/PRNewswire/ -- The International Formula Council* (IFC) today issued the following statement:
"In light of recent reports regarding melamine and infant formula, the International Formula Council and its members reassure parents and health professionals that infant formula manufactured in the United States remains safe and nutritious. Additionally, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) spokesperson has stated, 'There's no basis for concern because we're talking about trace levels that are so low ... that there's absolutely no risk.'
"While trace levels of melamine may be found in food as a by-product of processing and packaging, these levels are far below the level deemed safe by numerous other governments including Canada, New Zealand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Malaysia, and China. Further, these trace amounts are far below the levels recently found in Chinese infant formulas intentionally contaminated with melamine.
"U.S. infant formula products meet the highest standards and specifications; they are manufactured with strict adherence to Good Manufacturing Practices using high-quality ingredients. Each component in the manufacturing process is carefully assessed to ensure that it complies with strict industry standards, and finished products are tested to meet or exceed all FDA standards for infant formula. The IFC and its members are committed to the continued high standards of food safety we have established with the FDA. IFC would also welcome the opportunity to help further implement these standards and quality control testing requirements globally."
* The International Formula Council is an association of manufacturers and marketers of formulated nutrition products, e.g., infant formulas and adult nutritionals, whose members are based predominantly in North America. IFC members are: Abbott Nutrition; Mead Johnson Nutritionals; Nestle Nutrition -- USA; and Wyeth Nutrition.
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Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
National Wooden Pallet and Container Association: Environment for Sale
TT Note: Tsk, tsk.
/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The principles of the president of the National Forest Foundation (NFF) Bill Possiel are clearly for sale to the highest donor. The evidence of this is his recent misinformation campaign promoting the use of plastic pallets over wood on behalf of recent contributor Intelligent Global Pooling Systems (iGPS).
"Of all the hardwood logged in the United States, 40 percent is used for pallets which are frequently used only once and then landfilled. Wood pallets are heavy, bulky, and increase shipping costs and energy used in transportation," said NFF President Bill Possiel. "We are proud to work with iGPS to restore our forests and reduce demand for hardwood species, which sequester carbon and provide many other ecosystem benefits."
Reuters, October 7, 2008
The iGPS company has said it will make a contribution to the NFF every time an iGPS pallet is rented over the next two years. That means the more plastic that is unleashed into the environment, the more money for the NFF. They are doing this to offset the damage plastic inflicts on the environment.
Contrast the environmental impact of plastic pallets with wood.
Carbon sequestration is the process by which atmospheric carbon dioxide is absorbed by trees through photosynthesis and stored as carbon in biomass (trunks, branches, foliage, and roots) and soils. Carbon sequestration in forests and wood products helps offset fossil fuel emissions, one of the key drivers of human-induced climate change.
Sustainable forestry practices can increase the ability of forests to sequester additional atmospheric carbon while enhancing other ecosystem services, such as improved soil and water quality. Planting trees, restoring forested ecosystems, and improving forest health are some of the ways to increase forest carbon. Harvesting and regenerating forests can also result in net carbon sequestration in wood products and new forest growth. Investing in forest carbon sequestration projects is a cost-effective way to complement corporate greenhouse gas reductions or allowance purchases.
USDA Forest Service
In other words, while plastic pallets need a carbon offset to mitigate the injury imposed by their product, wood pallets are the offset!
Mr. Possiel's devotion to the organization's bank account over conviction appears to be immense since he not only commended the plastic product corporation, but in so doing he used half-truths and outright falsehoods against the far more environmentally favorable wood pallet industry.
-- Half-Truth: "Of all the hardwood logged in the United States, 40
percent is used for pallets..."
That is true, but what he failed to add is the fact that wood pallets are a byproduct using wood that is rejected by housing and furniture makers for aesthetic reasons yet strong and durable enough for transport and shipping platforms. If the plastic pallet industry were to gain the market advantage they seek, the wood currently used for wood pallets would become wood waste.
