Lighting up may become a real drag for those who enjoy their tobacco in the great outdoors.
Smoking in public outdoor spots like beaches, parks and playgrounds may soon go the way of the dodo bird if a new lobbying campaign by the Canadian Cancer Society, B.C. and Yukon branch is successful.
The society is calling on the provincial government to follow the lead of four other provinces and 30 provincial municipalities in strengthening tobacco control regulations.
"There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke, a fact supported by the U.S. surgeon general and Medical Health Officers' Council of B.C.," said Barbara Kaminsky, CEO of the provincial cancer society, in a press release. "Children, teens and adults should be protected when they play outdoors."
Tobacco use remains the largest single preventable cause of death and disease in this province, killing more than 6,000 British Columbians each year, and second-hand smoke is linked to the deaths of up to 140 British Columbians each year, according to the society.
The society also suggests tobacco use costs the provincial economy $2.3 billion annually.
The B.C. Lung Association and the Heart and Stroke Foundation, which make up the Clean Air Coalition of B.C., are also in support of the new rules for smoke-free outdoor public places, according to the release.
Progress made on cell research
Cells that eat themselves.
It sounds like something out of a science fiction novel, but it's what Simon Fraser University researcher Sharon Gorski believes could be a key to finding better cancer therapies.
When cells digest parts of themselves - in a process called autophagy - this demonstrates a natural response to conditions of low nutrients and other forms of cell stress, she suggests.
Unfortunately, this also means cancer cells might be able to protect themselves from cancer therapies by inducing the autophagy process.
By studying this process, Gorski is hoping to find a way to prevent cancer cells from recycling parts of themselves into nutrients or other components that can help them adapt and survive.
Gorski began postdoctoral studies with the late Dr. Michael Smith and then worked with Dr.
Victor Ling at the B.C. Cancer Agency, using genomics approaches to study cell death.
In 2008, she was promoted to senior scientist and joined SFU's department of molecular biology and biochemistry as an associate professor.
