Tobacco Documents Online

PREPARED BY THE INSTITUTE STAFF: . TO: INFORM THE'i INDUSTRY' Of NEWS'WORTHY~ DEVEIOPMENTB. 1776'~.. K~~STREET; N.W~~.,,WASHINCr;TON. D.C.20O06~~. - ~~296J8434~. Number 128 July 291,, 1975 RESEARCH' tween smoking and lung 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 Chncer 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 all other counties in the U.S. The rates were calculated from all cancer death certificates; the locations were ascribed `to~the county of usual residence given on the certificates." c ELEVEN YEARS AGO the Surgeon General's Ad'visory'Committee linked smo- king to lung cancer,, mainly because'statistical studies of white males showed an association., The new county dataiweren't available to in- fluence that judgment., Nor'do they offer strengthening of the smoking-lung cancer hypotriesis.. To take a striking example:' . Of' 64 counties in Louisiana, 38 are in the highest 10% lung cancer death rate bracket compared,with the U.S. as a, whole;, of these, 13 are in the top 1%. Yet, accordingito .. official tax, records compiled by the Tobacco Tax Council, per capita cigarette sales during the period ranged between. 82 andI120 packs per year. e Wyomi~ng,has no counti~es withielevated lung cancer death. rates. More than half are below the U'.S, average. At the same time, its per capitaicigarette sales ranged from 121 to 14,4 packs. f'' LIKE AN INCREASING AMOUNT of research, since the Surgeon G'eneral's re- port, the geographic tally seems toiraise far more questions than it answers. As the authors of the new'study put it:

-2- "The maps for lung cancer ind.icate that excessive mortality is not limit'ed'to highly populated urban,areas where cigarette smoking and air po31'ution are most prominent ... Further studies are needed to identify th'e,enviTonmental and'demographic factors contributing tb the increased risk of'lung cancer in these predominantly rura3'and port areas." "FACT SIHEET"'issued by NCI said its scientists found high rates of lung, liver andl bladder cancers in "counties with significant employment in the chemical industry" andi "above-average 1ung,cancer death rates in counties where a significant percentage:of the work force is engaged in smelting and refining of'coppery lead'and'zinc ores.. Arsenic, a known human cancer-producing agent,, is an airborne byproduct of the smelting operation." AN NCI SPOKESMAN saidl singl'e 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 adapted from this Newsletter are invited to re- quest them from The Tobacco Institute. TAKING TO TASK' the "neither balanced nor accurate" report of a British researcher on stop-smoking methodology in an earlier edition of Amer- ican Heart Journal, Harvard's Carl Seltzer wrote in the same journal: "The hi!story of inedicine_throughout the centuries contains many examples of evangelical fervor for etiologic or therapeutic theories that were later shown to be wrong. A prime responsibility of epidemiol'ogists is to maintain the skepticism of 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 will hardly be benefitted by blunderbuss interventions aimed at everyone. If smo- king:is not' causall'y,re1'ated to CHD, the true situation will never be discerned unZess investi'gators observe the cardinal'scientifi'c principl'e of ruling out counter-hypotheses.Unti1 conclusive proof is available,, the health,of the public and the welfare of science demand a bal'anced' consideration of'a31'the available evidence." IN AN INTERVIEW with the Jerusalem Post last month Seltzer sai~d: "Strientific truth,has never been attained'by regarding it as a political issue to be settled'by a democratic process of majority vote or opinion.,'"' He also stated,. "The current dogma that cigarette smoking is a major risk factor in causing disease may become an outstanding fallacy of our era." HOUSTON CHRONICLE reported'that Eugene Jacobson, identif'ied' as chairman of'the physiology dept. at the U. of Tex. med- ical school, has "'discovered"'that nicotine suppresses a natural antacid and inithat way causes ulcers of the small intestine. A'UNIV. OF COPENHAGEN researcher, Bo Holma, reported1to last month"s 3rdlWorld Conference on Smoking and Health that in a1survey of older neighborhoods inithat city, beer drinking, substandard housing andd dampness were better predictors of respiratory symptoms than cigarette smoking,. Holma's text, just now available, says smoking is hazardous,, but that the study "demonstrates the,necessity of considering 1oca1'circumstances,, habits, standards of living, housing, etc.,,in evaluating the relative importance of the effect of smoking on health."

