Author: Peacock Carter

The World Health Organisation (WHO) have published a Questions and Answers article on their website regarding the risks of E-cigarettes.

Globally, there are 1.1 billion adult smokers, 60% of them want or intend to quit. Much has been written and said about the potential of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) such as e-cigarettes to help tobacco users quit. While the evidence is still inconclusive, e-cigarettes are often used along with one or more tobacco products. 

Governments who want to weigh the potential benefits and risks of e-cigarettes for their population should consider the following: 

·       Regarding the potential health effects for which the evidence is mounting, there is insufficient data to understand the full breadth of their impact on health as devices have not been on the market long enough. Especially the long-term effects of using e-cigarettes or being exposed to them are yet unknown.
·       Nevertheless, the evidence is clear that the aerosols of the majority of ENDS contain toxic chemicals, including nicotine and substances that can cause cancer. ENDS on their own are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and lung disorders and adverse effects on the development of the fetus during pregnancy. ENDS are undoubtedly harmful, should be strictly regulated, and, most importantly, must be kept away from children. Nicotine is highly addictive and found in most e-cigarettes. Both tobacco products and e-cigarettes pose risks to health and the safest approach is not to consume either.

·       It is of particular public health concern that increasingly children and adolescents take up the use of e-cigarettes in some countries. Most ENDS can be manipulated by the user. Some manufacturers also hold patents to remotely manipulate nicotine dosages and toxicant delivery. Furthermore, there is a growing body of evidence in some countries that never-smoker adolescents who use ENDS at least double their chance of starting to smoke cigarettes later in life. Exposing children and adolescents to nicotine can have long-lasting, damaging effects on brain development and lead to nicotine addiction.

WHO continues to monitor the evidence and technological developments and will adapt this statement accordingly.

Analysis of off-trade alcohol sales over the full year following the introduction of Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) has shown that the volume of pure alcohol sold per adult in Scotland fell by 3.6%, according to a NHS Health Scotland report.

Compared to the 12 months which preceded implementation of MUP in May 2018, the volume of pure alcohol sold per adult in the off-trade in Scotland decreased from 7.4 to 7.1 litres. In England and Wales – where MUP has not been implemented – the volume of pure alcohol sold in the off-trade during the same year increased from 6.3 to 6.5 litres.

In the post-MUP year in Scotland per adult sales of cider fell the most (down 18.6%), while sales of spirits fell by 3.8%, and sales of beer remained relatively stable (down 1.1%). Sales of cider, spirits and beer all increased in England and Wales over the same time period. Fortified wine was the only drink category in which per adult sales in Scotland increased post-MUP.

The report also found that trends in per adult alcohol sales in the North East and North West regions of England were similar to those in the rest of England and Wales. It is therefore unlikely that cross-border sales activity can explain the changes in per adult alcohol sales in Scotland and England and Wales respectively, in the year following the implementation of MUP.

The findings also confirm that there was a step change in the average price of alcohol in Scotland immediately following the implementation of MUP. The average price of off-trade alcohol in Scotland rose by 5 pence per unit (ppu) from 55ppu to 60ppu in May 2018 – a price increase not seen in England & Wales. The rise in Scotland was driven by an increase in the average sales price of beer, spirits and most markedly cider.

“This is the first time we have been able to analyse sales data covering the full year following the introduction of MUP, and it is encouraging that off-trade alcohol sales fell in Scotland following its implementation,” said Lucie Giles, Public Health Intelligence Advisor at NHS Health Scotland.

“This analysis of alcohol sales and price in the off-trade is one of several in our evaluation portfolio that will examine the impact of MUP on the price of alcohol and population level alcohol consumption. Further studies looking at longer term, post-MUP data will report in due course”.

In late December 2019, the People’s Republic of China reported an outbreak of pneumonia due to unknown cause in Wuhan City, Hubei Province.

In early January 2020, the cause of the outbreak was identified as a new coronavirus. While early cases were likely infected by an animal source in a ‘wet market’ in Wuhan, ongoing human-to-human transmission is now occurring.

On the 30 January 2020 the World Health Organization declared that the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

In Scotland, Public health regulations have been amended to make coronavirus (Covid-19) a notifiable disease.

