Posted on 05/27/2004 2:25:23 PM PDT by ATOMIC_PUNK
To: National Desk, Health Reporter
Contact: HHS Press Office, 202-690-6343
WASHINGTON, May 27 /U.S. Newswire/ -- U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona today released a new comprehensive report on smoking and health, revealing for the first time that smoking causes diseases in nearly every organ of the body. Published 40 years after the surgeon general's first report on smoking -- which concluded that smoking was a definite cause of three serious diseases -- this newest report finds that cigarette smoking is conclusively linked to diseases such as leukemia, cataracts, pneumonia and cancers of the cervix, kidney, pancreas and stomach.
"We've known for decades that smoking is bad for your health, but this report shows that it's even worse," Dr. Carmona said. "The toxins from cigarette smoke go everywhere the blood flows. I'm hoping this new information will help motivate people to quit smoking and convince young people not to start in the first place."
According to the report, smoking kills an estimated 440,000 Americans each year. On average, men who smoke cut their lives short by 13.2 years, and female smokers lose 14.5 years. The economic toll exceeds $157 billion each year in the United States -- $75 billion in direct medical costs and $82 billion in lost productivity.
"We need to cut smoking in this country and around the world," HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said. "Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and disease, costing us too many lives, too many dollars and too many tears. If we are going to be serious about improving health and preventing disease we must continue to drive down tobacco use. And we must prevent our youth from taking up this dangerous habit."
In 1964, the Surgeon General's report announced medical research showing that smoking was a definite cause of cancers of the lung and larynx (voice box) in men and chronic bronchitis in both men and women. Later reports concluded that smoking causes a number of other diseases such as cancers of the bladder, esophagus, mouth and throat; cardiovascular diseases; and reproductive effects. Today's new report, The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General, expands the list of illness and conditions linked to smoking. The new illnesses and diseases are cataracts, pneumonia, acute myeloid leukemia, abdominal aortic aneurysm, stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, cervical cancer, kidney cancer and periodontitis.
Statistics indicate that more than 12 million Americans have died from smoking since the 1964 report of the surgeon general, and another 25 million Americans alive today will most likely die of a smoking-related illness.
The report's release comes in advance of World No Tobacco Day, an annual event on May 31 that focuses global attention on the health hazards of tobacco use. The goals of World No Tobacco Day are to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco use, encourage people not to use tobacco, motivate users to quit and encourage countries to implement comprehensive tobacco control programs.
The report concludes that smoking reduces the overall health of smokers, contributing to such conditions as hip fractures, complications from diabetes, increased wound infections following surgery, and a wide range of reproductive complications. For every premature death caused each year by smoking, there are at least 20 smokers living with a serious smoking-related illness.
Another major conclusion, consistent with recent findings of other scientific studies, is that smoking so-called low-tar or low-nicotine cigarettes does not offer a heath benefit over smoking regular or "full-flavor" cigarettes.
"There is no safe cigarette, whether it is called 'light,' ultra-light,' or any other name," Dr. Carmona said. "The science is clear: the only way to avoid the health hazards of smoking is to quit completely or to never start smoking."
The report concludes that quitting smoking has immediate and long-term benefits, reducing risks for diseases caused by smoking and improving health in general. "Within minutes and hours after smokers inhale that last cigarette, their bodies begin a series of changes that continue for years," Dr. Carmona said. "Among these health improvements are a drop in heart rate, improved circulation, and reduced risk of heart attack, lung cancer and stroke. By quitting smoking today a smoker can assure a healthier tomorrow."
Dr. Carmona said it is never too late to stop smoking. Quitting smoking at age 65 or older reduces by nearly 50 percent a person's risk of dying of a smoking-related disease.
In addition to the 960-page printed report, The Health Consequences of Smoking, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a new interactive scientific database of more than 1,600 key articles cited in the report, available through the Internet ( http://www.surgeongeneral.gov ). The database can be used to find detailed information on the specific health effects of smoking as well as to develop customized analyses, tables and figures.
The database will be continually updated as new critical studies are published, allowing the surgeon general to determine on a regular basis whether the evidence supports a new definitive conclusion about smoking-caused disease. "Using this technology, once a threshold of danger is met, we can quickly alert the American people of new information related to smoking," Dr. Carmona said.
The report found that for a number of diseases and conditions associated with smoking, the evidence is not yet conclusive to establish a causal link. For these illnesses, which include colorectal cancer, liver cancer, prostate cancer, and erectile dysfunction in men, additional studies are needed to reach the threshold of evidence required by the Surgeon General's strict causal criteria to declare that they are causally related to smoking. These criteria were introduced in the 1964 report and have been updated in the 2004 report using new uniform standards.
For breast cancer, the evidence suggests that there is no causal relationship overall to smoking. However, the report notes that on a genetic basis, some women may be at increased risk if they smoke. More research is required to clarify the role of smoking in the cause and progression of breast cancer.