-- Falsehood: Mr. Possiel said that wood pallets are frequently used only
once and then landfilled. There are more than 1.2 billion pallets in
service in the United States each day. They are collected, sorted,
repaired and returned to service by the largest pallet pool in the
world. That pool is comprised of more than 5,000 independently owned
and operated white wood pallet companies across the country. It is an
informal pool, yet awe-inspiring in its efficiency.
With wood pallets comprising 83% of the market, they are recognized throughout the supply chain as a commodity far too valuable to simply discard as refuse. Pallets are bought by shippers, sold to recyclers by retailers, repaired and resold to shippers. That cycle occurs over-and-over.
-- Falsehood: When pallets can no longer be repaired to a standard that
will ensure protection of the goods being shipped and safety of
workers handling the load, the pallets are recycled into new products.
Those products include landscape mulch, animal bedding, boiler fuel,
firewood, and wood stove pellets. The nails from ground pallet chips
are removed through a variety of collection technologies and sold as
scrap metal to be used again.
If a random pallet does end up at a solid waste management facility it is "repurposed" into such things as wood mulch or energy -- it does not go into landfill (source: National Solid Wastes Management Association). The wood pallet has value that is used from cradle to grave.
Mr. Possiel also failed to address the fact that the business model and success of companies like iGPS depend upon the infrastructure of independent wood pallet recyclers who collect, sort and return the pallets. If these wood recycling companies were to go out of business, plastic pallets would become one-way pallets unless iGPS and other pallet management firms were to purchase, maintain and fuel trucks and facilities around the country dedicated to pallet collection. Obviously this would skyrocket the cost of these already exorbitant plastic pallets.
Mr. Possiel is not serving the interests of the NFF when he allows himself to become the mouthpiece of iGPS. As the late U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan said, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." The facts clearly support wood pallets as the environmental choice.
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/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The principles of the president of the National Forest Foundation (NFF) Bill Possiel are clearly for sale to the highest donor. The evidence of this is his recent misinformation campaign promoting the use of plastic pallets over wood on behalf of recent contributor Intelligent Global Pooling Systems (iGPS).
"Of all the hardwood logged in the United States, 40 percent is used for pallets which are frequently used only once and then landfilled. Wood pallets are heavy, bulky, and increase shipping costs and energy used in transportation," said NFF President Bill Possiel. "We are proud to work with iGPS to restore our forests and reduce demand for hardwood species, which sequester carbon and provide many other ecosystem benefits."
Reuters, October 7, 2008
The iGPS company has said it will make a contribution to the NFF every time an iGPS pallet is rented over the next two years. That means the more plastic that is unleashed into the environment, the more money for the NFF. They are doing this to offset the damage plastic inflicts on the environment.
Contrast the environmental impact of plastic pallets with wood.
Carbon sequestration is the process by which atmospheric carbon dioxide is absorbed by trees through photosynthesis and stored as carbon in biomass (trunks, branches, foliage, and roots) and soils. Carbon sequestration in forests and wood products helps offset fossil fuel emissions, one of the key drivers of human-induced climate change.
Sustainable forestry practices can increase the ability of forests to sequester additional atmospheric carbon while enhancing other ecosystem services, such as improved soil and water quality. Planting trees, restoring forested ecosystems, and improving forest health are some of the ways to increase forest carbon. Harvesting and regenerating forests can also result in net carbon sequestration in wood products and new forest growth. Investing in forest carbon sequestration projects is a cost-effective way to complement corporate greenhouse gas reductions or allowance purchases.
USDA Forest Service
In other words, while plastic pallets need a carbon offset to mitigate the injury imposed by their product, wood pallets are the offset!
Mr. Possiel's devotion to the organization's bank account over conviction appears to be immense since he not only commended the plastic product corporation, but in so doing he used half-truths and outright falsehoods against the far more environmentally favorable wood pallet industry.
-- Half-Truth: "Of all the hardwood logged in the United States, 40
percent is used for pallets..."
