Tobacco Documents Online

nst~iitute Newsletter PREPARED.FORYDURINFORMATION BY'THE',INSTITUTE'.STAFF11761 IC',STAEET,.N.W., WA6HINGTON, D.C. 20006 • 29&8434 1 Wl#SHLNGTON Number 105 August 26,, 1924, PETITIONERS' Sen. NSoss (D-Utah),,, the American Public Hea1'th Assn. and the District of Columbia' Lung Assn. asked a Federal District Court in Washington, D.C., to rule: that the Consumer Product Safety Commission has authority under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act to ban from interstate commerce ciga- rettes yielding more than 21 mg "tar." CPSC has already voted that it has no such,authority (Newsletter 99). FTC released a statistical' supplement to its annual re- port to Congress, noti~ng',that 1973 cigarette sales in- creased 4% over the previous year, the largest jump in 10 years!. Tables showed the'sale of low-"tar" (115 mg "tar" or less) cigarettes jumped' 40% over 1972, and that the market share'steadily increased from 2% in 1967'to 8.9% in 11973. The percentage of'total advertising expenditures'for low- "tar" cigarettes jumped'from 5.5% in 1967 to 17.8% in 1973. NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE for Smoking & Health released results of its 1974 teen:smoking studly and said cigarette smoking among,teenage boys~ i.ncreaspd between Jan.-1968 and Jan. 1970 then dropped back, toward the "68 level in 19'72'andlin 1974 has remained about the same:. Among girls, the study said, there have been small increases from 1968-1974. Im 1968,, the proportion of girls smoking was about half that of boys, but that difference'had disappeared by Jan,. 1974, the Clearinghouse said. SOUND:FAPSZLIAR7' The ongoingibattle (Newsletter 104:), between Federal Trade Commission andithe NatiionaL Commission on Egg Nutrition (NCEN) sparked' more space. Advertising A~e re- ported that NCEN maintains that "the controversy is in the public interest" and' that "the fuZ:L choZesteroZ story. - not just one side of an issue which has created'so much di'ssension in,the ranks of the scientifi.c corr¢munity" must, be made available to the public., NCEN Chairman Hendrik Wentink said the controversial ads' quoted from articles in JAMA and other "respected medical authorities." C U1, ~

-z- MEIDIA LAST ITEM,i'n TI Newsletter 104 mistakenly attrib- uted an editorial about cigarette smuggling to the Raleigh News & Observer. Fact is that the News & Observer reprinted' aiChapel Hill newspaper ed.itoriial in its "Other Opinion"'section, which is not the editorial opinion of the News & Observer., TI President Korn- egay wrote the editor of the News & Observer, apologized for the mis- tak,e and said that "this industry continues to be aware and grateful for the Zoy- aZty your newspaper has shown to i't through the years." SMOKING AND SEXUAL PERFORMANCE was covered in a long Today's Health feature and', expectedly, the magazine quoted physi- cians who warnedlof reduced sexual performance for men who smoke cigarettes. Ochsner, longtime New 0'rleans antismoking advocate, was interviewed and told of a patient who quit smoking after a lung abscess~removal. The patient reported that his sex drive increased'incredibly. He,was 71. Syndicated medical coliumni~st„ Dr. Lindsay R. Curtis, was asked' by a ==woman:claiming to be a two-pack-a-day smoker if smoki~ng causes infer- tility. He said that "we have no:defi'n:ite proof" but said some studies "suggest that possibil!ity." He added, "In the meantime you have other good reasons to stop" and said smoking can lead to lung cancer and heart disease., FORf I'GN IMPERIAL TOBACCO announced iniEngland that it has received the Hunter Committee 's approval for consumer testi~ng,of its tobacco substi~tute, New Smoking Material. The Hunter Committee, set up to advise the British govt., on testing to- bacco subs:titutes,, serves strictly in an advisory status and, pointed out the Financial Times, the committee's opinions have no legal stand- ing. THE ECONOMIST in Britain commented on Imperial''s announce- ment,and expressed wonderment on just how safe NSM will be,, as the Hunter Committee's safety guidelines are yet to be published. Economist said it is not yet clear exactly what ingredients wi1T 1 be reducedlin NSM compared1to tobacco cig- ;.arettes'. The newspaper said if the public is convinced, through Imperial''s publicity that NSM really is:"safer" r,.'_-,(than standard cigarettes, it could be disasterous for ^^ rt°"' Britain's Actionion Smoking and Health and the Health,Edu- - cation Councill, which are trying to make people give up smoking,or never start., DEPT. OF MEDICINEIat Edinburgh U., reported an overseas source, has been given alresearch grant by Imperial Chemical Industries (not re- lated to Imperial Tobacco although the two firms jointly devel~oped' NSM) in an amount approaching $70,,000~to probe the effects of'tobacco andl tobacco substitutes on lung function. IN GERMANY'the upper house has approvedllegislationiprohib- iting rad'io/TV:advertising of cigarettes and other tobacco products.

