Leading Medical Groups Applaud Surgeon General's Report on E-Cigarettes and Youth

For Immediate Release: 12:01 AM ET, December 8, 2016

Media contacts:

American Academy of Pediatrics: Jamie Poslosky | (202) 724-3301 | [email protected]
American Academy of Family Physicians: Stephanie Wilken | (800) 274-2237, Ext. 5221| [email protected]
American College of Physicians: Jackie Blaser | (202) 261-4572 | [email protected]
American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: Jamila Vernon | (202) 863-2433 | [email protected]
American Medical Association: Kelly Jakubek | (312) 464-4443 | [email protected]

Groups call on physician members to counsel patients about health risks of e-cigarette use and exposure

WASHINGTON, DC—The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Physicians, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Medical Association join in support of E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General and have made the following statement:

“As leading medical organizations representing, collectively, 630,000 physicians across the country, we join together today to applaud Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, for issuing the first comprehensive federal government review of the public health impact of e-cigarettes on youth and young adults in the United States.

“While adolescent use of tobacco has declined since the 1970s, tobacco use continues to be a major health threat to young people and adults, and e-cigarettes are threatening to addict a new generation to nicotine. The developing brains of children and teens are particularly vulnerable to nicotine, which is why the growing popularity of e-cigarettes among adolescents is so alarming and dangerous to their long-term health. Further, the effects of nicotine are dangerous to pregnant women and their developing fetuses, whether from the mother being exposed to secondhand smoke during pregnancy or fetal toxicity from maternal e-cigarette use.

“We agree with the Surgeon General’s report that a physician’s office is an ideal place to educate patients about the risks of use and exposure to e-cigarettes and other tobacco products. We call on our physician members to counsel parents and caregivers who smoke about the risks of e-cigarette use and secondhand smoke exposure, urge them not to use any tobacco products around children, and encourage them to quit. We also call on our physician members to provide advice to all children and adolescents on the dangers of tobacco use before they experiment with smoking, and to discuss the poisoning risks associated with the liquid nicotine used in e-cigarettes, which is highly potent, extremely toxic, and is marketed in appealing flavors like gummy bear and cotton candy.

“Nicotine exposure harms children from conception onward. The Surgeon General’s report on e-cigarette use among youth and young adults recognizes the growing threat e-cigarettes pose to health and development across the lifespan and offers pragmatic recommendations to address it. As leaders of organizations representing physicians in all fields of medicine, we are our patients’ strongest advocates and stand ready to help protect them from the harmful effects of e-cigarettes.”

About the American Academy of Pediatrics
The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 66,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org and follow us on Twitter @AmerAcadPeds.

About the American Academy of Family Physicians
Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents 124,900 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the only medical society devoted solely to primary care. Family physicians conduct approximately one in five office visits -- that’s 192 million visits annually or 48 percent more than the next most visited medical specialty. Today, family physicians provide more care for America’s underserved and rural populations than any other medical specialty. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care. To learn more about the specialty of family medicine, the AAFP's positions (5 page PDF) on issues and clinical care, and for downloadable multi-media highlighting family medicine, visit www.aafp.org/media. For information about health care, health conditions and wellness, please visit the AAFP’s award-winning consumer website, www.FamilyDoctor.org.

About the American College of Physicians
The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States. ACP members include 148,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. Follow ACP on Twitter and Facebook.

About the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (The College), a 501(c)(3) organization, is the nation’s leading group of physicians providing health care for women. As a private, voluntary, nonprofit membership organization of more than 57,000 members, The College strongly advocates for quality health care for women, maintains the highest standards of clinical practice and continuing education of its members, promotes patient education, and increases awareness among its members and the public of the changing issues facing women’s health care. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), a 501(c)(6) organization, is its companion.

About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the premier national organization dedicated to empowering the nation’s physicians to continually provide safer, higher quality, and more efficient care to patients and communities. For more than 165 years the AMA has been unwavering in its commitment to using its unique position and knowledge to shape a healthier future for America. For more information, visit www.ama-assn.org.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (The College), a 501(c)(3) organization, is the nation’s leading group of physicians providing health care for women. As a private, voluntary, nonprofit membership organization of more than 57,000 members, The College strongly advocates for quality health care for women, maintains the highest standards of clinical practice and continuing education of its members, promotes patient education, and increases awareness among its members and the public of the changing issues facing women’s health care. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), a 501(c)(6) organization, is its companion organization. www.acog.org