January 17, 2014
The Washington Post (1/16, Dennis) reports that, in “another round of evidence of tobacco’s potential to harm nearly every human organ,” Acting Surgeon General Boris D. Lushniak found in a new report released Friday that “smoking is a cause of liver cancer and colorectal cancer,” as well as “type 2 diabetes mellitus, age-related macular degeneration, erectile dysfunction and rheumatoid arthritis.” He also said “it can impair the immune system, worsen asthma and cause cleft lips and palates in fetuses,” while second-hand smoke exposure can cause strokes. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association, along with other public health and anti-tobacco groups, last week “called for a ‘new national commitment’ to eliminating tobacco-related deaths.” They suggested increasing tobacco taxes, more smoke-free workplace laws, stricter FDA oversight of tobacco, “and aggressive advertising campaigns to help smokers quit and keep nonsmokers from lighting up.”

USA Today (1/17, Szabo) writes that the report found “smoking causes even more physical and financial damage than previously estimated,” including 480,000 Americans dying each year and the lost of almost $286 billion a year in medical costs and lost productivity due to premature deaths. This is also the first time the surgeon general concluded smoking is “causally linked” to diabetes, colorectal cancer, and liver cancer. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said, “Amazingly, smoking is even worse than we knew,” adding, “Even after 50 years, we’re still finding new ways that smoking maims and kills people.”
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