A ban in England will take tobacco out of prominence in shops and put them under the counter. They are hoping that having cigarettes out of view will discourage young people from smoking and remove temptation from those who have quit. Other European countries have followed this ban like Ireland and Iceland and hope this will help with the rising costs of healthcare. The stores will be given until 2012 to comply with the ban. Opponents to the new legislation don’t feel that there is proof that moving tobacco out of view will prevent people from smoking.
Smoking is one of the leading causes of lung cancer among other types of cancer. Lung cancer causes more fatalities than the other types of cancer that people contract so there is a push by governments all over the world to regulate the sale of tobacco. One extremely debilitating type of cancer is mesothelioma, though it isn’t caused by smoking, tobacco can increase the chances of contracting this lung cancer.
Mesothelioma affects the lining of the heart and lung and is only treatable with chemotherapy and radiation. The mortality rate for people who develop mesothelioma is very high. Exposure to asbestos is the direct cause of mesothelioma. Asbestos is a toxic material commonly used in buildings during the twentieth century until its toxicity was discovered. Construction and shipyard workers most often fell victim to this fatal cancer and can be awarded compensation if they contracted mesothelioma while working.
