Electronic Cigarette Usage Patterns and Perceptions in Adult Australians.

Despite their increasing popularity, and Australia's unique regulatory environment, how and why Australian adults use e-cigarettes and their perceptions of their safety, efficacy and regulation have not been extensively reported before. In this study, we screened 2217 adult Australians with the aim of assessing these questions in a sample of current or former e-cigarette users. A total of 505 out of 2217 respondents were current or former e-cigarette users, with only these respondents completing the full survey. Key findings of this survey included the high proportion of respondents who indicated they were currently using e-cigarettes (307 out of 2217 = 13.8%), and the high proportion of current e-cigarette users that were also smokers (74.6%). The majority of respondents used e-liquids containing nicotine (70.3%), despite it being illegal in Australia without a prescription, and the majority bought their devices and liquids in Australia (65.7%). Respondents reported using e-cigarettes in a variety of places, including inside the home, inside public places (where it is illegal to smoke tobacco cigarettes), and around other people-which has implications for second and third hand exposures. A significant proportion of current e-cigarette users (30.6%) thought that e-cigarettes were completely safe to use long-term, although in general, there was a large amount of uncertainty/ambivalence with respect to perceptions of e-cigarette safety and efficacy as smoking cessation tools. This study shows that e-cigarette use is common in Australia, and that appropriate dissemination of unbiased research findings on their safety and efficacy in smoking cessation is urgently required.

Obstructive airway disease in 46-65-year-old people in Busselton, Western Australia, 1966-2015.

OBJECTIVE: To document the changing levels of tobacco smoking, respiratory symptoms, doctor-diagnosed asthma, and lung function in Busselton adults aged 46-65 years over the past 50 years. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: Repeated cross-sectional population surveys (1966 to 2010-2015) of adults registered to vote in the Busselton shire, Western Australia, including a modified version of the British Medical Research Council questionnaire on respiratory symptoms. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: History of doctor-diagnosed asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), tobacco smoking history, respiratory medications used, spirometry parameters (forced expiratory volume in one second [FEV1], forced vital capacity [FVC]). RESULTS: The prevalence of tobacco smoking among men declined from 53% in 1966 to 12% in 2010-2015, and from 26% to 9% among women. The prevalence of ever-smoking (ie, smokers and ex-smokers) decreased from 80% to 57% for men but increased from 33% to 50% for women. The prevalence of doctor-diagnosed asthma increased, as did the use of long-acting bronchodilator aerosol medications by people with asthma and COPD. There have been no consistent changes in the prevalence of specific respiratory symptoms, but measures of lung function have significantly improved. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking rates declined as a result of changes in pricing, prohibitions on smoking and the feedback of survey results to Busselton participants. Significant improvements in lung function were measured, and it can be anticipated that the prevalence of other smoking-related diseases will also decline.

Mesothelioma in Australia: a review.

The incidence of malignant mesothelioma in Australia is among the highest in the world as a result of widespread use of asbestos by industry and in construction throughout the 20th century. The risk of developing malignant mesothelioma after asbestos exposure is dose-related; a transient, low dose exposure confers a correspondingly very low risk of disease. Malignant mesothelioma is a heterogeneous disease, partly explaining the limited role of biomarkers in screening and diagnosis. The prognosis remains poor, and early advice on medico-legal compensation and a collaborative team approach to managing malignant mesothelioma are both essential. Chemotherapy can have a modest treatment effect in some people. New therapies, such as immunotherapy, do not yet have a defined role in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma. As treatment options for malignant mesothelioma are limited and no cure is available, there is no established role for early detection or screening of at risk populations. A multidisciplinary approach to caring for patients with malignant mesothelioma and their carers is vital.

Incidence of malignant mesothelioma in Aboriginal people in Western Australia.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the incidence of malignant mesothelioma (MM) in Aboriginal people in Western Australia (WA) and determine the main routes of exposure to asbestos in this population. METHODS: All MM cases in Western Australia, as well as the primary source of asbestos exposure, are recorded in the WA Mesothelioma Register. Aboriginal cases up to the end of 2013 were extracted from the register and compared with non-Aboriginal cases with respect to the primary means/source of exposure. Age-standardised incidence rates for each decade from 1980 were calculated for both Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals. Age-standardised mortality rates were calculated for the period 1994-2008 and compared with international rates. RESULTS: There were 39 cases (77% male) of MM among WA Aboriginal people. Twenty-six (67%) were a direct result of the mining of crocidolite at Wittenoom and the subsequent contamination of the surrounding lands. Of the non-Aboriginal MM cases (n = 2070, 86.3% male), fewer than 25% can be attributed to Wittenoom. Aboriginals had consistently higher 10-year incidence rates than non-Aboriginals and, when compared to world populations, the highest mortality rate internationally. CONCLUSION: When incidence rates in Aboriginal people are compared with non-Aboriginal people, the Wittenoom mining operation has had a disproportionate effect on MM incidence in the local Aboriginal population.

Effects of asbestos and smoking on gas diffusion in people exposed to crocidolite.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of asbestos exposure and tobacco smoking on the level and rate of change of the diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO). DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: A cohort study of 934 people (including both mine workers and town residents) exposed to crocidolite (blue asbestos) at the asbestos mines and in the town of Wittenoom, Western Australia, between 1943 and 1966. DLCO measurements were taken during a follow-up period from 1992 to 2002. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Baseline levels of DLCO and change in levels over time. RESULTS: 2980 DLCO measurements were done on 934 people (of whom 818 were men and 724 were workers) who underwent a median of 2 (range, 1-17) measurements during the follow-up period. Radiographic asbestosis at baseline and asbestos exposure at a younger age were associated with lower DLCO values. The average rate of decline in DLCO was 0.33 (95% CI, 0.31-0.35) units per year, plus an additional decrement of 0.22 (95% CI, 0.12-0.32) units per year if the participant had radiographic asbestosis at the beginning of the follow-up period. Compared with never-smokers, current smokers and ex-smokers had lower DLCO at baseline, but smoking status did not affect the change in DLCO during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm a continuous deleterious effect of crocidolite on DLCO, especially on people with asbestosis. Smoking was associated with lower DLCO levels, but was not a significant predictor of rate of change in DLCO. Smoking status did not affect the relationships between crocidolite exposure and the level or rate of change of DLCO in this population.

What can Busselton population health surveys tell us about asthma in older people?

WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW: Do the characteristics of asthma differ in people older than 55 years compared with younger people with respect to risk factors (atopy, airway hyper-responsiveness and genetic variation), smoking, lung function and other illness? How do inflammation and remodelling of airways vary with age and with duration and severity of asthma? WHAT WE NEED TO DO: Continue collecting prevalence data for asthma and its risk factors. Assess (i) period and cohort effects on asthma and its risk factors and (ii) interactions between age, smoking, severity and duration of asthma, lung function and airway responsiveness, and other concurrent disease. Measure airway responsiveness and exhaled nitric oxide to detect airway abnormalities in older people and relate this to the diagnoses of asthma and other diseases.