The changes to the Public Health (Scotland) Act 2008 mean that medical practitioners are now required to share patient information with health boards if they have reasonable grounds to suspect a person they are attending has coronavirus.

There are a number of coronaviruses that are transmitted from human-to-human which are not of public health concern. However COVID-19 can cause respiratory illness of varying severity. Currently, there is no vaccine and no specific treatment for infection with the virus. 

The Scottish Government’s approach is guided by the Chief Medical Officer, and continue to monitor the situation closely and to work with the WHO and international community.

What is Coronavirus?

A coronavirus is a type of virus. Typical symptoms include fever, a cough that may progress to a severe pneumonia causing shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

Generally, coronavirus can cause more severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long term conditions like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease.

Because it's a new illness, it is not exactly understood how coronavirus spreads from person to person, have a precise incubation period and there hasn’t been any studies on how long it might survive outside the body.

Similar viruses spread by droplets generated in coughs and sneezes and are likely to develop within a few days of exposure. Based on current information, public health advice is that anyone potentially exposed should be alert to any symptoms for 14 days after their last possible exposure. 

What are the symptoms of coronavirus?

Symptoms of a coronavirus infection usually start up to 14 days after catching the infection. Common symptoms include:

• high temperature or fever
• cough
• shortness of breath

What is the current situation?

The WHO has continued to produce daily situation reports containing the latest numbers of confirmed cases. On 20 February 2020, 99% of confirmed COVID-19 cases globally were reported from China, with 26 other countries around the world have reported confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Which areas are affected by coronavirus?

Certain areas have been identified where people are at higher risk of getting coronavirus. This includes:

• China
• Thailand
• Japan
• Republic of Korea
• Hong Kong
• Taiwan
• Singapore
• Malaysia
• Macau

 What is the situation in Scotland?

A total of 368 Scottish tests have concluded, of which 368 were confirmed negative and 0 positive (as of 21 February 2020). For up to date figures see here.

Overseas visitors to Scotland, regardless of their residency status, are exempt from NHS charges for both the diagnosis and treatment of coronavirus (COVID-19). `

What can be done to prevent infection with coronavirus?

Advice has been issued for people who have recently been in any of the risk areas so that the possibility of them passing on the virus is minimised. This advice includes self-isolation for people who have recently been in Wuhan City or other parts of Hubei province even if they have no symptoms. Anyone who has recently been in any risk area, and who is unwell is being managed according to national guidelines to reduce the risk of transmission of the illness.

You can reduce your risk of acquiring and spreading respiratory infections by practising good respiratory hygiene, such as:

• avoiding direct hand contact with your eyes, nose and mouth
• maintaining good hand hygiene – washing hands with soap and water or alcohol hand sanitiser, after coughing or sneezing, after going to the toilet, and prior to eating and drinking
• wherever possible avoid direct contact with people that have a respiratory illness and avoid using their personal items such as their mobile phone
• when coughing or sneezing cover your nose and mouth with disposable tissues and dispose of them in the nearest waste bin after use

The operator of a North Sea trawler has been fined £50,000 over safety failures which led to the death of a crewman.

Annang Nuertey was working as a deckhand on board the Banff-registered Aquarius when he was knocked overboard by a wire in the early hours of August 17, 2015 near Girdleness Lighthouse in Aberdeen. He was not wearing a lifejacket, and sank out of view. The 47-year-old, from Ghana, has never been found.

A report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) previously said the vessel's crew were not adequately prepared to deal with emergencies.

MB Aquarius Ltd, of Buckie, has now pleaded guilty to health and safety breaches at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.

The incident was investigated by Police Scotland and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The investigation found that the company had failed to carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks involved in the task of marking the trawl wire.

They had also failed to properly plan and supervise the task and ensure that there was a safe system of work in place.

A Crown Office spokesman said: "The company's failures lead to the death of Annang Neurtey. His family and friends must live with the consequences of those failings.

"This sad incident should serve as a reminder to vessel operators and the fishing industry that they should ensure that they are familiar with and adhere to the regulations and that failure to do so can have tragic consequences."

The MAIB’s published a report in 2016 about their investigation. The report contains details of what happened and the subsequent actions taken, read more.

They also published a safety flyer for the fishing industry summarising the accident and detailing the safety lessons learned has also been produced.