T -3- F t GERMAN~ TOBACCO COMPANIES announced' they will i~ncrease,smoking-heal~th, research support with contracts to domestic and foreign institutions supervised by a council of independent scientists,, phasing out the in- dustry's own Research Institute. I HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES has scheduledla vote this week on its version of the Consumer Pro- duct Safety Commission Improvement Act (Newsletter 126): which provides a blanket exemption of "tobaccoiand tobacco,products." The Senate passed'a similar measure July 18 which amended the exemption (Newsletter 125) toiallow the CPSC jurisdiction to consider regulating cigarettes as an "ignition source" (Newsletter 112), as:long as any resulting stand- ards wouldinot i~ncrease the "health risks"'of cigarettes. Should the House measure pass, a conference between the House and Senate would be required to resolve the differences im the two bills. WASNINGTONI REP. PEYSER'(D-N.Y:.) offered a floor amendment to knock out rice, peanut and',tobacco pri~ce supports:and!acreage controls, during debate on,the agriculture appropriations bill. He 6withdrew it after brief debate during which no one supported Rep. Jenrette (D-S.C.,)' attacked "anti-tobacco zealots," r even referred to the recent 3rd World Conference on Smoking andlHealth: Wa3dorf'Astoria." '."You and I and every,other taxpayer contributed our share to pay,for. .•t'h.is silly conference. The affair 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 del'egates who were paid air fare and'$50 a day for:Tiving and food and beverage:expenses at the USDA FOREIGN AG'SERVICE termination~of cooperative tobacco market de- velopment program (Newsletter 126) provoked this remark by Rep.Lionel Van Deerlin (D-Calif.), in the House of Representatives: "The sums involved were modest, in comparison,with,other programs.. But the principle was large indeed':. Whi1e banning ci:garett'e commercials from airwaves in this country, our Government was not only encouraging sucli advertising abroad but actually helping to pay for it." He called the expenditures "international payoTa.", ; BIG SLOGAN of the antismoking drive has beeni"100,000 doctors have quit smoking. 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 Med'ical World News,, it's due for an,upd'ate, with embellishments. The re- port says Chilton Research Service,will survey 20,000 physi- cilans, dentists, nurses and pharmacists on their smoking habits. U.S. SENATE'CQNFIRMED'David Mathews as Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare July 22 by voice vote. NEW SMOFE-BAN'LAWS IN EFFECT: Delaware now bans smoking on street cars and buses. Idaho law which,became 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 NONSM'OKER! ISSUE

