Tobacco Documents Online

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 '18 19 20 21 22 23 24 i R--a;,rycters, inc. 25 tation, certainly, I feel as I did last year that the non- smoker should have the Bill of Rights interpreted for him and i am pleased to point out that there is no smoking in this auditorium this year, while last year there was. And there is no smoking in any HEW auditorium this year. QUESTION: This business of the problem of the innocent bystander has been alluded to by a lot of people. You sazd.~ometha.ng about it last year. Now it is embodied in an official Government-document. Do you think this will be the basis for some sort of action by people like ASH and others to cut down on smoking in public places? DR. STEINFELD: Well, the data which the Clearing- house -- Dr. Horn's group -- has been preparing over•the years does form the scientific foundation for actions not- on2y by voluntary groups but by our elected Representatives. And I do hope that this report will continue to stimulate new actions by members of our society, whether they he the elected Representatives, the Executive Branch, or voluntary groups of our citizens. QUESTIqN: You talk about stimulating some kind of dction. Is your office going to try to urge legislation of any kir.d to put better controls on cigarettes, to lower the amount of tar and nicotine, or have it on the label or anything like that? TIMN 0113394 T1150'7.3,

12 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 .9 10 11 12 13 Let me say that there are a number of actions that can be taken in the area of cigarette smoking. Education, of course, is one. We are engaged in educational activities. These can be expanded. There is the problem of the subsidy for the tobacco farmers. There is the question of whether all advertising should be banned. There is the question as to whether. there should be a limit on tar and nicotine in cigarettq s,. ~ ~. . or whether they should be taxed in,terms of tar and nicotine content. The Office of the Surgeon General has for some years taken a very clearcut stand against cigarette smoking, and for all of.those activities, we would contribute to lessening the cigarette smoking or producing a less hazardous cigarette. But in our society, we have not only the Office 18 19 20 • 21 22 23 ?e~orters, 2c. I 25I of the Surgeon General, but we have a Department of the Treasury, which collects.taxes; we have the Department of Agriculture which is related to the growing of crops; we have a Justice Department; we have other aspects of HEW concerned with education; ar~d the Congress, of course, if I didn't men-Lion the Congress. and our people. T115074 And I think that the actions we take on cigarette smo::ing are largely a reflection of whare societ-y is willing to go at a particular time in terms of health. I can think of

13 1 3 4 6 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 -Fe:;:.rai Rcportcrs, Inc. 25 no bigger public health hazard about which we know and about which we can do something. QUESTION: But you are saying we can do it,*but • we aren't likely to? DR. STEINFELD: I didn't say we aren't likely to. I think we have taken a number of actions in the last seven years, but what the next action will be, I can't predict. ; QUESTION: In line with these findings, then, and what you have just said, what are you prepared to recommend then in terms of action? DR. STEINFELD: I have recommended all kinds of actions, but this then becomes something within the Executive Branch, and it's a subject for discussion. Miat ultimately the Admini•stration will recommend, I cannot say at this time. QUESTION: Are you.prepared, as the Surgeon General, to recommend any one of these? A ban on advertising, or a limit of the amount of nicotine? Or are you prepared to recommend that the Treasury Department do without the tobacco tax? .... TIMN 0113396 DR. STEINFELD: As I mentioned earlier, the role the person concprned with health is a very clear one. And I wbuld recommend all those actions which would result in decreasing the smQking within our societl. T115075 QUESTION: You say you would. Will you? DR. STLIidI'L•'LD : I certainly would, and have > of

