Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s call Friday to require alcohol labels warning of cancer risk will likely face strong resistance in Congress, which would have to pass a law to require the labels.

The alcohol industry fiercely opposes labeling as well as stricter guidance around consumption — the government currently recommends men consume no more than two drinks per day and women no more than one — and has cultivated support among lawmakers through an expensive lobbying and political operation.

The U.S. surgeon general said alcoholic beverages should carry cancer warnings to increase awareness that the drinks are a leading cause of preventable cancers.

An act of Congress would be required to change the existing warning labels on bottles of beer, wine and liquor. Today, federal rules require only a warning against drunken driving and drinking while pregnant, as well as a general warning that alcohol “may cause health problems.”

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Friday recommended that Congress act to put warning labels on alcohol products and put out a report linking drinking to seven different cancers.

Dr. Murthy’s report linked alcohol consumption to a higher chance of developing mouth, throat, esophagus, larynx, liver and colorectal cancers, as well as breast cancer in women.

In a landmark announcement, the U.S. Surgeon General declared firearm violence a public health crisis in the U.S. on Tuesday.

Dr. Vivek Murthy warned in the advisory that gun violence poses a “serious threat to the health and well-being of our country,” that has not just a serious physical toll, but mental as well.

It marks the first time the government's leading public health body has honed in on guns.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared firearm violence a public health crisis, as gun deaths and injuries punctuate daily life in America.

On nearly every day of 2024 so far, a burst of gunfire has hit at least four people somewhere in the country. Some days, communities have endured four or five such shootings.

The United States surgeon general is declaring gun violence a national public health crisis. 

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory on Tuesday stating that firearm-related violence and its immediate psychological ramifications on victims and bystanders has severely compromised public health.

"Today, for the first time in the history of our office, I am issuing a Surgeon General's Advisory on firearm violence," Murthy said in a video announcement. "It outlines the urgent threat firearm violence poses to the health and well-being of our country."

ddressing America's gun violence crisis requires a public health approach, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy will declare in an advisory Tuesday.

Why it matters: The surgeon general's advisory, one of the most significant tools his office has to draw the public's attention to a health issue, comes days before the first presidential debate and follows a spate of mass shootings in the first weekend of summer.

While social media use by teens is near ubiquitous, the U.S. Surgeon General is warning that the mental health impacts are still not fully known—and has called on tech companies to “take immediate action to mitigate unintended negative effects.”

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issuing a warning today that social media poses a threat to kids' mental health, escalating calls for new safeguards aimed at minors.

Why it matters: The advisory adds to scrutiny over the effects of excessive use and harmful content, which has been blamed for consequences ranging from disrupting kids' sleep to promoting suicidal thoughts.

Murthy told Axios he's calling on policymakers, platforms and parents to create safe limits. He's previously said he believes age 13 is "too early" for kids to join social media.

The United States surgeon general said that social media can pose substantial and meaningful risks to the mental health of teenagers, a statement that will give extra motivation to members of Congress calling for new rules for Big Tech.

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released an advisory on Tuesday that reviewed the risks of social media use on teenage brains and bodies. Murthy said that while the effects on teen mental health are not entirely understood, there are indicators that social media can harm the mental health of teenagers and children.