Surgeon General Reports
In 1964, Luther Terry, MD, Surgeon General of the US Public Health Service, released the nation's very first Surgeon General's Report on tobacco. This landmark report concluded that smoking cigarettes is a cause of lung cancer, and the most important cause of chronic bronchitis. This report sparked much conversation, and went on to be labeled one of the top news stories of 1964.
While significant progress has been made in the fight against tobacco, there is still a long road ahead. New technologies are being discovered each day, and those technologies play into making tobacco products more appealing and readily available. The Surgeon General plays a vital role in keeping the public informed of the health consequences of tobacco, and of the harm these new products can cause.
Recent Reports
New Report: Preventing Tobacco Use among Youth and Young Adults — Released March 2012
This report, focused on youth and young adults, discusses the sensitivity of young people to the addictive nature of nicotine, and how industry marketing makes that happen- including use of tobacco imagery in the media.
- Summary of Report
- Full Report
- Fact Sheet — English, Spanish
- Consumer Booklet- Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults: We Can Make the Next Generation Tobacco Free
- AAP Supports Release of the 2012 Surgeon General Report on Tobacco Use in Youth and Young Adults
- For more information on how the tobacco industry uses media techniques to hook youth, visit Smoke-free Movies.
How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease — 2010
This report describes the ways tobacco smoke damages organs in the body. Also examined is how and why smokers become addicted and how nicotine compares with heroin and cocaine in its hold on users and its effects on the brain.
- Summary of Report
- Full Report
- Fact Sheet
- Companion materials: For consumers, for clinicians, video — Heart Stopper: How Tobacco Smoke Can lead to a Heart Attack — Even Death
Children and Secondhand Smoke Exposure — Excerpts from The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke — 2007
These excerpts, from The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, highlight the harmful effects of secondhand smoke exposure on children.
- Full Excerpt
- Fact Sheets: Children are Hurt By Secondhand Smoke, How to Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones from Secondhand Smoke, Secondhand Smoke Exposure in the Home
The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke — 2006
A comprehensive scientific report which concludes that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
- Summary of Report
- Full Report
- Fact Sheet
- Companion materials: For consumers — English, Spanish
The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General — 2004
A comprehensive report on the hazards of active smoking, health risks caused by smoking, and the benefits of quitting.
For more Surgeon General reports on tobacco, visit the Surgeon General Reports
Web site.