That is true, but what he failed to add is the fact that wood pallets are a byproduct using wood that is rejected by housing and furniture makers for aesthetic reasons yet strong and durable enough for transport and shipping platforms. If the plastic pallet industry were to gain the market advantage they seek, the wood currently used for wood pallets would become wood waste.
-- Falsehood: Mr. Possiel said that wood pallets are frequently used only
once and then landfilled. There are more than 1.2 billion pallets in
service in the United States each day. They are collected, sorted,
repaired and returned to service by the largest pallet pool in the
world. That pool is comprised of more than 5,000 independently owned
and operated white wood pallet companies across the country. It is an
informal pool, yet awe-inspiring in its efficiency.
With wood pallets comprising 83% of the market, they are recognized throughout the supply chain as a commodity far too valuable to simply discard as refuse. Pallets are bought by shippers, sold to recyclers by retailers, repaired and resold to shippers. That cycle occurs over-and-over.
-- Falsehood: When pallets can no longer be repaired to a standard that
will ensure protection of the goods being shipped and safety of
workers handling the load, the pallets are recycled into new products.
Those products include landscape mulch, animal bedding, boiler fuel,
firewood, and wood stove pellets. The nails from ground pallet chips
are removed through a variety of collection technologies and sold as
scrap metal to be used again.
If a random pallet does end up at a solid waste management facility it is "repurposed" into such things as wood mulch or energy -- it does not go into landfill (source: National Solid Wastes Management Association). The wood pallet has value that is used from cradle to grave.
Mr. Possiel also failed to address the fact that the business model and success of companies like iGPS depend upon the infrastructure of independent wood pallet recyclers who collect, sort and return the pallets. If these wood recycling companies were to go out of business, plastic pallets would become one-way pallets unless iGPS and other pallet management firms were to purchase, maintain and fuel trucks and facilities around the country dedicated to pallet collection. Obviously this would skyrocket the cost of these already exorbitant plastic pallets.
Mr. Possiel is not serving the interests of the NFF when he allows himself to become the mouthpiece of iGPS. As the late U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan said, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." The facts clearly support wood pallets as the environmental choice.
-----
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Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
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Monday, November 24, 2008
New Consumer Health Guide -- 'Pass Up the Poison Plastic, The PVC-Free Guide for Your Family & Home' Released Just in Time
New Consumer Health Guide -- 'Pass Up the Poison Plastic, The PVC-Free Guide for Your Family & Home' Released Just in Time for the Holiday Shopping Season
/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new guide released today just in time for the holiday shopping season empowers parents and consumers worried about toxic chemicals in toys, baby products, and the home to find safer products. Pass Up the Poison Plastic -- the PVC-Free Guide for Your Family & Home lists the most common consumer products made out of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic and suggests safer PVC-free options. PVC, also known as vinyl, is the worst plastic for our health and environment, releasing dangerous chemicals that can cause cancer. The Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ), who coordinates a national campaign to phase out PVC, released the new guide. It can be downloaded for free at www.besafenet.com/pvc.
It also includes the top ten reasons for purchasing PVC-free products, quick tips for avoiding PVC, a listing of common household products that may contain PVC, information about other toxic plastics to avoid, a cheat sheet to common plastic acronyms, information on simple actions consumers can take for safer products and a healthier environment, and more.
"We need to take personal responsibility for the health and environmental impacts of the products we purchase," said Mike Schade, co-author of the guide and PVC Campaign Coordinator for the Center for Health, Environment and Justice. "We've created this new guide to empower consumers to find safer solutions to PVC, the most toxic plastic for our health and environment. We can help build consumer consciousness and demand for safer, healthier products by purchasing PVC-free products."
PVC products often contain dangerous toxic additives such as phthalates, lead, and organotins, which can leach out and pose avoidable dangers to consumers. Many toxic toys recalled over the past few years were made out of PVC. In the summer of 2008, Congress enacted legislation to ban phthalates in children's toys, but they are still allowed in all other PVC products in the home, despite their known hazards. A number of studies have identified correlations between phthalates in PVC products and asthma in children and adults.
