Americans subscribe to a number of myths about smoking and other issues that could be dangerous to their health, the Washington Post reported July 31.

A new American Cancer Society survey found, for example, that 15 percent of Americans wrongly believe that so-called "low tar" cigarettes are less dangerous than other cigarettes, and 25 percent think that smoking early in life won't affect their health later on (it does).

About two-thirds of those surveyed also believe that the cancer rate is increasing in the U.S.; it's actually declining about 1 percent per year. Men, less-educated Americans, and those with lower incomes were more likely to buy into such myths.

Study author Kevin Stein called the findings "disheartening." Experts said that the problem could actually be getting worse due to misinformation spread via the Internet.

"The Internet can expose myths, but it can also perpetuate them," said Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Research Center for Women. "It's amazing what people believe."

The survey results appear in the Sept. 1, 2007 issue of the journal Cancer.