Smoking

Smoking is known to raise the risk of bladder cancer, but a new study shows the link is much stronger than first thought, possible because cigarettes today are even more toxic than before. Studies undertaken from 1963 to 1987 estimated that current smoking increased the risk of bladder cancer by almost threefold. The new research examined data from more than 467,000 people who were followed from 1995 to 2006. Bladder cancer was diagnosed in 3,896 men and 627 women. Compared with people who had never smoked, former smokers had a 2.2 times increased risk of bladder cancer and current smokers had about a fourfold higher risk.

President Clinton's radio address Oct. 11, asking Hollywood to cease glamorizing the drug world, is worthy of praise, but he missed an opportunity to make a more important and practical request of the entertainment industry. Ask Hollywood to stop glamorizing smoking. Billboards of camels and horses and vending machine restrictions are nothing compared to the smoking influence on teens created by movie idols smoking in movies. Actors smoking add nothing to plot or mood that a good director can't otherwise create, making smoking unnecessary.

While I am against smoking and the tobacco industry, still I was appalled and disgusted by the sight of Vice President Al Gore pandering his sister's tragic death in pursuit of his own political ambitions (Aug. 29). Is nothing sacred from the political gristmill? MEGAN A. WAGNER Newport Beach