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Ex-Tobacco Executive Advising UK Government on Cancer Risks
A former director at tobacco manufacturer Philip Morris International (PMI), Ruth Dempsey, has been serving on the UK Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (CoC), which advises the government on cancer risks. Dempsey, who spent 28 years at PMI, was appointed to the committee in February 2020, but she continues to receive payment from PMI for consultancy work, including writing a paper on heated tobacco products. She also owns shares in PMI and maintains social media connections with company executives.
While there is no suggestion of wrongdoing, her appointment raises concerns about potential conflicts of interest, given her previous role promoting PMI's interests. Experts have expressed concern that her involvement could undermine the committee’s objectivity, especially since PMI has a vested interest in heated tobacco products. Additionally, the appointment appears to contradict guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO) to limit interactions between public health bodies and the tobacco industry.
Dempsey, who retired from PMI in 2019, has stated that she discloses all relevant financial interests and has complied with the committee’s rules. She also emphasised that her work on the CoC is based on her scientific expertise. The UK Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) maintains that her appointment followed a thorough selection process, and that potential conflicts of interest are properly managed. However, critics argue that allowing a former senior PMI executive to serve on a health advisory body could compromise public trust and the integrity of the committee's work.
Source: The Guardian, 10 November 2024
See also: ASH – Killer Tactics
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Lung cancer: Early diagnosis after screening saved mother's life
Ginnie Walker, a 59-year-old woman from Crawley, shared her experience of receiving early treatment for lung cancer after participating in a lung health check, despite initially feeling she "deserved" the disease due to her lifelong smoking habit. After her sister's death from lung cancer, Walker continued smoking a pack a day, but a chronic cough led her to take up the invitation for a screening in late 2023. The scan revealed a cancerous nodule, and further tests confirmed an 18mm tumour, which was surgically removed in March 2024.
Walker, now cancer-free, vowed never to smoke again, motivated by her son and a desire not to "undo" the good work of her treatment team. She encourages others invited for lung health checks to attend, emphasising that the screenings are non-judgmental and could save lives, particularly given that early detection significantly improves outcomes for lung cancer. Since 2022, nearly 75% of participants diagnosed in the Sussex NHS Lung Health Checks programme have received life-saving treatment.
Source: BBC News, 10 November 2024
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Amid Vaping Panic, We Risk Overlooking the Lethal Reality of Cigarettes, argues columnist
In her column, Martha Gill compares the current moral panic around vaping to a hypothetical scenario in which society shifts from alcohol to a less harmful substance like coffee. Just as coffee would be hailed as a public health miracle, vaping has become an effective tool for helping millions of people quit smoking, a habit that still kills tens of thousands annually in the UK. Vaping has a success rate of 60-74% in helping smokers quit, with 2.7 million people using vapes to stop smoking in the past five years.
However, despite the benefits, there’s growing panic around vaping, particularly due to concerns over its safety. Some worry about chemicals in vape liquids, but Gill argues that while vapes aren’t completely risk-free, they are far less harmful than smoking. For example, vaping involves carcinogenic chemicals but at "insignificant" levels compared to the 70 carcinogens found in cigarette smoke. The risk of cancer from vaping is less than 1% of that from smoking.
Source: The Guardian, 10 November 2024
See also: Public Health England - Vaping better than nicotine replacement therapy for stopping smoking, evidence suggests | UCL - Most smokers wrongly believe vaping is at least as harmful as smoking | NHS England - Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People in England, 2023
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Written questions
Asked by Rachael Maskell, Labour, York Central
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will help ensure that smoking cessation is offered as an opt-out, co-located service for lung screening appointments.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care), Labour, Gorton and Denton
The NHS Lung Cancer Screening programme's standard protocol includes a mandatory referral to smoking cessation services for all current smokers invited to the programme. The Government is providing £70 million of additional funding this year to support local authorities to increase the provision of local stop smoking services, which will support improved referral pathways and integrated working.
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.
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