Warning
Label
Fact
Sheet
MINIMAL
CLINICAL
INTERVENTIONS
•
Since
the
release
of
the
first
Surgeon
General’s
report
on
smoking
and
health
in
the
United
States
in
1964,
about
10
million
people
have
died
from
smoking-related
diseases
in
the
United
States
—
heart
disease,
lung
cancer,
emphysema,
and
other
respiratory
diseases.1
•
If
current
smoking
patterns
continue,
an
estimated
25
million
Americans
will
die
prematurely
from
a
smoking-related
illness,
including
an
estimated
5
million
people
who
are
now
children
and
adolescents
under
the
age
of
18
years.1
•
The
Federal
Cigarette
Labeling
and
Advertising
Act
of
1965
(Public
Law
89-92)
required
that
the
warning
"Caution:
Cigarette
Smoking
May
Be
Hazardous
to
Your
Health"
be
placed
in
small
print
on
one
of
the
side
panels
of
each
cigarette
package.
The
act
prohibited
additional
labeling
requirements
at
the
federal,
state,
or
local
levels.2
•
In
June
1967
the
Federal
Trade
Commission
(FTC)
issued
its
first
report
to
Congress
recommending
that
the
warning
label
be
changed
to
"Warning:
Cigarette
Smoking
Is
Dangerous
to
Health
and
May
Cause
Death
from
Cancer
and
Other
Diseases."
2
•
In
1969
Congress
passed
the
Public
Health
Cigarette
Smoking
Act
(Public
Law
91-222),
which
prohibited
cigarette
advertising
on
television
and
radio
and
required
that
each
cigarette
package
contain
the
label
"Warning:
The
Surgeon
General
Has
Determined
That
Cigarette
Smoking
Is
Dangerous
to
Your
Health."
2
•
In
1981
the
FTC
issued
a
report
to
Congress
that
concluded
health
warning
labels
had
little
effect
on
public
knowledge
and
attitudes
about
smoking.
As
a
result
of
this
report,
Congress
enacted
the
Comprehensive
Smoking
Education
Act
of
1984
(Public
Law
98-474),
which
required
four
specific
health
warnings
on
all
cigarette
packages
and
advertisements:
•
SURGEON
GENERAL’S
WARNING:
Smoking
Causes
Lung
Cancer,
Heart
Disease,
Emphysema,
and
May
Complicate
Pregnancy.
•
SURGEON
GENERAL’S
WARNING:
Quitting
Smoking
Now
Greatly
Reduces
Serious
Risks
to
Your
Health.
•
SURGEON
GENERAL’S
WARNING:
Smoking
by
Pregnant
Women
May
Result
in
Fetal
Injury,
Premature
Birth,
and
Low
Birth
Weight.
•
SURGEON
GENERAL’S
WARNING:
Cigarette
Smoke
Contains
Carbon
Monoxide.2
•
By
the
mid-1980s
scientific
evidence
revealed
that
smokeless
tobacco
use
causes
oral
cancer,
nicotine
addiction,
and
other
health
problems.
The
Comprehensive
Smokeless
Tobacco
Health
Education
Act
of
1986
(Public
Law
99-252)
required
three
rotating
warning
labels
on
smokeless
tobacco
packaging
and
advertisements:
WARNING:
This
product
may
cause
mouth
cancer.
WARNING:
This
product
may
cause
gum
disease
and
tooth
loss.
WARNING:
This
product
is
not
a
safe
alternative
to
cigarettes.2,4
•
Warning
labels
that
appear
on
smokeless
tobacco
products
in
the
United
States
are
weaker,
less
informative,
and
less
obvious
labels
used
on
the
products
than
they
are
in
some
countries.
The
FTC
is
reviewing
public
comments
on
the
effectiveness
of
the
existing
warning
labels.3
•
Warning
labels
on
cigarette
packages
in
the
United
States
are
weaker
and
less
prominent
than
those
of
many
other
countries.2
•
The
Australian
warning
method
uses
six
rotating
messages
covering
25%
of
the
front
of
the
cigarette
package.
