A new report from the United States Surgeon General finds that smoking tobacco is even deadlier than was known. The report says smoking causes birth defects - a leading cause of death among babies. It also links smoking to cancer of the liver and colon, diabetes and other diseases. The first U.S. surgeon general's report on tobacco and health was released in 1964. It was the first scientific report to link smoking with lung cancer and heart disease.
Now, 50 years later, Acting Surgeon General Boris Lushniak has released a new report on how smoking tobacco can harm health. His report urges more tobacco-control measures. The suggested controls include raising price of cigarettes and banning smoking in enclosed spaces. The new report calls for research on whether reducing nicotine in cigarettes could help people stop smoking.
Doctor Lushniak says studies have shown that smoking can cause diseases such as diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. It also has been linked to an increased risk of tuberculosis and death. One of the most troubling findings is that women are now as likely to die from smoking as men. A woman smoker's risk of lung cancer is now the same as a man who smokes. And more women die from chronic lung disease than men. Those who do not smoke are at a higher risk for stroke when left unprotected from tobacco smoke.
The new report finds that those who do not smoke are at a higher risk for stroke if left unprotected from tobacco smoke. The latest research also shows damage to unborn children. Babies are more likely to be born with cleft palate if the mother smokes. The chemicals in tobacco smoke can have lasting effects on brain development in a fetus. The latest research also shows the chemicals in tobacco smoke can harm brain development in a fetus. The surgeon general supports more anti-smoking media campaigns, and more help for people who want to stop smoking