A number of major retailers, including Target, Sears Holdings, Wal-Mart, JCPenneys, and IKEA have enacted major policies to reduce or phase out PVC products and/or packaging.
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/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new guide released today just in time for the holiday shopping season empowers parents and consumers worried about toxic chemicals in toys, baby products, and the home to find safer products. Pass Up the Poison Plastic -- the PVC-Free Guide for Your Family & Home lists the most common consumer products made out of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic and suggests safer PVC-free options. PVC, also known as vinyl, is the worst plastic for our health and environment, releasing dangerous chemicals that can cause cancer. The Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ), who coordinates a national campaign to phase out PVC, released the new guide. It can be downloaded for free at www.besafenet.com/pvc.
It also includes the top ten reasons for purchasing PVC-free products, quick tips for avoiding PVC, a listing of common household products that may contain PVC, information about other toxic plastics to avoid, a cheat sheet to common plastic acronyms, information on simple actions consumers can take for safer products and a healthier environment, and more.
"We need to take personal responsibility for the health and environmental impacts of the products we purchase," said Mike Schade, co-author of the guide and PVC Campaign Coordinator for the Center for Health, Environment and Justice. "We've created this new guide to empower consumers to find safer solutions to PVC, the most toxic plastic for our health and environment. We can help build consumer consciousness and demand for safer, healthier products by purchasing PVC-free products."
PVC products often contain dangerous toxic additives such as phthalates, lead, and organotins, which can leach out and pose avoidable dangers to consumers. Many toxic toys recalled over the past few years were made out of PVC. In the summer of 2008, Congress enacted legislation to ban phthalates in children's toys, but they are still allowed in all other PVC products in the home, despite their known hazards. A number of studies have identified correlations between phthalates in PVC products and asthma in children and adults.
A number of major retailers, including Target, Sears Holdings, Wal-Mart, JCPenneys, and IKEA have enacted major policies to reduce or phase out PVC products and/or packaging.
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Sunday, November 23, 2008
Major Retailer Agrees to Pay $500,000 Civil Penalty for Failure to Report Hazardous Outdoor Candles
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced today that IKEA North America Services LLC, of Plymouth Meeting, Pa., has agreed to pay the government a $500,000 civil penalty. The penalty, which has been provisionally accepted by the Commission, settles allegations that the company failed to immediately report incidents about defective outdoor candles.
CPSC alleged that IKEA failed to report to the government in a timely manner that outdoor candles sold by the firm could unexpectedly flare up and pose fire and burn injury hazards to consumers, when they attempted to extinguish the candles by blowing them out.
IKEA sold about 133,000 six-pack sets of the outdoor candles in the United States between February 2001 and July 2005. The firm also sold an additional 1.3 million candle sets internationally. During that time, the firm received at least 32 reports worldwide of unexpected flare-ups, including fire, scorching and twelve reported injuries, including minor to serious burns. In May 2006, CPSC and IKEA announced the recall of the candles.
Federal Law requires manufacturers, distributors and retailers to report to CPSC immediately after obtaining information reasonably supporting the conclusion that a product contains a defect, which could create a substantial product hazard or create an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death.
In agreeing to settle the allegations, IKEA North America Services denies that it knowingly violated federal law.
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CPSC alleged that IKEA failed to report to the government in a timely manner that outdoor candles sold by the firm could unexpectedly flare up and pose fire and burn injury hazards to consumers, when they attempted to extinguish the candles by blowing them out.
IKEA sold about 133,000 six-pack sets of the outdoor candles in the United States between February 2001 and July 2005. The firm also sold an additional 1.3 million candle sets internationally. During that time, the firm received at least 32 reports worldwide of unexpected flare-ups, including fire, scorching and twelve reported injuries, including minor to serious burns. In May 2006, CPSC and IKEA announced the recall of the candles.
