Tobacco Documents Online

f WHEREAS the Federal Hazardous Substances Act includes in its definition of the terrr_°°hazardous-substance" "any substance...whi-ch has the-capacity --to, produce.-..ir_jury or illness...through...inhalation." - WHEREAS t-he evidence that inhalatior.- of cigarette smoke causes--1ung -canter is now overwhelming; and that the mortality from cancer of the lung-is over 60,000 per year irn the U.S.A. - - - WHEREAS the Act also provides that hazardous substances-from-which the public cannot be adequately protected by cautionary labeling may be pro- hibited from being -sold. - ~EREAS cautionary lab9ling has been required on cigarette packages since 1966, and since-that +time the per capita consumption of cigarettes has increased. - - - - WHEREAS enforcement of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act has been trans- ferred to the newly created Consumer-Prodsct Safety Commission.-- THEREFORE,--the NCAB recom3iends that the Oonsumer Product Safet;~ Commission be asked to review the risk of cigarettes of the various-brands now for sale in the United States and take the proper action under-the Federal Hazardous Substances Act to ensure the adequate uro-*_ection of the public health and safety. 4 L....

pRAF'P - 11-27-73 Leigh - _ :4YHEREyS, the -National Cancer Iristitute has the primary_ Fed-eral respon- --sibility-for advancirg-thp nationai-effort_ against-caneer through the National_Cancer-P_rogram,_and_ k''HEREAS, _under the National Cancer Act= of 1971, - the National Cancer Advisory Board has the responsibi_lity of advising the Director of the National Cancer_Inasitute with respect to the National Cancer Program, and WHER.EAS,_in the judgment of the National Cancer-Advisory Board, the evidence that inhalation of cigarette smoke causes lung cancer is now overwhelming, and that the mortal ity from cancer of the lung is over 60,000 persons per year in the U.S.A., and ' 'WHEREAS, under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, as amended, the Consumer Product Safety Com.mission has the Federal responsibility for , controll.ing-the-risks to which users of hazardoua substances are exposed, THEREPCRE, the-National Cancer Advisory Board recommends that_the Consumer Product Safety Commission be asked to review the risk of eigarettes of the various brands now for sale in the United States and taiie proper action under the Fc"..dCra.-~ Hazardous .c.il,ti`.s_:..^.ce.- Act to reduce the risk of lung cancer and other health hazards. if it be -fi~y determined that cigarettes are not within the jurisdiction of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the National Cancer Advisory- Board further recommends that the Director, National Cancer Institute, recommend, through appropriate means, legislation to empower an appropriate Federal agency to review the health risk of cigarettes of the various brands now offered for sale in the U.S.A. and to make regulations which may be expected to reduce the risk of lung cancer and other health hazards to the American public. r•

T'hb National Cancer Program has primary rosponsibility for- a.drancinr tho national effort- against cancer. The evidence presently available ( and,- indeed, increasingly apparent -since 1950) .": :poir~ta to cigarette smoking as- t~:e leading c~us~ of the rst ...` • . onsibloa : Such an accoinplishment wouia mean a_reduction in -incidence ca _neer Uynearly_ 13 p®rce.nt- ( aocording to_1970 Oxperience i and : g r©duction =in--deaths fromm cs.nce-r- by 22 percent. In addition, ; atatigtical and- epidem.iological associations have- bean repeatedly Confir.~ued betveen cigarebte smolking -and other, m-ajor contributors omortel'ity, .(-hotably cardiovascular dieease) and other forms of c=eor, TUe total ir:p,uc t ci. : urn,ar, iiea_lz'r: of -cigarette smoking i ~W.11=not entiro2y clear but its contridut ion *bo montality may exceed ,;:- . . . '.:by`ton 'fold the sinl3le example of lunp cancer. 0 :that.=f.f the factor of cigarette smoking had been removed CAixses and'cQntributors of morta?ity-for a n.1901~ roughly four million addi donal persons from the cohort of persons born mint have been - aliV® today but- are tn~ V alive-. It has been_estimated

Er ~ rr .rormental Pt~-~.Iutant~ took notc- of the contribution of cigaret-te smoking to lun;-canc_©r-as well as- to-other forms-of-iul2g aisease, 3' .' k'in~Ily, earette--smoking has been implicated as a ma jor eontri~~.~tor a..3eveling°-off of the mortalyty-rates in the United States v7hich, ':Tchis leveliiig_off has been followed by a- reversal '3f the slope 2 d~ actual upturn° iri_ morta li ty,• :Whi3.e the opportunity f or preventive--medicine is clearlg -' ectinically at hand, it =awaits- a social -decision. T'h.e_ National ancorAdvi.sory Board, charged with the task of-furthering the~- nationa~ efSort agains•r_, cancer, is- compelled to -point out the mportance of this- issue and recommends- that the-Government take ~ all'_vigorous. stiPps- possible to reduce cigarette srnolaing._ - until the fifth decade, had ba9n-cansictently. falling. For tna.leg, -The NationAl Canedr Advisor_y Board i1; rther recommends that a i-egUlatory- buthorities of the Federal go .ternwent aimed at the ~rotcction of human healtn be examined-for their adequacy as: :vehicles for reducing/`t,smocng of cigarettes, that they be utilized to the fullest extent possible in this regard, andthat ':s:'th6"President and the Congress consid.sr iegislative -amendments ~`vhere,necessary to strengthen these powers. .': L1S3sgage from the President of the United Trt~~sm~.ttfng a Report on the Health Effects .:Tol3•utants, February 2, 1972. ` .~ .. States t-o- Conerees ~ of Environmental j2o &oading Components of Upturn ifl Mortality for R"an, United -Stato4 1~3521G67 Lttf Hlth Fdtidd ~,eParmen oea,ucan, an Welfare, ': . ^e, National .=,.• . . . Cent©r : for Health Statistics, P-ubl icetion No. (HShi) 72-1008.