-4- specifically designated areas only, if any, in museums, libraries, hospitals, nursing homes, trains, planes and other mass transit con veyances. The law:has no penalty provisions for violatiions~. Minnesota's "Cllean 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 defi~nes smoking as "dangerous to the health andiwelfare of each,person" and requi~res.the posting of no-smoking;signs in:'"any hospital patient room or patient area, elevator, indoor theater, library, art museum, concert hall or bus..." New North Dakotail'.aw requi~res.the "governing authority or person,havingiresponsibility for the supervision of any publicly ownedibuilding" to "designate by sign those areas within such buildingiwhere smoking of'to- bacco products shall be prohibited or permitted" beginning this month. MICH'IGAN HOUSE approved two billls by large majorities which,would' re- quire restaurants withia capacityof 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!: Abill was introduced in the Alabama House of Representatives which would declare smoking in certain,public places a misdemeanor and providing that violators would be subject to fines of $10 to $100. The San,D'iego County (Caliif.)i Board of Supervisors is considering an expansion of its no- smoking ordinance (Newsletter 90). YORK (Pa.Y CITY COUNCIL members skirmishedlover a proposedibill which would1have made smoking or carrying a lighted cigarette,, cigar, pipe,, or other tobacco in chambers a crime punishable by fine or imprison- ment.. : ;s s One member suggested that the removallof the smoker from the ~ room would 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 Californiai, the Fullerton City Council rej!ectedl a ban on smoking in public places fashioned after: the Orange County ordinance (Newsletter 12'5) and the SaniFrancisco Board of Supervisors turned down a proposed,ordinance to prohibit smoking in public places and certain retail establishment and other places of public',assembly. SEVERAL MONTHS after the City Council declined to act on aa smoking ban (Newsletter 123) in public places, the Council Bluffs (Iowai)' Nonpareil concluded in an editorial,,'"Despite warnings about the dangers of smoking, its prohibitions in certain places and'restrictions on advertising, one reality remai'ns cZear:, some people,wilZ smoke no matter what. But do nonsmokers have to suffer for that, at 1'east in crowded, public areas?" (TI, notices this editorilal ils only a slightly localized

-5- version of one appearing around the country with identical copy andi,, inimany cases, the same headline.) MARYLAND'S NO-SMOKE LAWS (Newsletter 121) have been inieffect since. July:l,and the Washington Post says they probably will never be strictly enforced., State Delegate Steven Sklar, who,pushedifor the smoki~ngilaws,, to ld a Pos t reporter, "'The whole intent of the legislation is to make smoking less socially acceptable.. We want to decrease the opportunities to smoke as much as pos- sible."' LAW'ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS qNoted by Houston (Tex.) Post say that city's no-smoking ordinance (Newsletter 124',) will rank •with the ban on~spitting onithe sidewalk, a law all police ., cadet.sle'.arns ini theacademybu$ "never waited around forr someone~ to spit so we could'make an arrest." THE PRECEDENT SET by Baltiimore, which has hadlan ordinance banning smo- kingii~n elevators since 1974, is not interpreted as very encouraging regarding the enforcability of the new state law accordingito 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 numr 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 Mgryland no-smoke = laws, then proceeds to lecture that, "At least thi'rty-four mi1- .:1ion Americans, or one i'n every:six„ are physically sensitive to tobacco smoke." - The writer says, "Symptoms suffered by,second-hand'smokers include: headache; nausea, wheezing, coughing, 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 States- man that enforcement of the state's new smokiingiban law (Newsletter 121), which provides for fines from $'Td'to $100, will be difficult. "We do not have the manpower to do this. We are extremely,overburdened. It is hoped the presence of the law will act as a deterrent." ...k~ r s. . . . . .. . . . .... .. . , . ,. . . The police chief in Wh,ite Plains said, "we really won't have the time to do just that--enforce the law, but' if we do see someone we wiTl ask them to extinguish:the cigarette." = r MILWAUKEE:JOURNAL reports that a survey of 23'general hospitals in~M'i1- waukee and Waukesha Counties made by GASP shows few have banned smoking. Ttaenty-two discourage smoki~ngiby signs or reminders by staff, only six have outlawed'smoki~ng by patients, and all permit visitors to smoke-- somewhere. CONTINUING STUDY' pertaining to "on-going changes in: the social control of cigarette smoking"'was updated in a recent Social Problems article by Elane Nuehring,, Fla. State Univ., and. Gerald Markle, Western~Mich. Univ.,,, which noted: .,..anti-smoking

