe infection requiring hospitalization later in childhood, investigators here have found.

The risk was greatest in the first six months of life, C. Mary Schooling, Ph.D., of the University of Hong Kong, and colleagues reported online in Tobacco Control. Among high-risk infants, such as those who are premature, the increased risk of severe infection persisted until age eight years.

"Reducing household [second-hand smoke] exposure in infants and particularly in more vulnerable infants can reduce infectious morbidity and corresponding hospital use," the authors concluded. "Policy options to protect infants and children from household [second-hand smoke] exposure should be implemented."

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• Second Hand Smoke Increases Hospital Admissions for All Types of Infectious Diseases 

Children exposed to second hand tobacco smoke are more likely to get severe infectious diseases and have to be admitted to hospital, finds research published online ahead of print in Tobacco Control.

These children are at greater risk of a whole range of infectious illnesses, such as meningococcal disease, and not just respiratory illness, the results showed. Exposure to smoke in the first few months of life did the most harm, especially if they had a low birth weight or had been born prematurely.

The researchers assessed the relationship between second hand smoke exposure and first admission to hospital for any infectious illness for 7,402 children born in Hong Kong in April and May 1997. The children were followed until they were eight.

Children who lived in the household of someone who smoked within three metres of them during their first few months of life were the most at risk of being admitted to hospital with one in three admitted by the age of 12 months.

The earlier the exposure to smoke the more profound the effect . . .

Click here to view the paper in full: http://press.psprings.co.uk/tc/may/tc23887.pdf

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Babies exposed to passive smoking are at risk of catching meningitis and scepticaemia 

A third of babies whose parents smoke at home end up in hospital before their first birthday, researchers say.

They found that passive smoking weakens youngsters' immune systems and puts them at higher risk of potentially lethal infectious diseases such as blood poisoning and meningitis.

Children are most vulnerable in the first few months of life, especially babies of low birthweight or those born prematurely.

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• Meningitis risk rockets if you smoke near children 

Second-hand smoke leaves kids more prone to killer diseases such as meningitis, scientists say.

One in three babies raised within 10ft of cigarette fumes needs hospital treatment by their first birthday.

Those exposed in their first six months are 45 per cent likelier to be admitted with infections such as meningitis and septicaemia by the time they are eight. Smokers' kids are also at greater risk of respiratory ailments such as bronchitis, pneumonia and asthma.

But Hong Kong experts fear fumes also hit immune systems. Dr Catherine Mary Schooling said: "Second-hand smoke in early infancy increases severe infectious illnesses requiring hospital admission."

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