Tobacco Documents Online

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 1/15: Copy to: Mr. Wm. D. Hobbs Thursday, January 11, 1979 Mr. D. W. Grout Mr. C. A. Tucker Mr. J. J. Murphy Statement by Mr. Ron Sustana JULIUS B. RICHMOND, M.D. Mr . A. L. Barnett ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND SURGEON GENERAL on the release of THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY SURGEON GENERAL'S REPORT ON SMOKING The Surgeon General's Report on Smoking which we are releasing today provides overwhelming evidence connecting cigarette smoking with disabling and fatal diseases. It reflects the results of thousands of studies undertaken since the original report, and these studies clearly illustrate that cigarette sr.feking is far more dangerous to health than we believed in 1964. The report is in effect an encyclopedia of current knowledge about the many aspects of smoking and health. It represents extensive work by-any scientists and more than 100 reviewers from the Public Health Service and in the private sector were involved in its preparation. A year after the 1964 report, all cigarette packs and print advertising were required to bear the statement: "Caution, cigarette smoking may be hazardous to your health." In 1970, this was changed to read: "Warning: the Surgeon General has determined that cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health." In the ensuing years, we have learned much more about these dangers and we have learned much more about who in our population is at a very high risk to the hazards of cigarette smoking. The report we are releasing today has a wealth of information regarding smoking and its consequences. It should be of particular N ~ r W

2 ! , interest to women, industrial workers, children and teenagers, and those who are concerned with the health conseauences of smokina but still haven't been able to "give up the habit." As a pediatrician, I am particularly concerned about the additional evidence regarding the dangers to the fetus of a pregnant woman who smokes. Women who are pregnant and smoke stand a greater chance of retarding fetal growth, and the pmaller the infant'at birth the more likely the chances of health,problems and even death. The pregnant woman who smokes is more likely to have a spontaneous abortion. The children of women who smoke 4're more likely to have measurable deficiencies in physical growth and development. I cannot urge strongly enough that pregnant women--in order to protect their unborn--should refrain from smoking. For women who use contraceptives containing estrogens, the report cautions that there is ten-times the chance of having a heart at_~3ck than for women who do not smoke and who do not take such contraceptives. While there is a considerable decline in smoking among adult males, the prevalence of smoking among adult females has remained unchanged. This is particularly disturbing since, in addition to the cited dangers to women of childbearing age, there is the increasing likelihood that death from lung cancer among women will exceed death from breast cancer within the next decade. To industrial workers exposed to toxic agents, I would warn that their dangers resulting from cigarette smoking are especially high. For example, smokers exposed to asbestos, rubber fumes,

3 dust, and radiation from uranium mining have a far greater risk of serious disease and death than non-smoking workers at the same site. For the sake of themselves and their families, these smokers must recognize the special hazards they face and make a decided attempt to stop smoking. Childreb and teenagers, according to the report, are experimenting with smoking at an earlier age than ever before. I should like to caution young people that the mortality rates from all causes are significantly higher among those who begin smoking early. In addition, children and teenagers who smoke should take advantage of the fact that they are at a point in life when ceasing to smoke is relatively easy. The longer one smokes, the older one gets, the more difficult it is to break from an addictive-like pattern such as smoking. This message is of particular importance to teenage girls who are smoking more now than ever before. They should think twice before entering the child-producing years with a habit so difficult to break and so dangerous to the children yet to be born. I should also like to caution those who have not been able to stop cigarette smoking and turn to the less "tar" and nicotine brands as a means of reducing health risks. It is true that the preponderance of evidence continues to suggest that cigarettes with lower "tar" and nicotine levels are less hazardous. However, in addition to "tar" and nicotine, there are other constituents of

- 4 - of tobacco smoke, such as carbon monoxide, whose dangers have not been clearly defined as yet. Also, in switching to these less hazardous brands, smokers should be wary that they don't end up smoking more and inhaling more deeply to satisfy their habit. In doing this, of course, the benefits are offset and possibly the dangers are increased. The best way to reduce the risk is to smoking altogether; there does not exist a "safe" cigarette. cease I would also like to call on my fellow physicians--who have stopped smoking at a greater rate than the general population--to follow this positive example by convincing your patients, particularly those at high risk, of the need to stop smoking. Many doctors, I am afraid, feel that patients will continue to smoke regardless of any admonition. However, such admonitions coupled with pertinent facts relative to the patient's history can be a factor in an individual's determination to stop smoking. The report reveals that there is much -.Nw~ to be learned about still our understanding of the initiation of smokin habits and the nature of cigarette dependence and withdrawal. We have accelerated our er search in this regard and will also be assessing the effectiveness of smoking cessation programs. Our intent is to determine better methods to assist those who would like to stop smoking and those who have not yet made a decision regarding smoking. N N v ON

S I One myth I would like to shatter is that those who have smoked for many years gain little when they stop since the health damage has already been done. That simply is not true. Within a number of years, former smokers can reduce the health hazards substantially. In some cases, they can reduce the risk almost to that of a lifelong non-smoker. Whether or not to smoke is a very personal decision people have to make for themselves. Before taking up smoking or continuing smoking, everyone should at least become aware of the information in this report. Any decision involving serious risks should not be made without fully understanding what those risks represent. Today, in making the Surgeon General's Report on Smoking available, we are taking a major step in that direction.

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