Sixty years ago, the U.S. surgeon general released a report that settled a longstanding public debate about the dangers of cigarettes and led to huge changes in smoking in America. Is it time for a similar report on vaping. Fond du Lac County Tobacco Prevention and Control program coordinator Johanna Brotz says yes. “I definately think it’s much needed,” Brotz told WFDL news. “With e-cigarettes there’s a lot of unknowns and questions with regard to the effects so I think its good to put pressure on the surgeon general to put facts out there.” Just as there were questions in January 1964 about the health effects of cigarettes, there’s persisting uncertainty today about the dangers of electronic cigarettes. Brotz says a clarifying report would be helpful. One major obstacle: e-cigarettes haven’t been around long enough for scientists to see if vapors develop problems like lung cancer and heart disease. Cigarette smoking has long been described as the leading cause of preventable death in the United States.
