An avid anti-smoker and Iowa City doctor says he’d support Congressionalaction to put warning labels on every cigar sold in the U-S, just likecigarettes. Dr. Paul Pomrehn (POM-rin) says the labels might NOT have a hugeimpact but it wouldn’t hurt to try — and it might help save a few lives.This week, the Federal Trade Commission asked Congress to approve themandatory warning labels on cigars and for the banning of all T-V and radioads for cigars. Many cigar smokers brag that cigars are much less of ahealth hazard than cigarettes, which Pomrehn admits is true, but says cigarsmokers are not exempt from cancer.Pomrehn serves on the board of directors for the Iowa chapter of theAmerican Lung Association and he’s also a professor at the University ofIowa’s college of public health. He says the warnings about cigarettesmoking have been growing in intensity for the past five decades or so.Here are the three labels being considered: Warning: Cigar smoking can causecancers of the mouth and throat, even if you do not inhale. Warning:Inhaling cigar smoke can cause lung cancer. The more deeply you inhale, thegreater your risk. Warning: Cigars are not a safe alternative to cigarettes.
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