Graphic warnings to highlight U.S. cigarettes

William Atkins
Tuesday, 21 June 2011 22:25

Science - Health

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released the final nine pictorial warnings that will appear on all cigarette packs, cartons, and advertisements in the United States no later than September 2012.

 

 

These nine pictures, more graphic than ever placed on U.S. advertisements for cigarettes, is an effort by the federal government to discourage people from starting to smoke tobacco products and to encourage smokers to quit the habit.

Currently, about 1 in 5 Americans smoke cigarettes. And, because of that portion of the population, around 443,000 deaths occur each year in the United States due to tobacco use'”one of the leading causes of premature deaths in the United States.

Two of the graphic pictures are of diseased lungs of an unidentified man or women from the United States, and a man blowing smoke from a cigarette out of a 'trach' (tracheotomy) hole in his neck.

One ad shows a set of ugly yellow teeth, some missing, with mouth cancer, another depicting a baby and the ill effects of second-hand smoke.

Two state on the ads: 'WARNING: Cigarettes can kill you' and 'WARNING: Cigarettes are addictive.'

The warnings are required to be placed on the upper half of the cigarette packs, and must cover half of the front and back panels of the packs.

The nine warning pictures are detailed on FDA article 'Cigarette Health Warnings'

Page two provides the 9 warnings to be placed on all cigarette advertisements in the United States.