To help communicate the report findings as widely as possible, Surgeon General Carmona also unveiled a new animated Web site for the public showing the hazards of smoking and the benefits of quitting ( http://www.surgeongeneral.gov ). In addition, a full- color, easy-to-read summary of the report has been developed for the public.
"The Web site and public summary of the smoking report are something that I am really proud of," Dr. Carmona said. "By preparing materials that people who don't have a medical degree can understand we effectively bring the science to people in a way they can use. Improving the health literacy of Americans by closing the gap between what health professionals know and the public understands will have a lasting positive health impact."
Copies of the full The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General and related materials are available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office on Smoking and Health, 1-800-CDC-1311, http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco and on the surgeon general's Web site at http://www.surgeongeneral.gov.
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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.
(Excerpt) Read more at releases.usnewswire.com ...
I wasn't being humorous.
Lots of things lots of people do are not exactly "healthy" but do not get the abuse and junk science heaped upon them the way it is done with smokers and smoking.
So that's my problem????? And all along I thought it was just because I was to lazy to pull out the razor..........
All kidding aside, Delaware used to have a page on one of their websites titled the A to Z's of Smoking......you name it, it was on the list.
What irks me to no end about this latest "list" from the SG is it continues to perpetuate lies that have been shown for that for years. For example cervical cancer is caused by a virus 99% of the time, not by smoking. And the particular virus, HPV, is actually a sexually tranmitted disease.
I like this stat. Since 1964 12,000,000 people have died from smoking. How old were they and what are their names? How many people died in; auto accidents, drownings, shredders, ect....?
ROTFLMAO
Their behavior control hasn't been successful so now we have a bunch of new fears. It's funny how the number of smoking related deaths keeps growing, while the rate of smoking is decreasing. The cigs of today must be the "crack of tobacco"!
As someone else posted - there have been far more abortions than that in less time. and those are all verifiable deaths - not statistics.
"There is also a bizarre host of additives,. . ." Don't know about additives, but here's a list of ingredients. In reality, there are 599 ingredients in a cigarette. Here are just some of those 599…. Particularly GROSS ingredients: -Tar: This ingredient, which gives cigarettes flavor, is the same thick black substance used to pave roads and driveways. formaldehyde's: This is the same stuff used to preserve dead animals, like the frogs dissected in some biology classes. -Cyanide: also a main ingredient in rat poison. -Lead: It's also found in some kinds of paint. -Acetone: a common ingredient in paint and nail polish remover. -Ammonia: Besides the fact that it's in many household cleaners, it's also in cigarettes. -Carbon monoxide: a common pollutant and the same stuff that escapes from the exhaust in cars. -Hydrazine: a chemical used in jets and rocket fuel. Carcinogenic or Cancer Causing Ingredients: Nitrosamines Crysenes Cadmium Benzo(a)pyrene Polonium 210 Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) Nickel DibenzAcidine B-Napthylamine Urethane N.Nitrosonornicotine Toluidine Metals Aluminum Beryllium Zinc Magnesium Mercury Gold Silicon Silver Titanium Lead Copper And some other gross stuff is in there too… Acetone: Nail Polish Remover Acetic Acid: Vinegar Ammonia: Floor /Toilet Cleaner Arsenic: Poison Benzene Butane: Lighter Fluid Cadmium: NiCad Batteries Carbon Monoxide: Car Exhaust Fumes Cyanide: Metabolic Poison Chloroform: Anesthetic DDT/Dieldrin: Insecticides Ethanol: Alcohol Formaldehyde: Preserver (Body, Tissue and Fabric) Hexamine: Barbecue Lighter Methane: Swamp Gas Methanol: Rocket Fuel Napthalene: Mothballs Nicotine: Insecticide, Addictive Drug Nitrobenzene: Gasoline Additive Nitrous Oxide Phenols : Disinfectant Stearic Acid: Candle Wax Toluene: Industrial Solvent Vinyl Chloride: Makes PVC Also found some interesting quotes, FWIW. By 1836, it was already well-established "that thousands and tens of thousands die of diseases of the lungs generally brought on by tobacco smoking. . . . How is it possible to be otherwise? Tobacco is a poison. A man will die of an infusion of tobacco as of a shot through the head." —Samuel Green, New England Almanack and Farmer's Friend (1836). Yes, "nicotine is a poison."—Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. Memo 1978, cited in Georgina Lovell, You Are the Target: Big Tobacco: Lies, Scams—Now the Truth (Vancouver, B.C: Chryan Communications, 2002).
good point - I'd like to know how many people did not die from smoking (related) in the last 40 years...
How many died from being fat, alcholic, drowning, etc..
New Surgeon General warning I'd like to see:
Warning: LIFE will kill you - no telling how or when but you will assuredly die.
good point - I'd like to know how many people did not die from smoking (related) in the last 40 years...
How many died from being fat, alcholic, drowning, etc..
New Surgeon General warning I'd like to see:
Warning: LIFE will kill you - no telling how or when but you will assuredly die.
"Sorry, there's no safe way to drag the products of combustion over some of the most sensitive and fragile tissue in the human body."
