Pure Pedantry : Ask a Scienceblogger: Anti-smoking campaign is one of science policy's greatest successes

Reality is always more complicated than you think.

Profile

Jake Young is a MD/PhD student at Mount Sinai School of Medicine focusing in Neuroscience. He is due to graduate in 2032. He received a BS and a MS in Biological Sciences from Stanford University -- where he spent most of his time drinking heavily and building vegetable catapults instead of learning information that would now be eminently useful. When he is not failing terrifically to perform his sworn duties, he enjoys watching bad movies, ethnic food, and running.

Pure Pedantry is a blog about science -- social sciences and otherwise -- as well as academic and scientific culture. No one can live on science alone, so I also like to dwell on pop culture, periodically explore the humanities, and indulge in other types of geeky goodness.

Jake is joined periodically by two wonderful guest bloggers: Kara Contreary and Kate Seip. See the About Page.

DISCLAIMERS: 1) Jake Young is not a licensed physician (yet). He is merely a medical student. The information published on this site is not intended for use in medical decision making. Please seek advice from a licensed, medical professional before making any health decisions. 2) The opinions expressed are my own or those of my co-bloggers. They do not represent the views of SEED magazine or the educational establishments we currently attend.

Search this blog

Ask a Scienceblogger: Anti-smoking campaign is one of science policy's greatest successes

Category:
Posted on: July 4, 2006 10:00 PM, by Jake Young

This weeks Ask a Scienceblogger is:

What are some unsung successes that have occurred as a result of using science to guide policy?

I don't know if this is unsung but it bears repeating because it is truly a triumph of science over those who would prefer the research had not been done.

In 1964, the Surgeon General released the Surgeon General Report: Reducing the Health Consequences of Smoking representing one of the first of the US governments comprehensive strategies to reduce smoking. The report occured in the teeth of public opinion and industry lobbying.

Periodic updates have been released since then, but I think that this policy, that smoking causes lung cancer and numerous other diseases and that governmental steps should be taken to stop it, has probably been one of the single greatest public health campaigns in history.

Just think of the number of lives that have been saved by prevention of lung cancer and other lung diseases, by fight asthma from second hand smoke, by the reduction in premature births to smoking mothers.

This is particularly relevant because the fight is hardly won. Last week the current Surgeon General issued a report showing that second hand smoke is dangerous to health at any dosage. The WHO estimates that smoking with causes 10 million deaths a year by 2020, every last one of them preventable.

The revelation that smoking causes lung cancer and numerous other diseases is one of science policies most important achievements because it highlighted the single easiest way that we could improve health and cut healthcare costs. It almost seems so last week as to be trite, but considering how tooth and nail the industry fougjht this research, I think it was one of science's greatest successes.

Comments

Last week the current Surgeon General issued a report showing that second hand smoke is dangerous to health at any dosage.

Funny, that.

Posted by: daksya | July 4, 2006 10:17 PM

In other news, the current Surgeon General suddenly announced his retirement, citing pollution of his mind by secondhand liberal anti-smoking propaganda.

Posted by: Evil Monkey | July 4, 2006 10:40 PM

read the report, it does not say anything new about second hand smoke, that there is no evidence supporting long or short term lung damage due to second hand smoke.

Posted by: SteveA | July 6, 2006 10:59 AM