Interviews with Relatives and Friends of Victims of 'Legionnaire'S Disease'

Anne Landman's Collection

Interviews with Relatives and Friends of Victims of 'Legionnaire'S Disease'

Date: 14 Dec 1976
Length: 2 pages
1003727317-7318
Jump To Images

http://tobaccodocuments.org/landman/1003727317-7318.html

snapshot_pm 1003727317-1003727318

Abstract

This memo from the National Resources Defense Council relates the discovery of a strong correlation between smoking behavior and those who died of Legionnaire's Disease the 1976 breakout of the disease at a hotel. A telephone survey of the family members of the deceased revealed that 81 percent of the people who died in the incident were smokers. The author of the memo is Marc Reisner, who also authored the book Cadillac Desert.

Fields

Notes

Legionnaires’ disease is a form of pneumonia caused by the bacteria Legionella pneumophila. The first recognised mass outbreak occurred at an American Legion (a war veteran's association) convention at the Bellevue Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA) in 1976. 221 people attended the convention. The disease struck over 180, and 34 people died. The disease is believed to have originated in contaminated water used to cool the air in the hotel's air conditioning system. After this outbreak, the disease was named Legionnaires’ disease, or legionellosis.

The high rate of the disease among smokers in this instance may be due to a high incidence of smoking among ex-service members at this particular time, since smoking was long promoted in the U.S. military by the inclusion of cigarettes in servicemembers rations.

Quotes

This memorandum summarizes my telephone interviews with friends or relatives of 21 of the 26 death cases of Legionnaires from "Legionnaire's Disease." Of the 21 from whom information was secured, 17 of the 21, or 81 percents, were smokers. One was thought to be probably a non-smoker and three were reported as non-smokers. All four reported smokers were older than most other deceased victims (78,82,82, and 82) an done suffered from emphysema...

Company

Philip Morris Cos., Inc.

Author

Reisner, Marc P. (Editor, Communications Dir. & staff writer for the NRDC)

Staff writer, Communications Director and News Editor of the National Resources Defense Council

Recipient

Ahmed, Karim Ph.D. (NRDC Senior Scientist, interested in toxic substances)

National Resources Defense Council

Region

United States

Litigation

Stmn/Produced

Type

List

Memorandum

Subject

disease

diseases

respiratory disease

Document Images

Page 1: ngq08e00 Log in for more options!

U-K December 14, 1976 , To: Karim Ahmed, Ph.D. From: Marc P. Reisner Re: Interviews with Relatives and Friends of Victims of "Legionnaire's Disease" This memorandum summarizes my telephone interviews with friends or relatives of 21 of the 26 death cases of Legionnaires from "Legionnaire's Disease." Of the 21 from whom i-nformationn was secured, 17 of the 21, or 81' per cent, were smokers. One was thought to be probably a non-smoker and'three were reported as non-5mokers. All four reported non-smokers were older than most other deceased victims (78', 82, 82 and~82) and one suffered from emphysema. 'The results of my telephone survey are as follows: (2) Baird, William, 82. Non-smoker - quit 3 to 5 years ago - suffered from emphysema. (3) Boyle, Dennis, 60. No information. ~ -(1) Aveni, Frank, 60. Moderate cigarette smoker. a d'ay .. (7) Cox, Earl, 63. Smoked cigarettes, about one pack a.day. (5) Byerly, Louis, 59. Smoked cigarettes, about one pack a day. (6) Chamberlain, Charles, 48. Smoked cigarettes - about one pack (4) Brennan, Raymond, 61. Smoked cigars -.about 5 per day. Danishefsky (Danish), Charles M.,.49. "Heavy" cigarette smoker. (10) Dolan, James, 39. Smoked cigarettes. (11) Gaggiani, Julius, 78. Smoked cigarettes - half a pack per day plus an occasional cigar. (1~2) Grave, Francis, 70. No information obtained. (13) Hafer, Elmer, 57. Smoked cigarettes, slightly less than a pack a, day. (14) Hamilton, Eva, 72. No information. (15) Harvey, Frank J., 54., No information. f1/1 -r.

Page 2: ngq08e00 Log in for more options!

(21) Seidel, Charles, 82. Did not smoke, having quit several' years ago. . -2 - (16) Kiley, John, Jr., 60.*Smoked cigarettes, two packs a day. (17) Muffley, Arlene Elizabeth, 5-5. Smoked cigarettes, half a" ... pack a day. (18) Palmer, Jane, 64. Smoked cigarettes, half a pack a day. (19) Ralph; John V., 42. Smoked'cigarettes, one pack a day. (20) Ruben, Abraham, 82. Probably not a smoker. (22) Stricker, Frank, 82. Smoked cigars regularly. . . . (23) Stump, Harold, 54. Smoked cigarettes, at least one pack a day. (24) Sykes, James, 78. Non-smoker. (25) Tucker, Marie, 54. Smoked cigarettes.regularly. (26) Williams, Meade, 53. Smoked cigarettes, two packs a day. In making telephone interviews, I located several pairs that may prove out as internal controls. The cases are as follows: died; husband remained completely well. was present for any part of the convention. The wife -- A husband and wife, both moderate smokers, watched the Legion parade on Friday from the north side of the second'floor of the Bellevue-Stratfo-rd. _According to the husband, the wife smoked at least one or two cigarettes during this period, the husband none. The husband says that this wass the only`time that the wife -- In two cases, men who attended the convention with . their wives died while the wives stayed healthy. The couples were together most of the time during the con- vention. In both cases the husbands were smokers while their wives were not. by themselves on the afternoon of the previous day both cl i.ed. Ne i Llir.r o f thc i: r coiuq,~ inioir:3 I n.c:amc il..l. -- Three men roomed together at the 18th Street Holiday Inn and spent most of their time together, along with a fourth~man who roomed elsewhere. All were smokers. None of these men are believed to have spent more than a few minutes in the Bellevue-Stratford until Thursday after- noon, July 22, 1976. On that day, two of the men, both cigarette smokers, are thought to have gone to the hotell for about two hours. On Friday morning, all four at- tended the address by Adjutant HoakÂ•at the hotel. The two men who had apparently gone to the Bellevue-Stratford

Tobacco Documents Online

Anne Landman's Collection