Shock images for US smokers

(GETTY IMAGES)

There will be no more pussy-footing around with the health warnings on American cigarette packets if federal health officials have their way.

To the irritation of some manufacturers, the Food and Drug Administration has unveiled a collection of 36 surprisingly graphic images it would like to see printed on the front of cigarette boxes in an attempt to make smokers think twice before lighting up. The pictures include one of a corpse and another of a man breathing smoke out of a hole in his neck.