Tobacco Documents Online

PREPARED 6Y. THE'~, INSTITUTE'~.. STAFF TO: INFORM TME'~. INDUSTRY' OF' NEWSWORTHY DEVELOPMENTS~~ RHSEARCH tween smoking and lung Number 128 July~ 2~9!, 1975~ THE MAP ON THE BACK PAGE--fascinating to those concerned with the asserted association:be- cancer--is adapted from the "Atlas" just pub- lished by the National Cancer Institute. What you see is~the counties where,, by statistical test, lung cancer death, rates for white males from 1950-69 were significantly higher than in alll other counties in the U.S. The rates were calculated from all cancer death certificates; the locations were ascribed "to the county of usual,resiidence given on the certificates." ELEVEN YEARS AGO the Surgeon General''s Advisory Committee linked smo- king to lung cancer, mainly because statistical studies of white males showedian association., The new county dataiweren't available to in- fluence,that judgment., Nor do they offer strengthening of the:smoking-1!ung cancer hypothesis. To take a striking example:: ~ Of 64 counties in Louisiana, 38 are i~n the highest 108% lung cancer death,rate bracket compared with the U1.S. as a, whole; of these, 13 are in the top 1%. Yet, according to official tax',records compil'ed by the Tobacco: Tax Councill, per capita cigarette sales~duriing the period ranged between. 82 and 1201packs per year. ~ Wyomingihas no counties with elevated' lung cancer deathh rates. More than half are below the U.S., average. At thee same time,, its per capitaicigarette sales ranged from 121 to 144' packs. LIiKE AN INCREASINGIAMpUNT of research since the Surgeon General"s re- port, the geographic tally seems to raiise far more questions than it answers. As the authors of the new study put it::

-2- "The maps for lung cancer indicate that excessive mort'adity,is not limited to highly populated urban areas where cigarette smoking and air pollution are most,prominent...Further st'.udies are needed' to identify the environmental and'demograph'ic factors contributing to the increased risk of 1ung,cancer:in these predominantly rural' and port areas." A "FACT SHEET" issued'by'NCI sai&its scientists found high rates of lung.,, liverandr bladder cancersin:"coun.t'ies with significant employment.in.t the chemical industry" and "above-average lung cancer death rates in counties where a significant percentage of the work force is engaged in smelt'ing and'refining oflcopper, lead and zinc ores. Arsenic,, a known human cancer-producing agent, is ann airborne byproduct of the smelting operation." AN NCI SPOKESMAN said single copies of the "Atlas" are avail- able free from NCI and that larger orders will be taken by the Superintendent of Documents at the Govt. Printing Office later. Meanwhile, readers interested in additional copies of a map adapted1from this Newsletter are invited,to re- quest them from The Tobacco Institute.. TAKINGITO TASK the "neither balanced nor accurate" report of a Britilshh researcher on stop-smokingimethodology in an earlier edition of Amer- ican Heart Journal, H;arvard"s Car1 Seltzer wrote in the,same journal:: "The history'of inedicine_throughout the centuries contains many examples of evangelical fervor for:etiblogic or therapeutic'theories that were later shown to be:wrong. A prime responsibility of epidemiologists is to maintain the skepticismof science amidst the passions of evangelism. If smoking is related to CHD ((coronary,heart disease)) in only a limited segment of the population, the peopLe who are not at risk wi11'hard7y be benefitted'by blunderbuss interventions aimed at everyone. If:smo- king is not causally related to CHD, the true situation wi1'1' never be discerned'unless investigators observe the cardinal scientific principle of ruling out,count'er-hypotheses. Unti1' conclusive proof is available, the health of the public and'the welfare of'science demand'a balanced consideration of all the available evi'dence:" IN A'N' INTERVIEW with,the Jerusalem Post last,month,SeTtzer said: "Scientific truth has never been attained by regarding it:as a political'i:ssue to bee settledlby a democratic process of'majori'ty vote or opinion." He al'lso stated,, "The current' dogma that cigarette smoking, is a major ri'sk factor inicausing,disease may'become:an outstanding fallacy'of our era." HOUSTON CHRONICLE reported'that Eugene Jacobson, identifiedd as chairman of the physiology dept, at the U., of Tex~. med- ical schooli, has "discovered" that nicotine suppresses'a natural' antacid and in that way causes uTcers of the small intestine. A UNIV. OF COPENHAGEN researcher, Bo Holma, reported'to last month's 3srdiWorld Conference',on Smoking and Health that in a1survey of olderr neighborhoods im that city, beer drinking, substandard housing and dampness were better predictors of respiratory symptoms than cigarettee smokingi. Holima's text, just now availabLe, says smoki~ng,i!s hazardous, but that the study "demonstrates the necessit':y of considering locad' circumstances,, habit's, standards of'Iiving:, housi'ng> etc.,in evaluating the relative iinportance of the effect of smoking on health.'"'