The UK government has confirmed plans to introduce import controls on EU goods at the border after the transition period ends on 31 December 2020.

Michael Gove has confirmed all UK exports and imports will be treated equally. This will mean traders in the EU and GB will have to submit customs declarations and be liable to goods’ checks. He also confirmed that the policy easements put in place for a potential no deal exit will not be reintroduced as businesses have time to prepare.

Businesses can prepare for border controls by making sure they have an Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number, and also looking into how they want to make declarations such as using a customs agent. We will ensure facilitations currently available to rest of the world traders will also be open to those trading between GB and EU.

Michael Gove said:

“The UK will be outside the single market and outside the customs union, so we will have to be ready for the customs procedures and regulatory checks that will inevitably follow.

As a result of that we will be in a stronger position, not just to make sure that our economy succeeds outside the European Union but that we are in a position to take advantage of new trading relationships with the rest of the world.”

HMRC extended the deadline for businesses to apply for customs support funding to 31 January 2021. To date, applications have been made for around £18.5 million out of a possible £26 million – meaning there is at least £7.5 million left to claim from HMRC.

This is aimed at GB/EU traders. This approach does not apply to the flow of trade between Northern Ireland and Ireland, or between Northern Ireland and GB.

New research by Unchecked.uk and the Times has found that nearly one in five food samples in England, Wales and Scotland contains at least one undeclared allergen. 

Out of 6,602 food samples tested for allergens by Local Authorities in 2016, 2017 and 2018, 1,213 were found to contain traces of allergenic substances. In each case there was no indication of the allergen’s presence in the food product. 

In Scotland just under 8 per cent contained an undeclared allergen, in England more than 20 per cent of samples, and in Wales nearly 44 per cent. 

Samples were taken from local food premises, such as manufacturers, takeaways, restaurants, hospitals, schools and care homes. In each case there was reportedly no declaration of the allergen’s presence in the food product.

Peanuts were the most commonly detected allergen, found in five per cent of tested food samples, but a range of high-risk allergens were found, including gluten, milk, egg, sulphites, soya, sesame, mustard and other nuts. 

Emma Rose, Director of Unchecked.uk said “These figures show that there is a real postcode lottery when it comes to food sampling. In the worst-case scenario, unknowingly consuming an allergen can prove fatal – and that is why the law requires food businesses to tell people what allergens their food contains,” 

“But regulation is only as good as the enforcement that underpins it. And it is clear that in the case of UK food law, the enforcement gap is looming large. Cuts in staff and funding have stretched regulators to breaking point, and the fall in enforcement activities is putting lives at risk.”

The fall in sampling in the last three years is part of a wider long-term decline in total food sampling, the researchers suggested, which has reportedly fallen by approximately 60 percent since 2009. According to the analysis, food law enforcement staff numbers have also fallen by a third since 2009, and there are now just three staff in post per 1,000 UK food establishments.

“This is critically important work. The presence of unlabelled allergens in a range of foods is potentially life-threatening for increasing numbers of consumers with allergies, intolerances and coeliac disease. Sampling by Local Authority Food Officers and testing by Public Analysts are essential to ensure food is safe and labelling is correct. These results are a major concern, indicating the urgent need for additional local authority resources to protect consumers,” said Dr Hazel Gowland, a leading expert in food allergy risks.

“Local authorities are required to prepare and publish a food sampling policy which commits them to providing the resources necessary to carry out a food sampling programme. Sampling programmes are expected to be risk based. Eating food outside of the home presents a risk to those with an allergic disease and sampling is the only way to ensure that caterers are managing these risks adequately if at all,” added Dr Duncan Campbell, Honorary Secretary of the Association of Public Analysts.

Free training – enhance your CV, save your business money and improve environmental performance

Is your workplace as green as it could be? Do you want to help your colleagues save energy, reduce waste and recycle better? 

You can learn how to grow a greener, more profitable business at one of Resource Efficient Scotland’s Green Champions training events this March. 

By attending the workshop you’ll join the 1,500 professionals who have already become Green Champions and are making their businesses greener. You’ll find out about available funding, understand the changing resource landscape and go beyond compliance to save money, grow profits and increase competitive advantage.

Training is taking place in Aberdeen, Inverness, Glasgow and Edinburgh (and by webinar). Book your place here. 

