New Study Indicates Changes in Cigarette Design Have Increased Lung Cancer Risk and Tobacco Regulation Can Greatly Reduce L...( WASHINGTON May 1 -- The following is...),Health

WASHINGTON, May 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement of Matthew L. Myers, President Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids:

An important study presented Thursday at a scientific conference in Dublin, Ireland, provides powerful new evidence that U.S. smokers' risk of developing lung cancer has dramatically and progressively increased over the past four decades. In fact, cigarettes smoked today in the United States may double the risk of lung cancer compared to cigarettes smoked 40 years ago. The study also concludes that changes in cigarette design are the likely cause of this increased lung cancer risk and that regulation of tobacco products could significantly reduce lung cancer rates. The study concludes: "These data suggest that up to one half of current lung cancer occurrence may be attributable to changes in cigarette design and correspondingly that current lung cancer rates might be reduced by up to 50% through regulatory control of cigarette design and composition."

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080918/CFTFKLOGO)

The researchers' presentation and related materials can be found at: http://tobaccofreekids.org/campaign/burns_study/.

The study findings were presented at the 2009 Joint Conference of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) and SRNT-Europe in Dublin. The study was conducted by researchers David Burns and Christy Anderson of the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine. Dr. Burns is a well-known tobacco control scientist who has served as author, editor or senior revi
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