Public Ignorant of Most Cigarette Ingredients, Survey Finds March 29, 2007
News Summary
Apart from "tar" and nicotine, most Americans can't name a single ingredient in cigarettes, which include at least 69 cancer-causing chemicals, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK).
The survey found that 79 percent of teens and 71 percent of adults failed to identify any cigarette ingredients other than tar and nicotine, which include arsenic, ammonia, formaldehyde, and radioactive polonium 210. About 500 teens and 1,000 adults were surveyed.
CTFK recently launched a new website that details the ingredients in cigarettes.
"These survey results demonstrate powerfully why tobacco products -- the most deadly products sold in America -- cannot remain one of the least regulated products sold in America," said CTFK president Matthew L. Myers. "It's time for Congress to end the deadly status quo that allows tobacco companies to control what they put in their products, what they tell us about them and how they are marketed. By granting the FDA authority over tobacco products, Congress can stop the tobacco industry from targeting our children and misleading the public."
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