Board of Health discusses tobacco products’ effect on young people

Board of Health discusses tobacco products’ effect on young people

Advocate Staff Report

REVERE – Bonny Carroll, director of the Six City Tobacco Initiative, met with the Board of Health at their last meeting to update them on the latest generation of nicotine products available in the city. Carroll brought a package of nicotine pouches and some electronic nicotine vapes to show board members. She described the high nicotine content in the products with packaging that includes neon colors and cartoon characters, which demonstrates that teens and young people are the targeted consumers.

“We see these everywhere,” Carroll told the board.

According to Carroll, research shows that addiction to nicotine is most powerful when it occurs in someone with an undeveloped brain. Carroll said the brain is considered fully developed at age 26. “These companies spend billions of dollars to market these products, and they know they are marketing to young people,” said Carroll.

Board member Viviana Catano asked if there has been an increase in hospitalization of young people with health problems linked to new nicotine products. Carroll said that data wasn’t available but added, “There’s so much nicotine in these products, I can’t imagine they are not being poisoned.”

Board Chair Dr. Drew Bunker reminded everyone that tobacco and nicotine products can lead to harmful addiction, mental health problems and issues with cardiovascular health.

North Suffolk Public Health Collaborative

The board voted to authorize Bunker to sign an agreement with Winthrop and Chelsea outlining the governance of the North Suffolk Public Health Collaborative. Public Health Director Lauren Buck told board members that since Covid the state has been encouraging the regionalization of health services. The collaborative provides a regional epidemiologist and a regional public health nurse who is in Revere two days a week. The collaborative is overseen by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) and funded by the Public Health Excellence grant.

Prior to this new agreement, each member community paid MAPC to run the collaborative. However, now under the new agreement, the Public Health Excellence grant will cover the cost of running the collaborative.

Revere health by the numbers

  16 — influenza cases in Revere for the month of May

15 — coronavirus cases in Revere for May

1 — a case of measles that Buck said was a direct contact case

34 — routine food inspections conducted

55 — violations issued for accumulation of trash, litter and debris

52 — violations issued for overflowing dumpsters

101 — violations issued for unclean and unsanitary land, including overgrowth and vegetation. Director of Municipal Inspections & Health Agent Michael Wells reminded residents that we are in overgrowth season and lawns need to be maintained throughout the summer.

Back on track

The board voted to remove the condemnation of homes at 71 Pitcairn St. and 56 Ambrose St. According to Wells, since the board voted to condemn the properties, permits have been pulled, and work has been done to rehabilitate the properties.

“Sometimes the board has to make tough decisions,” said Wells. “But the result here is properties returned to habitable condition and blights [were] removed from neighborhoods.”