One
side
panel
is
entirely
given
to
the
labeling
of
dangerous
constituents.
The
government
also
requires
that
33%
of
the
back
panel
include
the
same
message
and
an
elaboration
of
that
message.2
•
The
Canadian
government
soon
will
require
tobacco
manufacturers
to
display
health
messages
and
graphics
along
with
information
about
smoking-related
diseases
and
quit
methods
on
all
tobacco
product
packaging.
These
messages
will
occupy
50%
of
the
front
and
back
panels
of
the
cigarette
package,
and
additional
information
will
be
included
inside.
One
side
of
the
panel
is
given
to
the
labeling
of
dangerous
ingredients.4
•
There
is
clear
scientific
evidence
that
cigar
smoking
represents
a
significant
health
risk
and
is
not
a
safe
alternative
to
cigarette
smoking.
Cigar
use
has
been
linked
to
oral,
esophageal,
laryngeal,
and
lung
cancer.
Regular
cigar
smokers
who
inhale,
particularly
those
who
smoke
several
cigars
per
day,
have
an
increased
risk
for
coronary
heart
disease
and
chronic
obstructive
pulmonary
disease.5
•
On
June
26,
2000,
the
FTC
announced
a
settlement
with
seven
of
the
largest
U.S.
cigar
companies
requiring
health
warnings
on
cigar
products.
Health
warnings
must
appear
on
the
principal
display
panel
to
ensure
warnings
are
easily
seen.
Each
of
the
five
required
warnings
must
be
displayed
an
equal
number
of
times.
The
agreement
also
calls
for
warnings
to
be
placed
on
various
types
of
advertising,
such
as
magazines
and
other
periodicals,
point-of-purchase
displays,
and
catalogues.
•
Every
cigar
package
and
advertisement
will
require
the
following
warnings
on
a
rotating
basis:
SURGEON
GENERAL’S
WARNING:
Cigar
Smoking
Can
Cause
Cancers
Of
The
Mouth
And
Throat,
Even
If
You
Do
Not
Inhale.
SURGEON
GENERAL’S
WARNING:
Cigar
Smoking
Can
Cause
Lung
Cancer
And
Heart
Disease.
SURGEON
GENERAL’S
WARNING:
Tobacco
Use
Increases
The
Risk
of
Infertility,
Stillbirth
And
Low
Birth
Weight.
SURGEON
GENERAL’S
WARNING:
Cigars
Are
Not
A
Safe
Alternative
To
Cigarettes.
SURGEON
GENERAL’S
WARNING:
Tobacco
Smoke
Increases
The
Risk
Of
Lung
Cancer
And
Heart
Disease,
Even
In
Nonsmokers.6
REFERENCES
- Centers
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention.
Smoking-Atttributable
Mortality
and
Years
of
Potential
Life
Lost–United
States,
1984.
MMWR
1997
46:444-51.
- U.S.
Department
of
Health
and
Human
Services.
Reducing
Tobacco
Use:
A
Report
of
the
Surgeon
General.
Atlanta:
U.S.
Department
of
Health
and
Human
Services,
Centers
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention,
2000.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Federal Trade Commission
Request for Comments Concerning Regulations Implementing the Comprehensive
Smokeless Tobacco Health Education Act of 1986.
Accessed
[March
7,
2000].
-
Health
Canada
New
Cigarette
labeling
Measures.
- National
Cancer
Institute.
Cigars
Health
Effects
and
Trends.
Smoking
and
Tobacco
Control
Monograph
No.
9.
Bethesda
(MD):
U.S.
Department
of
Health
and
Human
Services,
Public
Health
Service,
National
Institutes
of
Health,
National
Cancer
Institute.
NIH
Publication
No.
98-4302,
1998.
- Federal
Trade
Commission.
FTC
Announces
Settlements
Requiring
Disclosure
of
Cigar
Health
Risks:
Landmark
Agreements
Require
Strong
Warnings
on
Both
Packaging
and
Advertisements.
(press
release).
June
26,
2000.
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