Judge Rules Against Big Tobacco
Aug/17/06 05:55 PM
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler ruled Thursday
that the tobacco industry engaged in racketeering, finding in favor of
the government in its lawsuit against the tobacco industry in a
1,653-page ruling. Kessler found the conspiracy dates back to 1953, when a group of tobacco companies met together at the Plaza Hotel in New York City and devised a public relations plan to counter health concerns associated with smoking.
Kessler said that, even after the 1964 Surgeon General's report linking smoking to lung cancer, tobacco companies continued "to falsely deny and distort the serious health effects of smoking."
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US Surgeon General's 2006 Report on
Secondhand Smoke
Jun/27/06 05:16 PM
U.S.
Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona today issued a comprehensive
scientific report which concludes that there is no risk-free level of
exposure to secondhand smoke. Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at
home or work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25 to
30 percent and lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent. The finding is of major
public health concern due to the fact that nearly half of all
nonsmoking Americans are still regularly exposed to secondhand smoke. Full Story