This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Antibiotic resistance is a major global health problem: it implies that vital drugs are no longer effective. A study led by researchers at the Institute of Hydrobiology at TUD Dresden University of Technology demonstrates that pollutants from cigarette smoke and cigarette waste can promote the growth and spread of resistant bacteria in the environment.

While smoking rates have fallen to record lows, vaping has become increasingly common, with some evidence finding it to be a less harmful alternative to cigarettes. But a new study out of Manchester Metropolitan University is countering that, determining that e-cigs are at least as harmful as regular ones — and in at least one key way, they’re worse. “At the beginning [of the study], I also believed that vaping was more beneficial than smoking,” Dr. Maxime Boidin told the Daily Mirror. “You see a lot more people vaping these...

When Joe Biden’s administration announced its intent to ban menthol cigarettes, the medical community welcomed the news, anticipating that it could save hundreds of thousands of lives over several decades and encourage more people to quit smoking. Though flavored cigarettes have been banned in the U.S. since 2009, menthol is the lone exception. The flavor improves the taste of cigarettes and reduces the feeling of throat irritation, which can make the cigarettes particularly addictive.

This story incorporates reporting from The Baltimore Sun, Business Insider and Bloomberg on MSN.com. The Trump administration has withdrawn the Food and Drug Administration’s proposed ban on menthol cigarettes. Initially introduced by the Biden administration in 2022, the proposal aimed to eliminate menthol-flavored cigarettes from the U.S. market. This regulatory shift has significant implications for various stakeholders, including the tobacco industry, convenience store operators, and public health advocates.

On its way out the door, the Biden administration has proposed a rule that would effectively ban cigarettes by requiring a drastic reduction in nicotine content. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which unveiled the proposed rule on Wednesday, says the aim is to make cigarettes unappealing by eliminating their "psychoactive and reinforcing effects." In addition to cigarettes, the FDA's proposed rule covers cigarette tobacco, pipe tobacco (except shisha for waterpipes), and cigars (except for "premium" cigars).

In likely one of its last attempts to address the public health threat posed by smoking, the Biden administration on Wednesday proposed a new rule that would greatly limit the level of nicotine that would be allowed to be contained in combustible tobacco products. “Cigarettes are a financial burden, both to individuals who smoke and everyone else,” said Laurent Huber, executive director of anti-smoking advocacy organization, Action on Smoking and Health, in a statement. “The total annual cost of tobacco in the U.S. is $436 billion, or $1,100 per person....

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seeking to curb the level of nicotine that cigarettes and other combusted tobacco products can contain. The agency is looking to do so through a rule proposed Wednesday that FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said "could save many lives and dramatically reduce the burden of severe illness and disability, while also saving huge amounts of money" if finalized. Cigarettes and "certain other combusted tobacco products" would not be allowed to have more than 0.7 milligrams of nicotine per gram of tobacco under the...

Health officials are pushing to reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes and other tobacco products to “minimally or nonaddictive” levels in a bid to “tackle one of the deadliest consumer products in history.” On Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed a rule to cap nicotine levels at 0.7 milligrams per gram of tobacco in cigarettes and other combusted tobacco products, including cigars and pipe tobacco. The proposal comes nearly seven years after former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb first announced the agency’s plans to make it “harder for future generations...

The Biden administration's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took a significant new step on Wednesday that would effectively ban cigarettes currently on the market in favor of those with lower levels of nicotine. "Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a proposed rule that, if finalized, would make cigarettes and certain other combusted tobacco products minimally or nonaddictive by limiting the level of nicotine in those products. If finalized, the United States would be the first country globally to take such a bold, life-saving action to prevent and reduce...

The Biden administration released a proposal Wednesday to dramatically reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes, a move that anti-smoking advocates believe would save millions of lives but that threatens the powerful tobacco industry. The Food and Drug Administration’s plan to slash nicotine to minimally or nonaddictive levels represents a last-ditch effort by President Joe Biden to influence tobacco policy. The agency is proposing the policy in the waning days of his term, leaving it up to Donald Trump to finalize the effort — or scrap it — once he takes office....