Surgeon General May Oppose FTC’s Tobacco Study Proposal
The Federal Trade Commission, under growing pressure to require health warnings in advertising for chewing tobacco and snuff, asked the surgeon general Tuesday for a scientific review of the products’ hazards similar to a landmark 1964 study of cigarettes.
But Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, who told the FTC last month that smokeless tobacco “does indeed pose a cancer threat” and causes other diseases, may balk at reviewing what already appears to be conclusive evidence, a spokesman for Koop hinted.
The FTC asked Koop in a letter to conduct the study, “ideally by appointing a panel of experts” similar to the group that produced the 1964 cigarette report. The commission “believes the use of these products raises very serious health concerns,” the letter stated, but the agency cannot decide whether to regulate the industry until the degree of health risks is known.
That explanation drew angry accusations of foot dragging from anti-smoking groups that had asked the agency last February to address dangers posed by the ballooning use of smokeless tobacco, mostly among young people.
‘Irreproachable’ Evidence
“I have to wonder what they’re investigating,” said Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of the Public Citizen Health Research Group. “There is irreproachable scientific evidence that, in both humans and animals, smokeless tobacco causes oral cancer. And the FTC has the authority to require warning labels on packages and ads.”
The Coalition on Smoking or Health said it was appalled “both by the (FTC’s) failure to recognize clear evidence that already exists and by waiting for a year to even request outside comment by the surgeon general.”
The 1964 surgeon general’s report on cigarettes was a major force behind later congressional moves to ban cigarette ads from television and radio and to require health warnings on cigarette packages.
Shirley Barth, a spokesman for Koop, said he is carefully considering the FTC request but noted that “data that we’ve already made public shows it is harmful to your health.”
“The (1964) cigarette study was very elaborate, very expensive, and it took a long time. We have to . . . see whether it calls for that, given the present budget constraints,” she said.
The health research group had asked the FTC to require smokeless tobacco makers to warn consumers of their products’ dangers and to regulate the industry’s advertising.
The government estimates that 22 million Americans use smokeless tobacco, sales of which grew by 32% from 1970 to 1979. Use is growing fastest among 18- to 30-year-olds, and some studies show rapid growth in smokeless tobacco use among high school students.
Critics contend that the industry has targeted youths by hiring athletes and rock music stars to endorse its products.
Medical studies show users run increased risks of gum disease, tooth loss and oral and throat cancer. For some cancers, studies show, the increased risks range from four to 50 times those of non-users.
The Tobacco Institute, which has fought regulation of the tobacco industry, declined comment on the FTC action. Officials of the Smokeless Tobacco Council, a trade group, could not be reached.