Better ban all combustibles, it's for the chilrun don't ya know! No more BBQ's, candle light dinners, cooking, cars or manufacturing. Better get back to the stone age!
"There is also a bizaare host of additives,. . ."
Don't know about additives, but here's a list of ingredients.
In reality, there are 599 ingredients in a cigarette.
Here are just some of those 599….
Particularly GROSS ingredients:
-Tar: This ingredient, which gives cigarettes flavor, is the same thick black substance used to pave roads and driveways.
-Formaldehyde: This is the same stuff used to preserve dead animals, like the frogs dissected in some biology classes.
-Cyanide: also a main ingredient in rat poison.
-Lead: It's also found in some kinds of paint.
-Acetone: a common ingredient in paint and nail polish remover.
-Ammonia: Besides the fact that it's in many household cleaners, it's also in cigarettes.
-Carbon monoxide: a common pollutant and the same stuff that escapes from the exhaust in cars.
-Hydrazine: a chemical used in jets and rocket fuel.
Carcinogenic or Cancer Causing Ingredients:
Nitrosamines
Crysenes
Cadmium
Benzo(a)pyrene
Polonium 210
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
Nickel
DibenzAcidine
B-Napthylamine
Urethane
N.Nitrosonornicotine
Toluidine
Metals
Aluminum
Beryllium
Zinc
Magnesium
Mercury
Gold
Silicon
Silver
Titanium
Lead
Copper
And some other gross stuff is in there too…
Acetone: Nail Polish Remover
Acetic Acid: Vinegar
Ammonia: Floor /Toilet Cleaner
Arsenic: Poison
Benzene
Butane: Lighter Fluid
Cadmium: NiCad Batteries
Carbon Monoxide: Car Exhaust Fumes
Cyanide: Metabolic Poison
Chloroform: Anesthetic
DDT/Dieldrin: Insecticides
Ethanol: Alcohol
Formaldehyde: Preserver (Body, Tissue and Fabric)
Hexamine: Barbecue Lighter
Methane: Swamp Gas
Methanol: Rocket Fuel
Napthalene: Mothballs
Nicotine: Insecticide, Addictive Drug
Nitrobenzene: Gasoline Additive
Nitrous Oxide Phenols : Disinfectant
Stearic Acid: Candle Wax
Toluene: Industrial Solvent
Vinyl Chloride: Makes PVC
Also found some interesting quotes, FWIW.
By 1836, it was already well-established "that thousands and tens of thousands die of diseases of the lungs generally brought on by tobacco smoking. . . . How is it possible to be otherwise? Tobacco is a poison. A man will die of an infusion of tobacco as of a shot through the head." —Samuel Green, New England Almanack and Farmer's Friend (1836).
Yes, "nicotine is a poison."—Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. Memo 1978, cited in Georgina Lovell, You Are the Target: Big Tobacco: Lies, Scams—Now the Truth (Vancouver, B.C: Chryan Communications, 2002).
Yeah but smoking deaths are preventable.
I'm sure there are some things smoking is blamed for it has nothing to do with. But, like the case of the bratty kid, all the bad stuff yet to be discovered more than outweighs any present injustice.
Think about it. Add more than a decade to your life by not smoking. That's a lot of birthdays, school plays, soccer games, marriages, and births.
All lethal addictions produce huge amounts of personal dishonesty to relieve the cognitive dissonance, plus the usual foxhole humor to deal with untimely and ugly deaths. Except that this foxhole is one you can step out of at anytime, which makes the humor just part of the usual junkie dishonesty.
I don't think smokers are "abused". I think they, like all junkies, tend to abuse everyone around them, including -- no, especially -- the ones they love the most.
And no, I am not an ex-smoker. And, FWIW, I do not think that much of the present movement to ban smoking on private property is legal or moral.
We had some idiot earlier this week douse himself with kerosene and set himself on fire over a breakup with his girl friend. Last I heard he was still hanging on the edges of life. Since he had a lighter, this will be called smoking related.
"Just be honest with yourselves, folks. Just come out and say "Breathing smoke is more important to me than seeing 13 years of my children and grandkids' lives."
Do you support government intervention to ensure that individuals will be able to "see 13 years of their children and grandkids' lives"? If so, would you also advocate government intervention in eating habits? If not, what gives you the authority to be so judgemental over other's choices?
Your list is proof that the damage occurs from a specific level of exposure. Smoking tobacco does not raise any of those potential toxins to the levels that are damaging. If they did, we would see people keeling over after smoking a cigarette.
No.
I can not believe and self-respecting FReeper would quote anything from that windbag. She is the queen of distortion...........I have been quite familiar with her and her work for several years.
she is known for her "tar jar" that she brings to schools to lie to students about her "research"....it's a quart canning jar with mollasses in it that she claims is tar - not representative of tar but tar.
The list of her lies and distortions goes on and on.
One of her sycophants have been cyber stalking myself and a few other folks for a few years --- and particularly likes seeking my posts on FR to post on other message boards - after taking them totally out of context.
So, what gives you the authority to be so judgemental of other's choices?
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