Federal Law requires manufacturers, distributors and retailers to report to CPSC immediately after obtaining information reasonably supporting the conclusion that a product contains a defect, which could create a substantial product hazard or create an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death.
In agreeing to settle the allegations, IKEA North America Services denies that it knowingly violated federal law.
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Saturday, November 22, 2008
Warning: Hazardous to Your Lungs
TT Note: Just another thought on the long term effects of willingly adding toxic chemicals to your body in the name of fun. Read and learn.
Chronic drinking isn’t just bad for the liver, it’s hazardous to the lungs....
The Hidden Truth about Alcohol
By Valerie Gregg
Read the story.
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Chronic drinking isn’t just bad for the liver, it’s hazardous to the lungs....
The Hidden Truth about Alcohol
By Valerie Gregg
Read the story.
-----
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Friday, November 21, 2008
Is your Christmas Tree making You Ill
TT Note: There's no doubt live trees in the house can aggravate allergies and asthma. The allergists in Fayette County recommend no live trees for homes whose occupants have allergies. Washing down the artificial tree as an attempt to lesson mold spores is a great idea.
24-7-- Could it be your Christmas tree that's making you sick? Recent studies tend to support that theory. It seems that Christmas trees, either real or artificial can be a source of mold or allergens that can be the cause of those "sniffles" you seem to have at this time of the year.
In a recent study, mold spores in an apartment had a normal range of 500-700 spores per cubic meter. When the Christmas tree was added, the spores measured about 800 spores per cubic meter of air for the first three days. By day 14 the spores count had increased to 5,000 spores per cubic meter. If you have asthma or are prone to sinus infections you are likely to have a problem. The longer you leave the tree up the worse the contamination.
An artificial tree, stored in the attic or basement for a year can pose many of the same problems. It can acquire pollens, dust or mold. Taking the tree outdoors and washing it down can help. But that isn't always possible due to cold temperatures of the season.
Minnesota based WorldWide Oxide markets and EPA approved GREEN mold preventer Vital Oxide. Vital Oxide is totally safe, is odorless, and contains no harmful VOC's states company spokesman Tom Heller. Simply spray Vital Oxide onto the tree every few days during the season, and the mold or allergen problem will not be a factor in your home states Heller. Because Vital Oxide is odorless, you will not have to worry about some cover-up scent destroying your Christmas ambiance.
For more information on the studies visit the WorldWide Oxide web site at http://www.worldwideoxide.com.
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24-7-- Could it be your Christmas tree that's making you sick? Recent studies tend to support that theory. It seems that Christmas trees, either real or artificial can be a source of mold or allergens that can be the cause of those "sniffles" you seem to have at this time of the year.
In a recent study, mold spores in an apartment had a normal range of 500-700 spores per cubic meter. When the Christmas tree was added, the spores measured about 800 spores per cubic meter of air for the first three days. By day 14 the spores count had increased to 5,000 spores per cubic meter. If you have asthma or are prone to sinus infections you are likely to have a problem. The longer you leave the tree up the worse the contamination.
An artificial tree, stored in the attic or basement for a year can pose many of the same problems. It can acquire pollens, dust or mold. Taking the tree outdoors and washing it down can help. But that isn't always possible due to cold temperatures of the season.
Minnesota based WorldWide Oxide markets and EPA approved GREEN mold preventer Vital Oxide. Vital Oxide is totally safe, is odorless, and contains no harmful VOC's states company spokesman Tom Heller. Simply spray Vital Oxide onto the tree every few days during the season, and the mold or allergen problem will not be a factor in your home states Heller. Because Vital Oxide is odorless, you will not have to worry about some cover-up scent destroying your Christmas ambiance.
For more information on the studies visit the WorldWide Oxide web site at http://www.worldwideoxide.com.