-3- GERMAN TfJBACCO COMPANIES announced they will increase smoking;-hea7th resear-ch support with contracts to,domestic and foreign institutions supervi~sed by a council of independent scientists, phasingiout the i~n- dustry"s own Research Institute.. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES has scheduled a vote this week on its version of the Consumer Pro- duct Safety Commission Improvement Act (Newsletter 126) which provides a blanket exemption of "tobacco and tobacco products." The Senate passed a similar measure July 18 which amended the exemption (Newsletter. 125) to alilow the CPSC jurisdiction to consider regulating cigarettes as an "ignition source" (Newsletter 112) as long as any resulting stand- ards would not increase the "health risks" of cigarettes. Should the House measure pass, a conference between the House and Senate would be required to resolve the:differences in the two bills. WASHINGTON REP. PEYSER'(D-N.Y:.) offered alfloor amendment to knock out rice, peanut and tobacco price supports and'acreage controls during debate on the agriculture appropriations bill. He withdrew it after brief debate during, which no one supportedl it. Rep. Jenrette (D-S.C.) attackedi"anti-tobacco zealots," evenireferred to the recent 3rd World Conference on Smoking and Health:: "You and'I and'every,other taxpayer contributed our share to pay for this silly conference. T'he affait cost U.S. citizens more than $250,000., The money went from,HEW to the American Cancer Society, and from there " into the expense accounts of about 150 foreign' delegates who were paid' air fare and'$50 a day for Iiving and food and beverage expenses at:the WaIdorf Astoria.," . USDA FOREIGN AG SERV'SCE termination of cooperative tobacco market de- velopment program (Newsletter 126) provoked this remark by R. Lionel Van Deerlin (D-Calif'.) in the House of:Representatives:, "The sums involved, were modest,,in comparison with other programs. But the principle was 1'arge indeed: While banning cigarette commercials from airwaves in this country, our Government was not only encouraging such advertising abroad'but actually helping to pay for it." He called the expenditures "international pay,ola." . BIG SLOGAN of the antismoking drive has been "100,000 doctorss have quit,smok,ing. Maybe they know something you don"t."' It was based on a survey done for the Clearinghouse for Smoking and Health years ago, but never published. Last year a Clear- inghouse spokesman said' it was so full of,mistakes it was a "waste" of time and money. Now, according to Medical WorTd News, it"s~due for an update, with~embellishments. The re- port says Chilton Research Service will survey 20,000 physi- cians, dentists, nurses and pharmacists on their smoking habits. U.S. SENATE CONFIRMEDiDavid Mathews as Secretary of Health, Educatiionn and'WeTfare July 22 by voice vote. NEW SM'OKE-BANILAWS IN'EFFECT:, Delaware now bans smokingion street cars and buses. Idaho law whichibecame effective,this month,prohibits smoking at public meet- ings in government owned buildings. Massachusetts governor signed a law July 17, to become effective 90 days later, to restrict smoking,to. NbNSMOKER' ISSUE Gi Q

-4- specifically designated areas only, if any, in museums, libraries,, hospitals, nursing homes„ trains, planes and other mass transit con- vey:ances. The law has no penalty provisions for violations. Minnesota"s "C1ean Indoor Air Act," primarily a bill to seg- regate smokers and nonsmokers in public facilities, classifies violations as a petty misdemeanor. A,liaw which becomes ef- fective next month in Nebraska defines smokingias "dangerous to the health,and welfare of each person" and requires the posting of no-smoking si;gns.in "any hospital patient,room or patient area, elevator, ind'oor theater, library,, art museum, concert hall or bus..." New North Dakota law requires the "governing authority or person having responsibility for the supervision of any publicly owned building" to "designate by sign~those areas within such building where smoking of to- bacco products shall be prohibited or permitted" beginning this month. MICHIGAN HOUSE approved1two bills by large majprities which would re- quire restaurants with a capacity of 50 or more patrons to provide special nonsmoker sections and to prohibit smoking at hospitals except in designated areas. The bills were,referred to the Senate for con- sideration. NEW PROPOSALS: A bill was introduced in the Alabama House,of Representatives which would declare smoking in certain public places a misdemeanor andiproviding that violators would be, subject to fines of $10 to $100., The San IDiego County (Calif.) Board of Supervisors is considering an expansion of its no- smoking ordinance (,Newsletter 90). - YORK (Pa.) CITY:COUNCIL members skirmished over a proposed bill which would have made smokingior carryiingia lighted cigarette,cigar, pipe, or other tobacco in ch:ambers a crime punishable by,fine or imprison- ment. One member suggested1that,the removal of the smoker from the room woul'd' be more appropriate and another said smoking should, be allowed in chambers since smokers as well as nonsmokers helped pay for the building. The author of the proposal said he would give the matter further study and try again. PROPOSALS REJECTED:, 'In California, the Fullerton City Cbuncil rejected a ban on smoking in public places fashionediafter the Orange County ordinance (Newsletter 125) and the Sen Francisco Board of Superuisorss turned down a proposed ordinance to prohibit smoking in public places andicertain retail establi~shment and other places of public assembliy. SEVERAL MONTHS after the City Council declined to act on a smoking ban (Newsletter 123) in public places, the Council Bluffs (Iowa); Nonpareil concluded in an editorial,,'"Despite warnings about the dangers of smoking, its prohibitions in.certain places and restrictions on advertising>,one reality remains clear: some people will smoke no matter what. But do:nonsmokers have to stiffer for that, at least in crowded, pub3ic areas?'"' (TI notices this editorial is only a sllightly localized

