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Recently, Philadelphia City Council held a hearing to shine a light on a particularly pernicious trick that tobacco companies use to entice people to smoke: infusing cigars and cigarettes with seductive “flavorings.” Smoking is still Philadelphia’s number one killer, responsible by recent estimates for the deaths of more than 3,600 people a year. In part, that’s so high because about 22 percent of adults in Philly smoke, far more than the 15 percent of adults nationally, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As smoking rates have fallen over the years, the tobacco industry has come up with ever more inventive marketing tactics. Because nearly 90 percent of smokers start before age 18, those tactics mostly target kids. Learn more : ...

Smoking in the U.S. has dramatically declined in the last two decades, particularly among the country’s youngest residents. In 2000, 23 percent of teens smoked cigarettes. By 2016, the number had fallen to just 6 percent. While there is much to celebrate in the reduction, the average national rate hides a significant variation found within the country. Find out more......

Nicotine, found naturally in tobacco plants, is the chemical responsible for the additive nature of cigarettes, cigars, and many e-cigarettes. Until recent years, nicotine poisoning was a relatively rare occurrence and tended to be linked to exposure to insecticides containing the chemical. However, the popularity of vaping or e-cigarettes has seen an increase in reported cases. Learn more......

Carrot just got cleared for its at-home sensor to track carbon monoxide levels, which tend to be higher in smokers. It also has a virtual coaching program to promote behavior change. The goal is to develop the first "scalable, evidence-based smoking cessation program that can be delivered via a smartphone," said the company's CEO. Learn more......