-----
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Tuesday, November 18, 2008
National Report Ranks Georgia 50th in Protecting Kids from Tobacco
TT Note: Where do the kids smoke? So many areas are smoke free these days and I have to admit I like the fresher air. Maybe Georgia should consider collecting two dollars from the tobacco companies for every dollar the companies spend in advertising in the state. Perhaps convenience stores will have to tighten their own rules and regulations for selling cigarettes to minors. Just a thought.
/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ten years after the November 1998 state tobacco settlement, Georgia ranks 50th in the nation in funding programs to protect kids from tobacco, according to a national report released today by a coalition of public health organizations.
Georgia currently spends $3.2 million a year on tobacco prevention programs, which is 2.7 percent of the $116.5 million recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Other key findings for Georgia include:
-- The tobacco companies spend more than $444 million a year on marketing
in Georgia. This is 139 times what the state spends on tobacco
prevention.
-- Georgia this year will collect $393 million from the tobacco
settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend less than 1 percent of it
on tobacco prevention.
The annual report on states' funding of tobacco prevention programs, titled "A Decade of Broken Promises," was released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Lung Association and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
"Georgia is one of the most disappointing states when it comes to funding programs to protect kids from tobacco," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "On this 10th anniversary of the tobacco settlement, we call on Georgia's leaders to raise the state cigarette tax and use some of the new revenue to increase funding for tobacco prevention. Tobacco prevention is a smart investment that reduces smoking, saves lives and saves money by reducing tobacco-related health care costs."
Georgia's current cigarette tax of 37 cents per pack is 43rd in the nation and well below the national average of $1.19 per pack. Scientific studies have found that increasing cigarette prices is one of the most effective ways to prevent kids from smoking and encourage smokers to quit.
On Nov. 23, 1998, 46 states settled their lawsuits against the nation's major tobacco companies to recover tobacco-related health care costs, joining four states (Mississippi, Texas, Florida and Minnesota) that had reached earlier settlements. These settlements require the tobacco companies to make annual payments to the states in perpetuity, with total payments estimated at $246 billion over the first 25 years. The states also collect billions of dollars each year in tobacco taxes.
The new report finds that most states have broken their promise to use a significant portion of their tobacco money to fund programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit.
According to the report, the states in the last 10 years have received $203.5 billion in revenue from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes. But they have spent only 3.2 percent of this tobacco money - $6.5 billion - on tobacco prevention and cessation programs.
Other findings of the report include:
-- In the current year, no state is funding tobacco prevention at
CDC-recommended levels, and only nine states fund their programs at
even half of the CDC recommendation.
-- 41 states and the District of Columbia are funding tobacco prevention
programs at less than half the CDC-recommended amount. These include
27 states that are providing less than a quarter of the recommended
funding.
-- Total funding for state tobacco prevention programs this year, $718.1
million, amounts to less than three percent of the $24.6 billion the
states will collect from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes. It
would take just 15 percent of this tobacco revenue to fund tobacco
prevention programs in every state at CDC-recommended levels.
The report warns that the nation faces two immediate challenges in the fight against tobacco use: complacency and looming state budget shortfalls. First, while the nation has made significant progress over the past decade in reducing smoking, progress has slowed and further progress is at risk without aggressive efforts at all levels of government. Second, the states are expected to face budget shortfalls in the coming year as a result of the weak economy. The last time the states faced significant budget shortfalls, they cut funding for tobacco prevention programs by 28 percent between 2002 and 2005. The cutbacks are a major reason why smoking declines subsequently stalled, and states should not make the same mistake again.
The report found that there is more evidence than ever that tobacco prevention programs work to reduce smoking, save lives and save money by reducing tobacco-related health care costs. Washington State, which has been a national leader in funding tobacco prevention, has reduced smoking by 60 percent among sixth graders and by 43 percent among 12th graders since the late 1990s. A recent study found that California's tobacco control program saved $86 billion in health care costs in its first 15 years, compared to $1.8 billion spent on the program, for a return on investment of nearly 50:1.