14 l 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ll 12 13 14 15 QUESTION: Your campaign has been almost entirely against cigarette smoking. Can you, Dr. Horn or Dr. Steirifeld, give us some idea of the impact on the non-smoker or cigars and pipes, as opposed to cigarettes? , DR. HORN: I don't think I have to answer that. I am sure all of you who have been in the room with cigar- or pipe smokers know the effect they have. In terms of the amount,-of.,smoke that gets into the atmosphere, at least the cigarette smoker has the courtesy of filtering the smoke through his own lungs before he exhales it into the room, and as a_result the concentration of unpleasant substances is somewhat reduced compared to the cigar and pipe smoker. I think the general conviction that cigar and pipe smoke pollutes the atmosphere more rapidly than cigarettes . is a valid one. QUESTION: Since you are up there, could you 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 explain how, on page two of Dr. Steinfeld's statement, you reached the conclusion that without government efforts, we. would have 75 million smokers,and instead we.have only 44 million, -a reduction of some 31 million?. T115076 DR. HOR~1: If you look b ack on the history of the I growth of cigarette smoking in the United States after World War II, there was a fairly rapid increment in the per capita 241 25~ consumption of cigaret-tes, and th is continued right up th rough L9 5 3, whi ch was t:~ze f 1e1r in wh ich cigare tte smoking-- ~.rst^~ ~.. __-__---

15 + I 2 3 4 5 6 lung cancer relationship was brought to the public's attention. There was a very sharp reduction in per capita consumption beginning in 1954, and a retardation of the growth of cigarette consumption since that time. If cigarette consumption had increased at the rate at which it was increasing from 1947 to 1953, we would have in the neighborhood of 75 million cigarette smokers in the United Btates today, instead of the 44 or 45 million that we do have. QUESTION: Dr. Steinfeld, taking into account the 11 13 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 :cm! Reportcrs, Ic. I difference in q uantity smoked, between marijuana and tobacco, and overlooking the fact that one is illegal and the other legal.; which -- from a purely public health point of view is more dangerous to the user? DR. STEINFELD: Well, they are both dangerous to the user. And they are dangerous in different ways. The marijuana smoker gets an immediate effect upon him. It.is generally a younger smoker. He is using this as-an escape• from reality. I think it interferes with~our youngsters' ability to cope with reality. It puts him in touch with the underworld becausb these things are illegal. , T 11507'7 "" There are a variety of reasons why it is harmful. Cigarette smoking is harmful for a series of diffe-rent reasons. Of course, it is. not illegal. It is harmful both to the individual who smokes -- and we are now

16 y 1 accumulating data showing that i.t is harmful to the individual 2 3 4 5 6 3 9 in the room with the person who smokes. I agree with Dr. Horn. It is very considerate for the cigarette, smoker to filter the smoke. I think it is involuntary, however. QUESTION: Since you feel so strongly about this', why are you reluctant to specifically,reco:nmend that'the Congress_t4ke action to order a safer cigarette, or put that ban on cigarette advertising? Why don't you come right out and recommend that the Administration take that action? , DR. STEINFELD: Well, the role of the Surgeon 12 General is not really to recommend to the Congress. 'The 13 Surgeon Generall works in fIEW, and makes his recommendations 14 to an Assistant Secretary, and to the Secretary of HEW. . 15 So I am not reluctant, but what I am saying though' 16 is that the final actions which are taken by the Administra- 17 tion are the result of many f actors, and may other people lodk- 18 ing into the problem, in addition to that of my office. 19 QUESTION : Iiave you forcefully made that 20 recommendation to your superiors? 21 DR. STEIiiFELD : I have made a number of additional 22 recor~mendations on smoking and health. 23 QUESTION : , t4hich are they? T1150 : 8 24 DR. STEIidFELD:. I have indicated the general tenor 1 I Reaoaters, Inc. ! TIMN 0113399 - of all of them. 2 5 . !

17 y 1 QUESTION: P7hat do you mean by that?' How come 2 3 4 5 7 8 you can't be specific, instead of indicating a general trend? DR. STEINFELD: Well, I have indicated, I thought, when I listed all of the possible actions which could result in decreasing cigarette smoking -- any of and all of those, I am in favor of. QUESTION: Don't you have a larger responsibility to the,pu~,lic beyond this Administration and your superiors, if you feel this strongly, to go public and to make these specific recommendations? DR. STEINFELD: You mean you think that if I 14 15 . 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 ::.'aral Repcrters, Irc. 25 werit public and made these recommendations, that something would happen other than my getting fired? :_ - (Laughter.) QUESTION: Is that what you are concerned about? •DR•. STEINFELD: No. No. IIut the question that anybody in public life has to determine, whenever he takes an action, is wha t good will result overall from this action, and I am satisfied that the actions I have-.-taken I hope will lead to some good. QUESTION: You are not concerned because of what happcned wi th the phosphates? TIMN 0113400. T115-© : 9 DR. STEINFELD: I would stick with every statetnent I made regarding phosphates, and I would like to take this opportunity to 're--emphasize those. First of all, I•think if

