List Linking Smoking to Diseases Expands

[demdave]

WASHINGTON (AP) - The list of diseases linked to smoking grew longer Thursday. Add acute myeloid leukemia, cancers of the cervix, kidney, pancreas and stomach, abdominal aortic aneurysms, cataracts, periodontitis and pneumonia.

"We've known for decades that smoking is bad for your health, but this report shows that it's even worse," said Surgeon General Richard Carmona, announcing his first official assessment of the effects of tobacco.

The report said current evidence is not conclusive enough to say smoking causes colorectal cancer, liver cancer, prostate cancer or erectile disfunction. Some research has associated those diseases with smoking, but Carmona said more proof is needed.

The evidence suggests smoking may not cause breast cancer in women but that some women, depending on genetics, may increase their risk of getting it by smoking, the report said.


Note: I like this phrase the best....The report said current evidence is not conclusive enough to say smoking causes colorectal cancer, liver cancer, prostate cancer or erectile disfunction. Some research has associated those diseases with smoking, but Carmona said more proof is needed.

I am sick of all this smoke screen. Either ban smoking or admit that the idiots that do it know damn well what they are doing and accept the consequences. If it is that bad, stop making money off of the pain and death of others and BAN IT.

[shraby]

1. Another case of poor science for headlines.

I've seen a lot of announcements like this but they are never backed up by creditable scientific studies with significant numbers of subjects.

[theivoryqueen]

2. truth in advertising: am smoking now

but read this anyway. Every day I fall asleep vowing to be stronger and to never smoke again and wake up encouraged. Almost every night I end up lighting up. It's weirdly hard to quit. There are a lot of reasons to be a smoker - suicide mainly (statistics, not intent), but redirected anger and anxiety generally. I know - all the bad. But I thank you for your timely post. Maybe tonight.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

3. a Bill Hicks quote

"Non-smokers die. . . . everyday."

[salvorhardin]

4. Radiation?

I would think that while cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases as well as perhaps cancer of anything from the mouth through to the lungs are understandable, such a wide range of cancers across so many different body organs can not be attributed to just the tobacco smoke. Rather, this suggests that the amount of radiation from Polonium-210 in cigarettes is a great deal higher than one might expect.

The problem wouldn't stop with cigarettes though since the radiation comes from fertilizers made with phosphates derived from apatite rock. The apatite becomes radioactive because it traps radon gas. This would make much of our food supply a radiation hazard, although perhaps tobacco absorbs more of the radiation than fruits and vegetables do. Perhaps it's time to take a Geiger counter to the produce aisle.

[KT2000]

5. Smokescreen

Smoking is being used as a smokescreen for a lot of other products that are profitable for huge corporations, which happen to be direct descendants of the petroleum industry.

Tobacco is a heavily pesticided product. Some of the "new" cancers mentioned in this articles are also associated with pesticide exposure.

THis report is probably in response to a recent report from a Canadian Family Physicians Association that conducted a review of the literature to show links to disease from many different environmental exposures - pesticides (products that are produced with the sole intention of killing - for example through the central nervous system) were found do be the worst. Damage begins in utero; childhood cancers; learning disabilities (brain damage) etc.

Yeah - smoking is bad - but don't swallow the hype. Demand that all those chemicals you are forced to be exposed to, are fully tested. Most of them are NOT adequately tested.

[KT2000]

6. And another thing -

This report is part of an initiative set up by the director of the CDC.

The proposed reorganization of the CDC is something we should all be watching. One development: It looks like NIOSH (National Institute of Occcupational Safety and Health) is being smothered.

Getit? No need to monitor, fine or improve workers health and safety - all diseases is caused by smoking.