In Georgia, 18.6 percent of high school students smoke, and 11,300 more kids become regular smokers every year. Each year, tobacco claims 10,300 lives and costs the state $2.25 billion in health care bills.
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/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ten years after the November 1998 state tobacco settlement, Georgia ranks 50th in the nation in funding programs to protect kids from tobacco, according to a national report released today by a coalition of public health organizations.
Georgia currently spends $3.2 million a year on tobacco prevention programs, which is 2.7 percent of the $116.5 million recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Other key findings for Georgia include:
-- The tobacco companies spend more than $444 million a year on marketing
in Georgia. This is 139 times what the state spends on tobacco
prevention.
-- Georgia this year will collect $393 million from the tobacco
settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend less than 1 percent of it
on tobacco prevention.
The annual report on states' funding of tobacco prevention programs, titled "A Decade of Broken Promises," was released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Lung Association and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
"Georgia is one of the most disappointing states when it comes to funding programs to protect kids from tobacco," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "On this 10th anniversary of the tobacco settlement, we call on Georgia's leaders to raise the state cigarette tax and use some of the new revenue to increase funding for tobacco prevention. Tobacco prevention is a smart investment that reduces smoking, saves lives and saves money by reducing tobacco-related health care costs."
Georgia's current cigarette tax of 37 cents per pack is 43rd in the nation and well below the national average of $1.19 per pack. Scientific studies have found that increasing cigarette prices is one of the most effective ways to prevent kids from smoking and encourage smokers to quit.
On Nov. 23, 1998, 46 states settled their lawsuits against the nation's major tobacco companies to recover tobacco-related health care costs, joining four states (Mississippi, Texas, Florida and Minnesota) that had reached earlier settlements. These settlements require the tobacco companies to make annual payments to the states in perpetuity, with total payments estimated at $246 billion over the first 25 years. The states also collect billions of dollars each year in tobacco taxes.
The new report finds that most states have broken their promise to use a significant portion of their tobacco money to fund programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit.
According to the report, the states in the last 10 years have received $203.5 billion in revenue from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes. But they have spent only 3.2 percent of this tobacco money - $6.5 billion - on tobacco prevention and cessation programs.
Other findings of the report include:
-- In the current year, no state is funding tobacco prevention at
CDC-recommended levels, and only nine states fund their programs at
even half of the CDC recommendation.
-- 41 states and the District of Columbia are funding tobacco prevention
programs at less than half the CDC-recommended amount. These include
27 states that are providing less than a quarter of the recommended
funding.
-- Total funding for state tobacco prevention programs this year, $718.1
million, amounts to less than three percent of the $24.6 billion the
states will collect from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes. It
would take just 15 percent of this tobacco revenue to fund tobacco
prevention programs in every state at CDC-recommended levels.
The report warns that the nation faces two immediate challenges in the fight against tobacco use: complacency and looming state budget shortfalls. First, while the nation has made significant progress over the past decade in reducing smoking, progress has slowed and further progress is at risk without aggressive efforts at all levels of government. Second, the states are expected to face budget shortfalls in the coming year as a result of the weak economy. The last time the states faced significant budget shortfalls, they cut funding for tobacco prevention programs by 28 percent between 2002 and 2005. The cutbacks are a major reason why smoking declines subsequently stalled, and states should not make the same mistake again.
The report found that there is more evidence than ever that tobacco prevention programs work to reduce smoking, save lives and save money by reducing tobacco-related health care costs. Washington State, which has been a national leader in funding tobacco prevention, has reduced smoking by 60 percent among sixth graders and by 43 percent among 12th graders since the late 1990s. A recent study found that California's tobacco control program saved $86 billion in health care costs in its first 15 years, compared to $1.8 billion spent on the program, for a return on investment of nearly 50:1.
In Georgia, 18.6 percent of high school students smoke, and 11,300 more kids become regular smokers every year. Each year, tobacco claims 10,300 lives and costs the state $2.25 billion in health care bills.
-----
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