Wednesday, October 22, 2008

European cigarette warning labels

In Europe the law requires cigarette packaging to carry really large warnings about the dangers of cigarettes. Warnings on the packages I've seen are about 1/3rd of the front of the carton. They've attacked it from pretty much every angle - from beauty to health, to fear to relationships. A few text samples are shown below but they're even more frightening with the pictures. Think the US will ever get this agressive?

1) Smoking kills
2) Smoking seriously harms you and those around you
3) Smoking causes fatal lung cancer
4) Smoking causes aging of the skin
5) Protect children. Don't make them breathe your smoke.
6) Smoking can cause a slow and painful death.
7) Smoking contains benzene, nitrosamines, formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide.
8) Smoking when pregnant harms your baby
9) Smoking clogs arteries and causes heart attacks and strokes
10) Smoking reduces blood flow and may cause impotence.

Some of the ads have supporting pictures as well that are pretty gross. I'm guessing it's working since Europe seems MUCH less smokey to me compared to 10 years ago.

1 comment:

ljc said...

I have seen covers that are designed to cover up all the messaging on those boxes so the smokers don't have to see them.