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Show ISscoi Products M (Saucer Tobacco products, with their numerous harmful constituents, con-stituents, would never be approved by Federal regulatory regula-tory agencies if they were introduced in-troduced today, according to a University of Utah Medical Center physician. "THE FEDERAL government govern-ment is indicating for the first time that there is a casual relationship between smoking and coronary artery disease which is America's number one killer," says Dr. John H. Holbrook, assistant professor of internal medicine and consulting con-sulting editor for the just-released just-released Surgeon General's Report on Smoking and Health. "There is compelling evidence now that smoking causes coronary artery disease, chronic pulmonary disease such as emphysema and bronchitis, and various types of cancer." THE 1200-PAGE report is important, according to Dr Holbrook, because it takes a preventive approach. "If you change smoking behavior, there is a reduced chance of these problems-particularly if you quit before gettine sick." The Medical Center internist inter-nist and former medical director of H.E.wVs National Clearinghouse on Smoking""" and Health says there are immediate benefits for the average smoker who quits. "THE REPORT shows conclusively that when a smoker quits, his chances of acquiring smoking-related diseases return to the rates of non-smokers within 10 years. The statistics aren't as good for the heavy smoker-a person per-son who consumes more than two packs a day." Dr. Holbrook is concerned that the percentage of smoking teenagers is increasing, while the rate for adults has fallen. "WE NEED to develop ways of 'immunizing' kids against tobacco advertising so that they can make rational decisions about smoking. Most smokers begin in their teens and it can be awfully tough to quit." Dr. Holbrook hopes that smoking education programs will have a continuing effect on current and would-be smokers, particularly young people. DESPITE THE wealth of medical evidence gathered since publication of the first Surgeon General's Report 15 years ago, Dr. Holbrook says there still is no easy way to quit smoking. "Quitting 'cold turkey' still works best," he says. "And most of the 30 million ex-smokers ex-smokers in America today did it on their own. DR. HOLBROOK lists some of the other significant points made by the Surgeon General's Report: -A 25-year-old man who smokes 10 cigarettes a day shortens his life by ah average of four and half years; -A TWO-PACK-A-DAY man shortens his life expectancy expec-tancy by eight and a half years; -A smoker greatly increases his susceptibility to acute and chronic illness and misses 40 percent more work than a non-smoker; -WOMEN ARE smoking more and the incidence of tobacco-related disease and illness among females is up dramatically; -Smoking affects the fetus and causes smaller and less healthy babies at birth, with the child's problems perhaps lasting for a number of years; -THE CHANCE of a woman suffering a heart attack increases tenfold if she takes oral contraceptives and smokes; -"Involuntary smoking" (the inhaling of polluted air) by non-smokers with coronary heart or chronic lung disease may be a real risk and is an irritant to healthy non-smokers; -PIPE AND cigar smokers are exposed to a substantially reduced risk except for mouth and throat cancer; and -Each cigarette is a "little chemical factory" producing as many as 2,000 substances, many of which are toxic, i.e. carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, etc. |