-5- version of one appearing around the country with identical copy and, in many cases,, the same headline.,) MARYLAND~'S NO}SMOKE LAWS (Newsletter 1!21)' have been in effect since July 1 and the Washington Post says they probably will never be strictly enforced. State Delegate Steven Sklar,: who pushed for the smoking laws, told a Post reporter, "The whole intent of the legis3ation is to make smoking less socia32y acceptabde. We want to decrease the opportunities to smoke as much as pos- sible." LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS quoted by Houston~(Tex.) Post say that city's no-smoking ordinance (Newslletter 124) will rank with the ban on spitting on the sidewalk, a law all police cadets, learn in the, academy but "never waited around, for someone to spi t,so we could make an arrest." THE PRECEDENT'SET by Baltimore, which~has had an ordinance banning smo- king in elevators since 1974,, is not interpreted as very encouraging regarding the,enforcability of the new state law according to a column in the Baltimore Morning Sun., The writer says most smokers obey no- smoke signs but those who don't are sufficiently large enough in num- ber to:make the city law largely ineffective. He asks, "When was the last time you saw anyone ejected ('by force, if necessary,' the city ordinance says) or even told to leave an elevator because he was smo- king?"_ , REGIONAL CHAPTER OF ASH writes the Baltimore Evening Sun to ask the paper to advise.readers of the new Maryland no-smokee laws, then proceeds to lecture that, "At least thirty-four mi1- 3ion Americans, or one in every six, are physicaLly,sensitive to tobacco smoke." The: writer' says, "Symptoms suffered by,second'-hand'smokers include: headache, nausea,, wheezing,: coughingy watering,,burning eyes, elevated blood'pressure and'increased'heart strain, hives, sinus congestion, in- creased susceptibility,to colds, etc., etc." NEW YORK Dept. of Health spokesman admitted'to Yonkers Herald Statesr man that enforcement of the state's new,smokingiban llaw (Newsletter 121), which provides for fines from $10 to $1,00, will be diffiicult. "We:do~not have the manpower to do this.. We are extremely overburdened. It is hoped the presence of the law wi11'act as a deterrent." Th& police chief in White Plains said, "We really, won't have the time to do just'' that--enforce the 1aw, but if we do see someone we will' ask them to extinguish the cigarette." MILWAUKEE JOURNAL reports that a survey of'23'general hospitals in Mil- waukee and Waukesha Counties made by GASP shows few have banned'smokingi. Twenty-two,discourage smoking by signs or reminders by staff, only six, have outlawed smoking by patients, and all permit visitors to~smoke-- somewhere. CONTINUING STUDY pertaining to "on-going changes in the social controli of cigarette smok,ing"' was updated' in a recent Social Problems article by Elane Nuehring,, Fla. State: Univ.,, and, GeraTd! Markle, Western Mich. Univ., which noted:, "...ant'i-smoking

