Doctors launch new online resource to get the true facts out about tobacco

Did you know?

• Cigarette butts take one to five years to break down.
• If a medium level smoker - 20 per day - gave up smoking they would save over a £1,000 a year.
• When someone starts smoking, the risk of addiction to nicotine is greater than that of cocaine.
• The tobacco industry has always tried to stop health warnings being used on cigarette packets.

The BMA's Tobacco Control Resource Centre (TCRC) is today launching 'Tobacco FactFile' http://www.tobaccofactfile.org. This launch coincides with the deadline for the first international treaty for public health, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which takes place on Friday 28 February. This treaty will commit governments worldwide to take concrete action to stem the tide of tobacco-related illness and death.

'Tobacco FactFile' is an online database designed for health professionals, educationalists, the public and the media. It is the first one-stop information source about tobacco of its kind.

The launch of 'Tobacco FactFile' will take place at midday at the Palais Des Nations in Geneva. The key speaker is Dr Gro-Harlem Brundtland, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

All information produced by 'Tobacco FactFile' has a quality stamp as it has been peer-reviewed by 'Tobacco FactFile's' editorial board.

Dr Vivienne Nathanson, BMA Head of Science and Ethics said today: "In a world where misinformation and myth are common, 'Tobacco FactFile' presents the hard truth about the global tobacco epidemic. It can be difficult to get hold of reliable information on the true impact of smoking - especially when powerful commercial interests are at play."

Welcoming the project, Professor Sir Richard Doll, whose pioneering research first demonstrated the link between smoking and lung cancer, said: "Effective tobacco control policies must be firmly rooted in the evidence. 'Tobacco FactFile' presents reliable information on the true consequences of tobacco use. A treasury of information for tobacco control."

'Tobacco FactFile' differs from other databases currently available online. Rather than being a traditional bibliographic database, it can provide ready access to key pieces of information with the assurance that experts in the field have selected these. The database is also available in Spanish, German and French.

Visitors to 'FactFile' can sign up to receive a randomly selected fact every week or month. They can also put a banner on their own website; the banner displays a new fact each time the page is refreshed.

The European Commission funded the development of the database and this will continue until 2006.

Ends

Note to editors:

· Details of the launch:
· TIME: noon
· VENUE: Palais Des Nations

· The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is expected to be approved by WHO governing body in May 2003. It will then by open for ratification by national governments.

· The project has been endorsed by leading figures in health, government and civil society:

Professor Sir Richard Doll, whose pioneering research first demonstrated the link between smoking and lung cancer, said:
"Effective tobacco control policies must be firmly rooted in the evidence. Tobacco FactFile presents reliable information on the true consequences of tobacco use."

David Byrne, European Commissioner for Health, Safety and Consumer Affairs said:
"As the first European Commissioner charged with defending and promoting public health, European tobacco control legislation is one of my top priorities. Every year in the European Union, half a million lives are lost prematurely due to smoking, causing unnecessary suffering, avoidable disability and sickness. The tobacco epidemic is a global epidemic and we need to build global strategies to deal with it and to save lives. 'Tobacco FactFile' will be a source of high-quality impartial information and an invaluable tool for policymakers, civil society, the general public and the media."

David Bristol, of the St Lucia Cancer Society said:
"The reality of tobacco is harm to communities, families and individuals. 'Tobacco FactFile' will undoubtedly prove to be an invaluable resource for the global challenge of tobacco control."

For further information please contact : TCRC +44 131 247 3070