18 1 there was an error made, it was made when one assumed that 2 the.reduction of phosphates in detergents would result in 3 clearing up a eutrophication problem irresp•ective of where 4 this occurred in the United States. I believe the way to 5 combat the eutrophication problem is to identify where it ~ 6 occurs and to do the most effective means of combatting it, 7 which is removing all of the phosphates that have been going 8 into the lake, or stream, if-phosphates were the cause. .-That 9 is first of all. 10 Secondly, the materials which-are safest in terms of 11 human health are soaps and phosphate detergents. And I would 12 stand by that. They are safe. 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 -2f]~ n@poftFls, 1tiC. 25 Thirdly, the non-phosphate detergents are harmful to children if they are effective washing materials, because they have a high alkilinity and can cause corrosion of.the esophagus or trachea. blindness or And finally, I think all dishwashing products ought to be kept out of the reach of children. Now the interpretations of what I have said have been all•over the map. But I would like to clarify that I have never changed my mind, my belief that washing materials should be, around the house, kept out of reach of children. Children cannot read warning signs, and children do not always do what their parents hope they will, and they get into materials. TIMN 0113401 Tii5080

19 ~ l And I think in terms.of public health exactly what I have thought for the past year. 3 QUESTION: • One last question on that -- 4 DR. STEINFELD: Let me move on to someone else. 5 QUESTION: May I finish the line of-,questioning? 6 DR. STEINFELD: In a little while. 7 QUESTION: Let me ask an easier one on this line. 8 Can we assume that the Administration or HEW will make any 9 recommendations to deal with the smoke and health problem? 10 DR. STEINFELD: The Administration is considering 11 a whole series of additional recommendations dealing with the 12 .smoking and health problem. But I cannot at this point say. 13 what will come out of these deliberations. 14 QUESTION: When you said yoiu would recommend the . 15 general tenor of this to your superiors, have you specifical].y, * ;: 16 recommended that there be a safer cigarette, and that the 17 advertising in newspapers or magazines, or whatever be done; 18 that the warning be put in the advertis 'ing? TIlVIN 0113402 19 Have you made those two recommendations? ; 20 .DR. STEINFELD: I have made those two, and other 21 recommendations, regarding action which would result in 22 decreased smoking in the United States, yes. 23 QUESTION: There has been some thought that one 24 of the losses during the past year has been the reduction of ,.t~ral S2eporters, Inc. 25 T11508, anti-cigarette messages on television. First, do•you consider

20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 . 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 21) 24 `ar;l ?t_pcrters, Inc. 25 that,those messages were important, and secondly, do you have any recommendations for getting them back? DR. STEINEELD: Well, certainly the anti-smoking commercials have been helpful. And they have diminished or just about disappeared. ~ It would be useful to continue to have them as part of.an overall educational program, and I think if we are to be successful, we will have to have not only those, but some ,~ ;. . additional efforts, as is evidenced by the fact that some Americans continue to smoke. QUESTION:. Dr. Steinfeld, you discussed phosphates. As long as you are opening the press conference to other things besides smoking, I'd like to ask you about the closing of the six"Public Health Service hospitals. DR. STEINFELD: I didn't open it to that subject, and I am not really up to date on the closing of the hospitals. QUESTION: In the opening paragraph of your state- ment, Dr. Steinfeld, you refer to a number of deaths in the United States clearly related to cigarette smoking, far in excess of those caused by epidemics, et cete'ra. What is the number of deaths? TIlVIN 0113403 T115osz , I DR. STEINPELD: We have estimated variously -- Dr. Iiorn's group -- that the excess deaths associated with cigarette smoking vary between 225,000 and 300,000. These are deaths that occur not only among those who have smoked for_