Bliley PM
[Regarding Newark Vital Statistics]
Abstract
Analyzes Newark cancer death rate vital statistics, using state New Jersey Department of Health and National Center for Health Statistics in response to New York Times article about excess cancer deaths. Points out "crude death rates conceal more information than they reveal" because "they do not account for such factors as age, sex, race, etc., each of which affects the magnitude of the relevant rate".
Fields
- Type
- Letter
- Author
- Kastenbaum, Marvin A., Ph.D. (TI Statistics Director)Kastenbaum has knowledge of the Tobacco Institute's and the tobacco industry's participation in the public disinformation regarding the health hazards of tobacco use, the manipulation of nicotine in tobacco products and the marketing of tobacco products to children.
- Author (Organization)
- Tobacco Institute
- Recipient
- Holtzman, Alexander (PM Asst General Counsel. 1975-85.)
Vice President and Director of Sales at Philip Morris from 1967 to 1976. He was Senior Vice President of PM from 1977 to 1984 and on the Board of Directors from 1971 to 1984. Also worked for the Tobacco Institute. Attempted to improve the image of smoking in the face of negative health news.
Document Images
])ea~ A.I ex:
I think the ]levark, ~ ~ersey rite2 stati;tics need closer
sc~atlrty. ~fery self-~s~et~ epid~olo~st ~e that e~de
de~h rates concea~ ~re tn~o~lon th&n th~ ~ve~. ~ ~
simply f~e~io~ of the tot~ li~ ~p~ation w~ ~e of a
partic~ar ~se~e. ~" a~ ~ crude ~ t~ir n~ Implies in
the sense that they do not ~eo~t for such factors ~ ~e, sex,
ra~e, etc., each uf w~.eb affects the ~tude of the ~levant
ra ~e.
A~ these factors come to bea" zn COml~ring '~e death rates
in Newark, ~i.j. between 1~5-197~. An increase it, the tota~ l~OpU-
~atic~t lr, ~h.is l~ertod you, d result in reduced rates. A change in
the a~e structure (older people moving out; youn~er l~o~fe
~cvin~ in~ ~uid reduce death rates from cancer and heart disease.
(Th~s is preclse'.y the reason that vital statistics for A~aska show
u~ better than thc~e of exKy other state in the Union.)
I a~ ss s~epticaZ a~ the ~. J. State Del>artment of ~lealtb
is ~pri~ed a~,~t the n~e~ re~ed in the B~ York Ti~s
str~ry. For ex~ple. ~he U.S. ~etion~ ~nter for He~th Statistics
re~,r~s ~at ~ deaths from c~cer occurs4 In ~97,0 In ~ark,
)lev Jersey. ~at void the ~p~ati,o~ of ~vark have to have been
in 29".~ tn y~eld a cancer death rate of 9~,.~ ~r ~00,000 In that
year?
IO0.OCO ?
A~ex~-er Holt~, W_mqulre
Septe ~b~.r 15, 1977
l~.e two
TIt- answer is a~prozi~atel¥ 6Abe,000. Bu~. we are told in the
t~e ge~ e~p~ic ~ea ~ferred to ~ ~II~k, l.J.~ ~y the
N.C.~.~. l~ ~ the ~ ~e the ~ne c.3ve~d ~n the ~
]r~'idental]y, the ~.C.B.S. ~ the foll~ h~ers of
Jea~hs ~,'.~m I~ c~cer ~n ~e~rk, ~.O.: I~ - I~; 19~0 - 130;
~.'* - ~. Co~,~a~le ~s for deaths ~m all c~cer.~e:
1~,(, - 75~: ~9~0 - 6~; ~97~ - 623. If the ~ula%t3n ~ze, for .
~'l~ever ~a~le ~ Is cove~d, (cl~y or ~t~lttan) were
~tr.L~ .~urtnf the ten ye~s in ques~lon~, then a d~ £n the rates
..:" .t,~*q ~.~m all c~cers would be o%serwe~ e~le the 1~ e&~cer
• 1,,ath :a~e vf, uld re.in stable. If the p~pulatlon size Incrensed
~¢erLal:::) a fe~ibI:e couce~t for ~t~r.olIt~ X~ark) then the
• ~(.~t~ rat ~ f,~r a.I, cancers, ~nclu~ l~g e~cer, would decre~e.
I~le ~'}ut'-',~n to thls d:ile~ may be in the statistics collected
"~:e .'tat.c l~l~,ment ,)f ~ea'.th Is ~n6 those surprised by t~e
Since:'el~y,
,~vln A. Kastenba~
