[ti:Cigarette Warnings Could Be Bigger With Color Images] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed a rule to require new health warnings on tobacco products. [00:10.88]The proposed warnings would appear on individual cigarette packages and in advertising. [00:19.60]Cigarette packs would have realistic color pictures showing some of the lesser-known, but serious health risks of smoking. [00:30.84]They include a smoker's increased risk of developing conditions such as diabetes as well as lung cancer. [00:42.44]The Food and Drug Administration, also called FDA, is the federal agency responsible for protecting the health of people in the United States. [00:54.48]Not only do the proposed warnings contain graphic images, the written information would also be easier to see. [01:05.72]In a statement, FDA officials said the agency did research and found that many people did not read its small text-only warnings. [01:18.52]The statement described the proposed rule as the "most significant change to cigarette labels in more than 35 years." [01:28.24]The proposal would add 13 new health warnings. [01:34.20]Doctor Ned Sharpless is a cancer specialist and the head of the FDA. [01:41.44]In a statement, Sharpless noted that "tobacco use is still the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S." [01:53.88]He said it "kills more people each year than alcohol, HIV, car accidents, illegal drugs, murders and suicides combined." [02:07.08]Sharpless added that the FDA remains "committed to educating the public, especially America's youth, [02:15.37]about the dangers associated with using cigarettes and other tobacco products." [02:23.56]The agency said that "over 16 million Americans alive today live with disease caused by cigarette smoking." [02:33.28]It added that "tobacco use also costs more than $300 billion a year in direct health care costs and lost productivity." [02:45.32]This is not the first time FDA officials have tried to add graphic images to tobacco warnings. [02:53.28]In 2011, the agency proposed similar warnings. [02:58.40]But cigarette companies took legal action to stop them. [03:04.08]The companies claimed the graphic warnings violated their constitutional right of freedom of speech. [03:12.28]In 2012, tobacco companies won in court. [03:17.84]Kaelan Hollon, is a spokesperson for tobacco company Reynolds American Incorporated. [03:25.80]She said that Reynolds is currently studying the FDA's latest proposal. [03:33.80]The Reuters news agency reports that following the 2012 ruling, several health groups brought their own case to court. [03:42.84]A "judge issued an order in March 2019 directing the agency [03:48.48]to publish a proposed rule by August [2019] and issue a final rule in March 2020." [03:58.24]The current proposal is open to public comment until October 15. [04:05.08]Last month, the World Health Organization expressed its support for the use of graphic images in tobacco warnings. [04:15.44]Studies in Brazil, Canada, Singapore and Thailand, the WHO said, "consistently show [04:23.36]that pictorial warnings significantly increase people's awareness of the harms from tobacco use." [04:32.72]In the same statement, the WHO called tobacco use an "epidemic" [04:38.64]and "one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced." [04:45.36]The statement also provided the following information: [04:49.40]Tobacco kills up to half of its users. [04:54.56]Around the world, tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year. [04:59.92]Around 1.2 million of those deaths are non-smokers who breathe in second-hand smoke. [05:09.36]Around 80% of the world's 1.1 billion smokers live in low- and middle-income countries. [05:19.80]I'm Anna Matteo. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM