Promote the safe use, storage, and disposal of pesticides, gasoline, and other unsafe materials. Promote state, local, and organizational policies which restrict or ban indoor smoking in public places. Promote the avoidance of environmental tobacco smoke. The proposed goals for cancer prevention were selected to reduce exposure to known determinants or correlates of cancer which are common and avoidable . Tobacco use is the single most important cause of cancer in the United States.
Tobacco use is entirely avoidable.
Children get seduced into using tobacco products by unscrupulous marketing practices, become strongly addicted to nicotine, and may take many years to quit. Preventing tobacco use by children is an extremely effective means of reducing tobacco use overall, because it is a habit rarely initiated by adults. Creating disincentives for tobacco use and helping tobacco users quit have been shown to be useful in reducing tobacco use, as well. Excessive sun exposure is the most important cause of skin cancer, including melanoma of the skin, in the United States. Basal and squamous carcinoma of the skin, especially of the face, scalp, and neck, are very common in the United States.