West Lothian Council’s Environmental Health team was recognised as being the best performing Environmental Health team in the UK at the 2019 Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE) awards, held recently.

The team were also finalists in the most improved service category of the awards. These awards are made by APSE as part of the annual benchmarking information submitted by local authorities throughout the UK.

Executive councillor for the environment Tom Conn said: “Congratulations to our dedicated Environmental Health team on this prestigious national award. To be recognised as the best performing service in the UK by APSE demonstrates the excellent service the team offers on behalf of local residents.”

The benchmarking information compares local authorities costs, service delivery and outputs in a number of different areas. The APSE performance measures allows comparison between councils across a range of factors including customer satisfaction, enforcement activities and service costs. 

Environmental Health and Trading Standards manager Craig Smith said: “We are delighted with this award, which is the culmination of continuous improvements in service delivery over recent years.

“The award was achieved thanks to the dedication and hard work of our officers, as we continue to achieve a high level of service, while being one of lowest costing Environmental Health teams in the UK.”

APSE chief executive Paul O’Brien said: “With the ongoing pressures on council finances now is not the time to let up on the need for effective performance management.

“By using the hard evidence of data collected across the largest voluntary benchmarking service in UK local councils, we know that these winners and finalists in the APSE Performance Networks Awards 2019 are amongst the best in local government.”

Non- healthcare professionals will need a licence granted by Environmental Health Officers, to carry out cosmetic procedures such as dermal fillers or lip enhancements under proposals being put forward by the Scottish Government.

Treatments, such as dermal fillers or lip enhancements, are currently available in premises such as aesthetic clinics, beauty salons, hairdressers and other similar locations.

Non-surgical treatments such as Botox and fillers account for nine out of 10 cosmetic procedures in the UK and are worth about £2.75bn a year.

However, the non-surgical cosmetic industry is almost entirely unregulated.

The Scottish Government propose that those who are not qualified healthcare professionals and who provide higher risk, non-surgical cosmetic procedures that pierce/penetrate the skin are regulated by licence under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982.

It is proposed that a licence will be required for carrying on a business which provides cosmetic procedures such as dermal fillers, lip enhancements. 

It is intended that the licences would be similar to those required by tattoo parlours, so that local authority Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) would visit the premises and assess them against the specified conditions before a licence is granted.

When considering the license EHOs would assess whether the applicant is fit and proper person, where the applicant’s knowledge, skill, training and experience would be taken into account. 

The Scottish Government is seeking views from the public and interested parties in a consultation that will run until the end of April this year.

Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick said:

“We are committed to patient safety and want to ensure that all those who carry out non-surgical procedures, such as dermal fillers or lip enhancements, are competent and that the treatments take place in safe and hygienic premises.

“We plan to introduce regulations later this year and invite members of the public and interested parties to give their views as part of the consultation on our proposals.”

“In the meantime, we urge anyone considering any kind of cosmetic surgery to visit the Health Improvement Scotland website for regulated and approved providers.”

Scotland is to be part of an initiative aimed at improving the detection and treatment of tick-borne diseases.

NHS Highland health board has agreed to become involved in the EU NorthTick research project hopes to develop new tests to make diagnosis of diseases easier and also develop more targeted antibiotics.

NHS Highland is one of ten partners from seven European countries collaborating to develop tools to meet the challenges of tick-borne diseases.

There has been an increase in people affected by tick-borne disease in recent decades, with the reasons for this including climate change, increased urbanisation and other human impacts on the ecosystem.

The main aims of NorthTick are to increase awareness and stimulate the public sector towards generate innovative ideas and solutions for improving how tick-borne diseases are treated. The project is set to run for three and a half years.

The work will include looking at prevention measures by improving awareness rates and developing new microbial diagnostic tools for common and emerging new tick-borne diseases in the European North Sea region.

Institutions from Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway are also involved in the project.

A new taskforce dedicated to tackling serious and organised waste crime, has been launched.

The Joint Unit for Waste Crime (JUWC) will for the first time bring together law enforcement agencies including Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), environmental regulators, HMRC and the National Crime Agency in the war against waste crime.

Serious and organised waste crime is estimated to cost the UK economy at least £600 million a year and a 2018 Home Office review found that perpetrators are often involved in other serious criminal activity, including large scale fraud and in some cases modern slavery.