-6- forces are now agitating for new and'stronger coercive legislation. Thus, efforts in the near future to regulate the sale of cigarettes should'serve as good ind,icators of the probable success or failure of' the whole anti-smoking movement." THE FUROR in~the press over nonsmokers' rights, Kansas City Star assoc- iate editor Bill Vaughan observes, seems to center around restaurants and he conclude s: "What I'suspect'is that every diner has habits that irritate the people around' him., The only solution I can see is to surround each table withh a wall'..." HtA'LTH ORGANIZATIONS CHARITY: Iit"s good to know that your Christ- mas Seal donation helps pay the expenses of a free restaurant guide. This step toward conquering respiratory dis- eases comes from the Washington Lung Assn, in Seattle which:, according to a news account, will be glad to send you a li~st of restaurants with separate seating for nonsmokers. A stamped, self-addressed return en- velope is not necessary. ~' Not to be outdone,, FANS (Fresh Air for Non Smokers), described in thie Beverly, M'ass., Times as "a division of the American Lung Association,"'reports it has a computer compiling lilsts; of restaurants to be available to nonsmokers, "PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS," writes Dr. Naomi Blluestone,of the NYC Dept. of Health in the: New: Englandl Journal of Medicine„ "want people fixed,, well, functioning optimally, perceiving,maximally,, enjoyxng and experiencing 1'ife to the fullest of their varying potentials. We intrude this ethic upon them even as they blow smoke in our faces, and'like as not, we puff'back into t'heirs., Sometimes I wonder if we are not all just a bunch of busybodies with unbridled rescue fantasies." INDUSTRY TI"S SOUTHWEST A'REA:MANAGER,, Dan Aiverson, inn a speech to the Colorado Sprinqs Executive Assn: .,.These tobacco issues should not be seen or perceived as feuds simply,between cigarette makers and'emotional' crusaders.. It's much larger, because liberty is involved." PACIFIC COAST AREA MANAGER, David McLean, notes in a news re- •Ilease there is an ironic twist in the timing of anti-smoking organizations' efforts: "'In thisbicentennialperiod; when mostRmer-icans are looking back to the hi'storical: origin,of our individual'rights and Iibertiesy, it is paradoxica3 that some groups are seeking,to persuade government,to pass oppressive 1'aws to restrict our individual:rights and persona3'Iiberties."' "THE ART OF SPOKESMANSHIP" was the subject of'a paid-attendance seminar in Chicago organized by the Public Relations Society of America.: TII's Connie Drath and Bill Dwyer were invited lecturers and their remarks were front-paged in aisubsequent PRSA,newslietter., The report said they "noted that thei'r speaking engagement's include numerous small groups:since they,cany tie this in with media contact' schedules., They pointed.out that some organizations restrict speakers to 'Iarge audiences' leaving untouched'persons in many sma11 but valuable audiences." i "QUIT" CAMPAIGNS READERS OF'THE GREENVILLE NEWS have,been in, vited to join a newlyformed "SOS"' (Smokers

-7- On Strike) Club sponsored'by the Piedmont Branch of the South Carolina LungiAssociation. Schick,Centers announced the opening of three temporary stop- smoking centers in California that Alex Reuss, president of. Schick Laboratories, call!edi"part of Schick's recently d'e- veTope&Field' Therapy Unit program," according to the San Fran cisco Daily Commercial News. TAXES "NUISANCE TAXES" PACKAGE passed by the New Jer- sey Senate includes a one-cent increase in cig- arette tax. The package was designed to make up funds slashed from state budget by Gov., Brendan Byrne. The proposal is pending beforee the state House., DISTRICT OF'COLUM'BIA Mayor has signed increasedltaxing auth- ority bill recently passed by city council. The measure,, containing an increase from six cents to 10 cents in the. District cigarette tax, now goes to Capitol Hill for a re- view by Congress. MEDIA. "THE QUESTION ARZiSESa,"'ponders a Baltimore Morning Sun editorial, is it literally possible for someone to "smoke himself (or herself) to death?' Researchers hedge their ans- wers a bit in an effort to be scrupu3ousd'y fair,:but there seems no doubt the pos- .sibi'Iity exists." M'I SCELLAW~Y' THE CHURCH BULLETIN of Church of 0ur Lady of Angels, Brooklyn, N.Y.,had an item on alcohol '.which said, "Whoever heard'of'anyone being charged'with causing a h'ighway, deathh because h'e,smuaked a cigarette? Whoever heard of',a man puffing a cigarette and then going home,and chopping up his family?' Whoever heard'of a cigarette emboZdening a punk to:shoot a merchant in a hold-up? Whoever heard'of a family,broken up because of'smoking:? Whoever heard'of a man insulting hi's guests because he picked:up a cig- arette?" Thee arti!cleconcl!udes., "Byy comparisonn with~d a1'cohol' andnarcotics,. to- bacco is benign..." #4 #

a CANCER MORTALITY, 1950-69, BY COUNTY TRACHEA, BRONCHUS & LUNG SOURCE: At1as Of Cancer Mortality For U.S. Counties: 1950-1969 U.S. Department of HEW Publication No. (NIH) 75-780 SZLCS9co I WHITE MALES.