The word “transparency” is now big among Americans.

Especially on the governmental front — local, state as well as national — anger pours forth when the public learns about secrecy having prevailed, especially regarding an important, controversial issue that impacts them directly, such as one that causes an increase in certain fees or their taxes.

Sometimes the lowest levels of government end up sparking the biggest, noisiest outcrys and furors, as a result of people not having been accorded an early heads-up regarding relevant goings-on about which they deserved expeditious notice.

Certainly, “transparency” also should be concern one when people’s health is at stake. Unfortunately, though, sometimes it isn’t, for whatever the reason or influence, big or small.

One of the issues in the federal forefront now — an issue that has roots to the need for transparency — is whether alcoholic beverage containers should include cancer warnings.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, on Jan. 3, issued an advisory recommending such an inclusion-of-notice based on, what he said, was research and mounting evidence about the bad effects alcohol has on human health.

The link between alcohol consumption and cancer risk has been established for at least seven types of cancer, Murthy said, including breast, colorectum, esophagus, liver, mouth, throat and voice box.

While that information needs to be disseminated to the public, more study is necessary regarding how best to present the facts and opinions related to the issue in a visible, conspicuous, easy-to-understand way.

The fact is that not every drink of an alcoholic beverage is going to cause cancer; beyond presenting facts regarding the dangers, there needs to be well-thought-out recommendations about how consumption of such beverages can continue but in a safer way.

Most people probably will opt to continue their current drinking habits, no matter what recommendations are issued. Nevertheless, numerous lives likely can be saved, based on the new level of attention being generated.

There are many other cancer dangers in the world that people have learned to live with, using “self-built” safeguards to minimize risks associated with them.

That includes in the workplace and in the home environment.

Bottles of beer, wine and liquor already include warning labels that say pregnant women should not drink and that alcohol consumption can impair someone’s ability to drive a car.

However, a label Murthy is proposing also would raise awareness about the risk for cancer.

“For individuals, be aware that cancer risk increases as you drink more alcohol,” Murthy wrote Jan. 3 on the social media platform X. “As you consider whether or how much to drink, keep in mind that less is better when it comes to cancer risk.”

Still, any official effort to add a cancer warning would likely trigger major opposition from the powerful beverage industry, which reportedly spends $30 million every year lobbying Congress.

Murthy’s proposal for a label would require Congress’ approval, and it has been nearly four decades since Congress approved the first government warning label on alcohol. The speculation probably is correct that Congress would not act quickly to jump aboard the surgeon general’s recommendation.

Alcohol consumption is considered the third-leading preventable cause of cancer in the U.S., after tobacco and obesity.

That’s not the kind of transparency most Americans would prefer to hear, but they need to hear it nonetheless.