Cancer Warning Labels on Alcohol
September 26th 2006 11:52
Cancer Warning Labels on Alcohol.
Good Idea or Waste of Effort?
The SMH published an article last week on the possibility of new warning labels put on alcohol bottles, that warn drinkers of the risks of drinking – namely cancer.
According to the report, the Salvation Army has stood up and wants these labels to go ahead, and now they are supported by The Australian Medical Association. The purpose of the labels is to remind drinkers that alcohol consumption can increase the risk of breast, liver and larynx cancer. This idea comes after a study that showed that 61% of Australians were unaware of these repercussions.
The study also found that 16 per cent of 14 to 17-year-olds and 41 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds admitted to at least seven drinks in a single session in the month before the study. These “worryingly high” results could lead to more young women being diagnosed with cancer.
The head of the Australian Medical Association, Mukesh Haikerwal, supports the Salvation Army's calls, saying alcohol labelling should be clearer. He says "We believe it should be very clear just how much alcohol you're getting in each bottle you're buying and drinking, so you can actually gauge just how much alcohol you're taking in."
Although, Mr Haikerwal believes the social results of excessive drinking are much worse than the possibility of cancer. He belives that “The biggest problems from alcohol relate to social disruption, the forgetfulness, the memory loss, the risky behaviour, the violence”.
I think it’s a good idea to put warning labels on alcohol bottles, just like they do to cigarette packets, but it may just work out to be a lost cause. At the moment, cigarette-driven lung cancer and other ailments are clear in the media and people are very aware of these complications and that smoking plays a big role in their development. But less people even know of the victims of excessive alcohol consumption or are even aware such alcohol-related health scares exist. Like when the anti-smoking campaigns first took off, it may take a while for these labels to have any effect on consumers.
Image part of the GNU Free Documentation License
Good Idea or Waste of Effort?
The SMH published an article last week on the possibility of new warning labels put on alcohol bottles, that warn drinkers of the risks of drinking – namely cancer.
According to the report, the Salvation Army has stood up and wants these labels to go ahead, and now they are supported by The Australian Medical Association. The purpose of the labels is to remind drinkers that alcohol consumption can increase the risk of breast, liver and larynx cancer. This idea comes after a study that showed that 61% of Australians were unaware of these repercussions.
The study also found that 16 per cent of 14 to 17-year-olds and 41 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds admitted to at least seven drinks in a single session in the month before the study. These “worryingly high” results could lead to more young women being diagnosed with cancer.
Could future wine labels be corrupted with unattractive cancer warnings?
The head of the Australian Medical Association, Mukesh Haikerwal, supports the Salvation Army's calls, saying alcohol labelling should be clearer. He says "We believe it should be very clear just how much alcohol you're getting in each bottle you're buying and drinking, so you can actually gauge just how much alcohol you're taking in."
Although, Mr Haikerwal believes the social results of excessive drinking are much worse than the possibility of cancer. He belives that “The biggest problems from alcohol relate to social disruption, the forgetfulness, the memory loss, the risky behaviour, the violence”.
I think it’s a good idea to put warning labels on alcohol bottles, just like they do to cigarette packets, but it may just work out to be a lost cause. At the moment, cigarette-driven lung cancer and other ailments are clear in the media and people are very aware of these complications and that smoking plays a big role in their development. But less people even know of the victims of excessive alcohol consumption or are even aware such alcohol-related health scares exist. Like when the anti-smoking campaigns first took off, it may take a while for these labels to have any effect on consumers.
Image part of the GNU Free Documentation License
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