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Council for Tobacco Research

Harvard Polonium Theory of Lung Cancer Link Questioned by Canadian. Canadian Cancer Society Newsletter, Vol 17 No 1 [Taylor States That A Score of People, Who While Working in the Radium Refining Industry, Absorbed So Much Polonium, That Traces Were Found Years Later in Their Urine and None of the Workers Developed Any Form of Cancer.]

Date: Jun 1964
Length: 1 page
HT0033068
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Abstract

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Type
NEWSLETTER
Depository Date
31 Jan 1996
Named Person
Harvard Univ
Taylor, R.
Nci
Curie, P.
Curie, M.
Redford, E.P.
Hunt, V.R.
Kresge Centre For Environmental Health
Atomic Energy, O.F. Canada
Master ID
300160514-0588
Related Documents:
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132
Author
Canadian Cancer Society Newsletter
Box
096
Site
Hoyt
UCSF Legacy ID
brt1aa00

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I t CANADIAN CANCER SOCIETY NEWSLETTER V01. 17,110. 1 June, 1964 F;"::VARD POLO;lfUh1 THEORY OF LUNG CANCER LINN( QUESTIOINED BY CAINHDIAN A theory, published by two Har- varJ Univcrsity rc.earchcrs, that ra- dioactive polonium may be the long- sought link between smoking and lung cancer has been challenged by Dr. Robert Taylor, c.e:utivc director of the Nauonal Cancer Institute. Polomum, a ri.•Irllic element, is present in small yuantiti'+ in all green plrnts, which ab.orb it tnrough their roo:a and leaves fiom trrcea of it in the .rnl . nt! atmosphere. The element wrs iJCnut.eJ in 1699 by Pierre and \tarte Cur,c. an~ namcJ for Poland. S1ma. Cur,,:', I:.+mclanJ. A sott mrtal, clu,cly :.1. . to lead, it I+ frr .c.uncr than r.w: t Dr. Ed,ti:ird P. ccJforJ and Vdma R. Hunt. at the Kresge Centre for Environmc.+tal Hralth. of the Harvard School of .'uhli: Hoalth, claim there is enough ,doatum in the lungs of a two-pacL-:,-..ay man to increase his daily natur.: dow of radiation seven time,. \uclcar Bullets The U. S. rcwrrchcn point out that polun um, like r:,dium. ts an "alpha cnt.tter"-.hootinb out bulky nuclc.,r p..:uclcs that are very dam- ugin; to n. rhy Cell+, especially when the .uw ', . intiide the hudy. Dr. Ta)6rr, huwcvcr, unce nw: Ik- h,:ve the amuunts likely to he in the lungs, as yuotcs by the HarvarJ rc- sc•rrchen, woulJ represent much haz- •rrd. Dr. Taylor had a special in• tero%t in polonium and its path P"P 67HT®0033068 througl. the human boJy while Di- recta: of the Medical Division at the Chalk River s.,trbli.hment of Atomic Enerel of C..owJ•r Ltd. "Therc ..rc a score of people in this countrv;' Dr. Taylor saiJ, "who whilc working in thc r.tJium refining indu•try •rh,urheJ .u much pnlunnuu we were ahlc tu rccowr u Iram Iheir urine years alter thttr exposure. "Thcse people have been kept track of ever since, and none of them has developed any form of cancer bccautic of polonium." '1'DRUIPPO I]AIIaY STAR Toronto, Cansda June 17, 1964 U.S. doctor not convinced aU ets a .~~ I6' major cause of lung cancer BY $EY ROSE Star staff writer HONEY HARBOR - A leading U.S. cancer re- searcher a a i d yesterday there Is no conclusive evt- dence that a h f g h per- centage of lung cancer is caused by eigaret amoking, "There la no doubt that cigaret emoking ia a factor in lung cancer, but per. aonally I cannot rtather enough facts to say ehat it is more important ht the whole piclure than an5 thing else," said Dr. Pillfppe Shnblk, The professor of patholoF3• at Chicago Medi- cal scho-ti was speaking to 1Nr Sixth Canadian Cancer Re%r•anh Conference. ' In the other hand." he, told a press' conference later, "1 w o u l d advise people to etop smoking cigarets. It'e a nasty, dirty cancer and tigarbt amok• habit It'a only common " he eaid '9t would be aenae to realize it n~uet do s extremely deageroue aome harm," The 8ngtieh • born and• Oa[ord •educated aclentlat who le 'a pipe antoher - addedo "it'e almost as bad aa smoking a ptpe" CANT GO ALONG Dr. Shubik aeldd amall QuaBQtl6m ol the elleffiicgl8 pree8nt in tobacco tars, that are believed to cause lung cancer, are also pre- sent In charcoal • broqed steaks and smoked deb. He said air pollution and other factors muat also be taken into acwunt "I can't go along with some of my cotiaagues who are making categorical and detailed conctuaions about the relationship of lung conclusion tur the public to expect a dramatic drop In lung cancer it everyone ltopped emoking T;arets." Despite • the statistical evidence linking ctgaret smoking and lung cancer tn man. Dr. Shubilt said it la tmposeible to produce lung cancer in mice by eri poeing them tp topp¢co amoke, even though the sAmicala in tobacco tars wilt preducam e n~ cancer In animals. FIRST PUFF Dr.J.sePrlceoftbe University of tNfaconstn agreed that the educational aropalgn ahould be 6ireo ted to atopping people from taking eve4 their first puff an a clgaret , "An adult who Is amoking now, and who glvea it up, may aomeeo kl~nd oI troube daaoclated with the fnts tntlori of not belog able to Pmfte blt," !te ~~'~°~ ba

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