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HAVE A SPECTACULAR SATURDAY, EVERYONE. THANK YOU. ANGEL FIVE ON YOUR HEALTH THIS MORNING A NEW LOOK AT LUNG CANCER. IT IS STILL THE TOP CAUSE OF CANCER RELATED DEATHS IN THE U.S. FOR BOTH MEN AND WOMEN. AND NOW RESEARCHERS ARE LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE RISKS, ESPECIALLY FOR PEOPLE WHO’VE NEVER SMOKED. HERE TO EXPLAIN IS DOCTOR JEFF YANG, A THORACIC SURGEON AT MASS GENERAL BRIGHAM. DOCTOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING TIME FOR US THIS MORNING. WE’VE KNOWN FOR A LONG TIME THAT SMOKING IS THE LEADING RISK FACTOR FOR LUNG CANCER. WHAT ELSE IS ON THAT LIST? THANKS FOR HAVING ME. OTHER RISK FACTORS INCLUDE RADON. SO THIS IS A GAS THAT SEEPS FROM SOIL AND OFTEN ENTERS INTO HOUSES. AND THEN OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURES SUCH AS SILICA, ASBESTOS, DIESEL EXHAUST. AND WE’RE LEARNING THAT AIR POLLUTION MATTERS MORE THAN EVER. SO PM 2.5 AND FINE PARTICULATE MATTER. PEOPLE WITH PRIOR LUNG DISEASE. AND ALSO IF YOU’VE HAD RADIATION TO THE CHEST BEFORE, FOR EXAMPLE, FROM LYMPHOMA OR BREAST CANCER TREATMENT, THAT CAN ALSO ELEVATE YOUR RISK OF HAVING LUNG CANCER. ANYONE CAN BUY ONE OF THOSE RADON TESTING KITS ONLINE OR AT THE HARDWARE STORE. SHOULD I CALL THE DOCTOR IF THE LEVEL IS HIGH? THAT’S CORRECT. SO IF YOUR LEVEL IS ABOVE FOUR PICOCURIES PER LITER, IT’S IMPORTANT TO TRY TO FIX WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE HOME. AND I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO DISCUSS WITH YOUR DOCTOR, ESPECIALLY IF YOU FEEL THAT YOU’VE BEEN EXPOSED TO RADON FOR SEVERAL YEARS. LET’S SAY I DON’T GET A CT SCAN OF MY LUNGS. SAY, ARE THERE OTHER WAYS TO CATCH LUNG CANCER EARLY? SO UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ISN’T. SO WITH EARLY STAGE LUNG CANCER, THERE’S OFTEN NO SYMPTOMS. AND SO IN THAT TYPE OF SITUATION, REALLY THE BEST WAY TO FIND LUNG CANCER EARLY IS THROUGH A QUICK AND EASY LUNG CANCER SCREENING SCAN. IT ONLY TAKES ABOUT TWO MINUTES. IT’S QUICK, EASY, IT’S PAINLESS, AND IT’S COVERED BY INSURANCE HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS. FULLY COVERED. SO IT’S FREE. BUT OTHER SYMPTOMS TO LOOK OUT FOR. IF YOU DON’T HAVE THAT CT SCAN, BUT OTHER SYMPTOMS TO PAY ATTENTION TO WOULD BE A COUGH THAT DOESN’T GO AWAY. IF YOU’RE COUGHING UP BLOOD. IF YOU’RE HAVING UNEXPLAINED WEIGHT LOSS, LOSS OF APPETITE, FEELING FATIGUED OR HAVING CHEST PAIN, THOSE ARE ALL ALSO IMPORTANT SYMPTOMS TO PAY ATTENTION TO. YOU MENTIONED SOME A LOT OF THINGS HERE. WHAT ABOUT LIKE SECOND HAND SMOKE? IF YOU’RE AROUND THAT OR FIRES, YOU KNOW, IF YOU’RE WORKING A FIRE OR AT A FIRE SCENE FOR LONG PERIOD OF TIME. ABSOLUTELY. THOSE ARE REALLY IMPORTANT RISK FACTORS. SECOND HAND SMOKE, LONG TERM SECONDHAND SMOKE. I’VE HAD PATIENTS WHO HAVE HAD LUNG CANCER JUST BECAUSE OF THAT. AND ALSO IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT FIREFIGHTERS, THEY DO HAVE ELEVATED RISK OF GETTING DISEASES BECAUSE OF THE AIR POLLUTION THAT THEY BREATHE AND THE FINE PARTICULATE MATTER WE’RE TALKING ABOUT. SO THERE’S ACTUALLY A STUDY OF FIREFIGHTERS HERE AT MASS GENERAL, WHERE WE’RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHETHER OR NOT FIREFIGHTERS ARE HAVING AN ELEVATED RISK OF LUNG CANCER. THANK YOU. DOCTOR JEFFREY YANG,
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Opponents of smoking got a breath of fresh air in the United Kingdom as Parliament passed a bill that will put cigarettes out of reach for future generations.”The end of smoking, and the devastating harm it causes, is no longer uncertain — it’s inevitable,” Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said after a decades-long campaign in favor of the legislation approved Tuesday.Children born after Dec. 31, 2008, will be banned from ever buying cigarettes under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.The legislation, which needs approval by King Charles III — a formality — before taking effect, will also allow the government to regulate tobacco, vaping and nicotine products, including flavors and packaging.It is currently illegal to sell cigarettes, tobacco products or vapes to people under 18. But most youth today will continue to face a ban for their entire lives as the minimum age to buy cigarettes rises each year.The passage gives the U.K. one of the toughest anti-smoking measures in the world. The law is similar to one New Zealand lawmakers passed in 2022, but that was then repealed by a subsequent government.The number of people who smoke in Britain has declined by two-thirds since the 1970s, but some 6.4 million people — or about 13% of the population — still smoke, according to official figures.Authorities say smoking causes about 80,000 deaths a year in the U.K., and remains the number one preventable cause of death, disability and poor health.”Children in the U.K. will be part of the first smoke-free generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm,” Health Secretary Wes Streeting said.
Opponents of smoking got a breath of fresh air in the United Kingdom as Parliament passed a bill that will put cigarettes out of reach for future generations.
“The end of smoking, and the devastating harm it causes, is no longer uncertain — it’s inevitable,” Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said after a decades-long campaign in favor of the legislation approved Tuesday.
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Children born after Dec. 31, 2008, will be banned from ever buying cigarettes under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
The legislation, which needs approval by King Charles III — a formality — before taking effect, will also allow the government to regulate tobacco, vaping and nicotine products, including flavors and packaging.
It is currently illegal to sell cigarettes, tobacco products or vapes to people under 18. But most youth today will continue to face a ban for their entire lives as the minimum age to buy cigarettes rises each year.
The passage gives the U.K. one of the toughest anti-smoking measures in the world. The law is similar to one New Zealand lawmakers passed in 2022, but that was then repealed by a subsequent government.
The number of people who smoke in Britain has declined by two-thirds since the 1970s, but some 6.4 million people — or about 13% of the population — still smoke, according to official figures.
Authorities say smoking causes about 80,000 deaths a year in the U.K., and remains the number one preventable cause of death, disability and poor health.
“Children in the U.K. will be part of the first smoke-free generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm,” Health Secretary Wes Streeting said.