To tackle the growing trend in criminal waste networks, the new unit will conduct site inspections, make arrests and prosecutions and, upon conviction, push for heavy fines and custodial sentences.

By working together in this way, Joint Unit partners can more easily share their intelligence and resources to take swifter action when investigating criminal waste operations and other connected illegal activities, such as money laundering and human trafficking.

Toby Willison, Chair of the JUWC Board, said:

“The war against waste crime just took a giant step forward. The launch of this new unit means we now have a full complement of partners across law enforcement as well as our counterparts in Scotland and Wales to bring down waste criminals for good.

We will target serious and organised criminals across the country as they try to illegally exploit the waste industry and the environment. These criminal gangs need to know that we have them in our sights.

The Joint Unit for Waste Crime is one of a number of initiatives in the government’s landmark Resources and Waste Strategy, which is focused on tackling waste crime and driving up levels of performance in the industry.”

Jennifer Shearer, Head of Enforcement at SEPA, said:

“SEPA’s Regulatory Strategy makes it clear that ‘compliance is non-negotiable’, and being a partner on the Joint Unit for Waste Crime is a clear step forward in ensuring that responsible agencies work together to disrupt and prevent waste criminals from operating.

Organised waste crime operates across geographical boundaries and has a serious and detrimental impact on our environment, communities and compliant businesses. Working together in this way allows us to tackle this criminality swiftly and effectively.”

This year, Glasgow will hold the UN Climate change summit drawing global attention to Scotland. But what are Scottish cities doing to tackle climate change and become green? 

Glasgow 

Glasgow was the first Scottish city to introduce a low-emission zone.

More improvements have been made in the past year, such as two new camera-controlled bus gates either side of Central Station.

One of the council's latest plans is to limit vehicles around George Square as part of multi-million project that could ultimately ban parking in the area entirely.

A public consultation held over October and November last year showed huge public support for less traffic, more pedestrian areas and more green spaces for relaxing

Next week the council will consider a proposal to fully pedestrianise the east and west sides of the square – at the City Chambers and Merchants House, respectively.

The north and south sides would allow public transport and cyclists. If approved this phase could be in place before the UEFA European Football Championships in June.

Further permanent works could also be carried out after the summer of 2023 to improve connectivity just beyond the square, costing an additional £3m.

Aberdeen

There are also a number of ongoing projects in Aberdeen aimed at both cutting traffic and breathing new life into one of the city's most historic spaces.

Aberdeen City Council are considering plans to ban vehicles from certain streets overnight in order to make them safer and "more welcoming".

The ban would apply between 22:00-05:00 on certain areas off Union Street, which runs through the heart of the city.

Certain exemptions would include emergency vehicles and cyclists.

Meanwhile, Union Terrace Gardens – a historic park and thoroughfare – is in the middle of a £25.7 million refurbishment, including new walkways, an amphitheatre, a play area, cafe, and improved toilets.

It is expected to be completed in the summer of next year.

Edinburgh

Edinburgh has rolled out a number of green projects in the past year with several more on the horizon.

It became the first city in the UK to join the Open Streets movement by closing certain areas of the Old Town between midday and 17:00 on the first Sunday of each month.

By the end of 2020 it is hoped that the capital will introduce Scotland's second low emission zone, which means older cars will have to pay to enter the city centre.

Another broader city-wide zone would apply to buses, coaches and commercial vehicles.

And earlier this month the council published plans for radical changes over the next 10 years to make the city carbon neutral.

If the proposals go ahead, large portions of Edinburgh would become pedestrianised, George Street would be shut to vehicles by 2025 and the tram network extended by the end of the decade.

Along with Glasgow, Edinburgh is the only other Scottish city to signal that it would introduce the workplace parking levy.

Dundee

Dundee will be one of the first cities in Scotland to see the introduction of electric bin lorries on its streets, making their debut in April. 

The repowered refuse vehicles are part of the council’s drive to reduce the environmental impact of its fleet.

In addition to the two lorries, the council also plan to introduce two fully electric minibuses and a large mechanical sweeper.

Dundee has also launched the city’s climate action plan in December, a project which aims to target net-zero greenhouse gas emissions for Dundee by 2045 or sooner.