New Studies on Menthol and Polonium-210 in Cigarettes Show Need for FDA
Regulation of Tobacco Products
Statement of Matthew L. Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
WASHINGTON, July 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Two new studies published
online today in the American Journal of Public Health demonstrate the critical
need for Congress to enact pending legislation granting the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) regulatory authority over tobacco products. One study
found that tobacco companies deliberately manipulate levels of menthol in
cigarettes in ways the authors conclude recruit new, young smokers and satisfy
long-term smokers. The second study found that tobacco companies, because of
public relations and litigation concerns, suppressed their own internal
research about the presence of polonium-210, a radioactive, cancer-causing
chemical, in cigarettes and cigarette smoke.
These studies demonstrate how the current lack of regulation allows tobacco
companies to manipulate their products in ways harmful to health and to
control what is in their products and what they disclose about them.
Currently, no government agency has the authority to regulate menthol,
polonium-210 or any of the more than 4,000 chemicals in a cigarette. The
legislation before Congress would fundamentally change this harmful status quo
by granting the FDA authority over the manufacturing and marketing of tobacco
products. For the first time, decisions about tobacco products would be made
to protect public health rather than to maximize the profits of the tobacco
industry.
Under this legislation, the FDA would gain critical authority to curtail the
tobacco industry's harmful practices. Among other things, the legislation
would:
-- Require tobacco companies to disclose the contents of tobacco products,
changes to their products and research about their products.
-- Empower the FDA to require changes in tobacco products, such as the
elimination or reduction of harmful chemicals. This includes the authority to
regulate the use of menthol in cigarettes, including banning menthol entirely
if the FDA determines this will protect public health.
-- Curtail tobacco marketing, especially to children. Among other things, the
bill would limit tobacco advertising in stores and in magazines with
significant teen readership to black-and-white text only; require stores to
place tobacco products behind the counter; ban all remaining tobacco brand
sponsorships of sports and entertainment events; and ban free cigarette
samples and free giveaways of non-tobacco items with the purchase of a tobacco
product. Importantly, this legislation would for the first time in 40 years
return to the states the authority to regulate cigarette marketing. States
and localities could impose bans or restrictions on the time, place and manner
(but not content) of the advertising or promotion of cigarettes. These steps
will restrict both tobacco marketing to children in general and the targeted
marketing of menthol cigarettes that has been so harmful to the
African-American community.
-- Require larger, more effective health warnings on tobacco products and give
the FDA the authority to revise warnings to reflect emerging concerns such as
polonium-210. Currently, it requires an act of Congress to change tobacco
health warnings.
This legislation has been sponsored by a majority of both the House and the
Senate, has been endorsed by more than 680 public health, faith and other
organizations around the country, and is supported by 70 percent of American
voters. These new studies demonstrate why it is critical that Congress act
now to grant the FDA long-overdue authority over tobacco products and address
the number one cause of preventable death in the United States. Tobacco use
kills more than 400,000 Americans and costs the nation nearly $100 billion in
health care bills each year.
More information on the two studies:
Menthol study: This study, by researchers at the Harvard School of Public
Health, found that tobacco companies deliberately manipulate menthol levels in
cigarettes in ways that appeal to different smokers. The companies developed
and marketed cigarettes with lower levels of menthol and milder perceived
menthol sensation that appeal to younger smokers. More established smokers
preferred cigarettes with higher menthol levels. For new or younger smokers,
menthol masks the harshness and discomfort of inhaling smoke. The study
concludes, "To protect the public health, tobacco products should be federally
regulated, and additives such as menthol should be included in that
regulation."
Polonium-210 study: This study, by researchers at the Mayo Clinic and Stanford
University, found that tobacco companies suppressed publication of their own
internal research about the presence and potential health effects of
radioactive, cancer-causing polonium-210 in cigarettes and cigarette smoke.
Based on a review of internal tobacco industry documents, the study found that
tobacco companies for 40 years have been concerned about the public relations
and litigation problems posed by polonium-210 in cigarettes and sought to
avoid public attention to the issue for fear of "waking a sleeping giant," as
one Philip Morris document put it. The study found that tobacco companies
"continue to minimize its [polonium-210's] importance in smoking and health
litigation and remain silent on the issue on their Web sites and in their
messages to consumers."
Citing prior research, the study states, "It is estimated that smokers of 1.5
packs of cigarettes a day are exposed to as much radiation as they would
receive from 300 chest X-rays a year. PO-210 has been estimated to be
responsible for 1% of all U.S. lung cancers.... PO-210 may be responsible for
more than 1,600 deaths in the United States and 11,700 deaths in the world
every year." Polonium-210 received significant media attention in 2006 when
it was found to have been used in the fatal poisoning of former KGB agent
Alexander V. Litvinenko.
March 2007 polling conducted for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids found that
92 percent of teens and 91 percent of adults did not know that polonium-210
was found in cigarettes and cigarette smoke. When presented with a list of
chemicals in cigarette smoke and asked to choose which they feared most, 30
percent of teens and 29 percent of adults chose polonium-210, more than any
other chemical.
The studies will be available on the web site of the American Journal of
Public Health at www.ajph.org.
SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
Joel Spivak of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, +1-202-296-5469
