A report released today at the World Heart Federation World Congress of Cardiology in Dubai reveals significant gaps in public awareness regarding the cardiovascular risks of tobacco use and secondhand smoke.

Advocates in the Netherlands are asking for your signature on a new petition. They are calling for Prime Minister Mark Rutte to stop partnering with the tobacco industry and hold the tobacco industry accountable for the preventable deaths in Netherlands and around the world.

Smoking bans in offices, restaurants and other public places don't drive smokers to light up more at home, but in fact prompt them to impose their own extra restrictions on the habit, according to an ITC European study published in the journal Tobacco Control. The research carried out in Britain, Ireland, France, Germany and the Netherlands, found that a significant proportion of smokers also decided to ban smoking in their own homes after national public smoke-free laws were introduced.

Dr. Geoffrey Fong discusses the limited success of tobacco control policies in China and the Netherlands in a forthcoming issue of International Innovation. The article discusses the powerful influence of the tobacco industry which has led to weak policies in both countries.