| Symptoms of Respiratory Dysfunction | Pharmacologic Action of Menthol |
|---|---|
| chronic cough | antitusive |
| thick mucus production | secretolytic agent - expectorant |
| bronchitis - airway resistance | subjective - increased airflow |
| shortness of breath | soothing effect may reduce pain in inflamed or irritated mucous membranes |
| recurring pneumonia | antibacterial activity |
Menthol has been used for years in cough and cold remedies that carry warnings - in case a cough or congestion persists, consult your doctor. Such persistent symptoms may be signs of more serious conditions. However, no warning for menthol use is found on cigarette packs since the FDA can't regulate tobacco products.
Most of menthol's effects on the respiratory tract are because of stimulation of cold receptors producing a "cool sensation," and menthol cigarettes indeed do contain enough menthol to produce that sensation -- however, the "cool sensation" may be covering up disease such as cancer. ( http://www.cancer.org/tobacco/quitting.html )
Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer in both men and women, accounting for 28% of all cancer deaths. Since 1987, more women have died each year of lung cancer than breast cancer. More than 90% of lung cancers are preventable. The overwhelming majority of lung cancers, greater than 90% are caused by cigarette smoking.
African American (AA) men are at least 50% more likely to develop lung cancer than Caucasian men. These AA men have a higher mortality rate of lung cancer (100.8 per 100,000) than Caucasian men (70.1 per 100,000). About 3 out of 4 AA smoke mentholated cigarettes and among youth, 9 out of 10 smoke menthols. For white smokers, about 1 out of 4 smoke mentholated cigarettes.
81% of African American men who smoke and have contracted lung cancer die from the disease, compared with 54% of their white counterparts. ("Tobacco Use Among U.S. Racial/Ethnic Minority Groups - African Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and Hispanics: A report from the Surgeon General 1998, U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services)
**** Is is very likely that smoking menthols masks the early warning signs of lung cancer, causing people to delay seeking medical attention until it's too late. **** Further, a comment we received recently from a physician indicates the above is a real possibility -- his words: "You are absolutely right -- you would think this is common medical knowledge."
Well, it is NOT common knowledge and something has to be done to prevent this increase in deaths from lung cancer --- that is one of the missions of this GoodHealth website...