A lifeless body, a scarred mouth and a blackened lung were among the graphic images in a new set of cigarette warnings unveiled Tuesday by the US government in order to highlight the health risks of smoking. The warnings will occupy the top 50 percent of the front and rear panels of cigarette packs sold in the United States and the top 20 percent of cigarette advertisements beginning in September 2012, the Food and Drug Administration announced.
The warnings, which can be seen at fda.gov/cigarettewarnings, mark the first change in cigarette warnings in more than 25 years and are "a significant advancement in communicating the dangers of smoking," the agency added. One of the images, which shows a man with his chest sewn up, bears the caption "Warning: Smoking can kill you." According to the FDA, smoking kills 1,200 people a day in the United States alone.
Another picture shows a close-up of a mouth filled with scattered, brown teeth and a lip with an open sore, warning: "Cigarettes cause cancer." "These labels are frank, honest and powerful depictions of the health risks of smoking and they will help," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement.
Smoking causes 90 percent of all lung cancer in men and 80 percent in women, and has been linked to several other cancers, according to the FDA. The new labels also seek to warn pregnant women and new parents of the dangers of smoking, with a drawn image showing a premature baby in a hospital incubator and a picture showing a real baby staring at a plume of smoke.
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