Public health groups have banded together to call for the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to add a warning statement on alcoholic beverages indicating a risk of oral cancer and other cancers.
In an October 21 petition, eight organizations asked TTB to petition Congress to add a surgeon general's warning stating that consuming alcoholic beverages can cause cancer, including breast and colon cancers. The signees included prominent health and cancer groups, including the American Public Health Association, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, American Institute for Cancer Research, and American Society of Clinical Oncology.
The petition comes in light of growing evidence that consuming alcohol is linked to cancer of the oral cavity, esophagus, larynx, pharynx, breast, liver, and colon, according to the groups. They hope to expand on a 1988 law requiring alcoholic beverages to carry a warning statement regarding motor vehicle operation and drinking while pregnant.