-6- forces are now agitating for new and'stronger coercive ZegislationL Thus, efforts in the near future to regulate the sale,of cigarettes should serve as good indicators 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 aroundirestaurants and he concludes: "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 with a wall'..." HEALTH aRGANIZATIONS free restaurant guide. This step toward conquering respiratory dis- eases comes from the Washington Lung Assn. imSeattle which, according to ainews account, will be glad tolsend you a list of restaurants withi 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 the Beverliy, Mass., Times~as "a di~vision of the American Lung Assoaiation," reports it has a computer compiling lists ,..of restaurants to be available to nonsmokers. "PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS," wri~tes:Dr. Naomi Bluestone of the NYC Dept. of HeaTth, in the New Engiland Journal of Medicine, "want people fixed, we11', functioning optimaily„ perceiving maximally, enjoying and experiencing life 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 theirs. Sometimes II wonder if we are not all just a bunch:of busybodies with unbridled,rescue fantasies." CHARITY: It's good to~know that your Christ- mas Seal donation helps pay the expenses of a TI'S SOUTHWEST AREA MANAGER, Dan Alverson,, in a speech:to the Colorado Springs 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 invol'ved'."' FNDUSTRY' --r.' -' PACIFIC' COAST AREA, MANAGE'R, David McLean, notes in a news re- Tease there is an ironic twist in the timing of anti-smokingi ..orga.nizations.'efforts: "'Inn thisbi.centenn,ial' period.,when most A'mer-icans are looking back to the historical origin,of our individua3' rights and liberties, it is paradoxica3 that some groups are seeking to persuade government to pass oppressive laws to restrict our individual rights and persona3'liberties." ,. , "THE ART'OF SPOKESMANSHIP" was the subject of a paid-attendance seminar in Chicago organized by the Public Relatilons'Society of America. TI's Connie Drath and Billi Dwyer were,invited lecturers and their remarks were front-paged in a subsequent PRSA newsletter. The report said they "noted that their speaking engagements include numerous sma11'groups since they can tie this in with med,ia contact schedules. They pointed out that some organizatlionss restrict speakers to 'large audiences' leaving untouched'persons in many sma11' but valuable audiences./" "QUIT" CAMPAIGNS' READERS OF THE GREENVILLE NEWS have been in- vited to join a newly formed "'SOS"' (Smokers

-7- On Strike) Club sponsored by the Piedmont Branch of the South Carolina Lung Association. Schick Centers announced the opening of three temporary stop- smokingicenters in California that Alex Reuss, president of Schick,Laboratories, called "part of Schick's recently de- velopedlField Therapy Unit progra7n," according to the San Fran, cisco Daily Commercial News. TAXES: "NUiISANCE TAXESP' PACKPiGE'y passed' by the Npw Jer- sey Senate includes a one-cent increase in cig- arette tax,., The packsge was designed' to;make up funds slashed from state budget by Gov. Brendan Byrne. The,proposal is pending before the state House. DISTRI~CT OF COLUMBIA,Mayor has signed increased' taxing 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 Capitoli Hill for a re- view by Congress. MED I A "THE QUESTION ARISES::," ponders a Baltimore Morning Sun, editorial, is it literaTly: possible for someone to 'smoke himse3f'(or herself):to death?' Researchers hedge their ans- wers a bi:t in an effort to be scrupulously fair, but there seems no doubt' the pos- sibilitg exists." MISCELLANY THE CHURCH BULLETIN of' Church of:Our Lady of Angels, Brooklyny N.Y.,had an item on alcohol `iwh,ich Saiid, "Whoever heard'of anyone being charged with causing a highway death because he smoked a cigarette? Whoever heard of a man puffing a cigarette and then, going home and chopping up his famiZy? Whoever heard~of a cigarette embol'dening 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'his guests because he picked up a cig- arette?,"' The' article concludes',, "By comparisorn with alcohol and narcotics, to- bacco is benign..."' ###.

CANCER MORTALITY, 1950-69, BY COUNTY TRACHEA, BRONCHUS & LUNG WHITE MALES AGE-ADJUSTED RATE   SIGNIF. HIGH, IN HIGHEST 10% SIGNIF. HIGH, BUT BELOW HIGHEST 10% SOURCE: Atlas Of Cancer Mortality For U.S. Counties: 1950-1969 - --- - U.S. Department of HEW Publication No. (NIH) 75-780 CELES9cn 1 !! I