-3- - sI NOM~SMOKER' 1!S'SUE I NEW YQRK MAYOR BEAME signed legislation banning smokiingiin passenger elevators despite the re- cent .(!Newsletter 104), health board regulation to do the same thiing,. The new law carries a$S0 fine and a maximum (15-day imprisonment). -N.Y'., Times said the Mayor signed1the bill~ in hopes that prosecutors "wouTdiuse it rather than the health board regulation, because the pen- asties oflthe latter are much harsher. - DALLAS city councili has proposed a smoking ban in elevators,hospitalJs and nursing homes but, a,councill report said, "there is,insufficient medical and fire experience data to ,jxst'ifyy broader smoking prohibitions in public places at this time.°' The report ad'ded , that "as additional justification for broadening the: are developed b'y medical and fi;re.safety authorities, further mnendments to the:City Coade willb'e prepared'for City, Council consideration.n TH_E CIT_Y _~OU1Iq~.L.j, in_ Wilsonville_,, Ore,.,_ is studying a proposal, by its --tobacco*.allergic -mayvr-7to =req`uare ,25$. o£ restaurant .space be, set .asj.de r for nonsmoking customers. -;, :; , . NAS'SAU CO.,, N.Y., board of'superuisors received for consid- eration a proposal from~a state senate candidate,, the Ameri- can Cancer Society and'Action on Smoking & Hea]Jth to prohi- bit smoking in specified areas. Nassau,HealthiCommissioner =:Dowling, reported Newsday, said at a recent meeting, however,. doesn't want anything onithe books that can't be enforced.. health commission spokesman told Newsday that "it undoubt- -; t;:,: edly might be a good~ program, ,but possibly we are not ready a . for , it yet. ". .; . ,. r . : .:!'.- .£:..:.:`.. _;. ....... .,".'...." -. _ ~ . ' 1 ... .• . . .., . . . • .. . , , . , ....... .. _ . . :.. - . . .. . . .. . . INiORANGE COs, Costa Mesa, Caliif.„ board of supervisors voted to des- ignate half'of its meeting, roomifor nonsmokers. CONNECTICUT's attorney general says no smoking signs must be posted in buiildings where public meetings are held'. -The opinion backs up the state's no smok:ing laws (News- Letter 96), which, according to _UPI,, have run into diffi- cultiies in some Conn. towns. .i lvteantlme,, & t311ntem,*-Cann. ~•-°newspape•r reported,Chat-Martha F-lanagan Child, chairman of Clinton's planning and zonsing~board,who blatantly smokes,at board meetings, said, "This is; the first,law I've willfully broken since prohibition" and told the newspaper she has no intentions of not smoking during meetings. One board member told her she could be arrested if just one person complained about her smoking. She re- plied, "Go ahead.rr, _. .. . , "THE TIME HAS COME.- .fo:r someone to come to the aid of the smoker," said Christine Watson,women''s editor for the Indiio,Calif'., News. And she dild it in a: 4-column„ 22-inch~ ."comment" feature noting that while she didh't smoke (and ,that smoke sometimes bothers her) she thinkssmokersare,un- fa:irly subjectedi to "ridicule, emYiarassment and outri~ght discrimination." She addpd: "WeIZ'„ enough is enough. Sitting next to someone who smokes can be annoy,ing„ but it' i's not a severe risk to one's healthto do so, or any,more of an infringement upon a non- smoker's rights than it is upon a smoker's rights to ask him to put out his:cigarette or leave the room."

OWENSBORO, Ry.,'Messenger & Inquirer commented on the rising campaign, being unleashed by nonsmokers andleditor,ially noted that "ypu can't cmn- paign for a clean environment, particuZarl'y at' the dining room tabZe, as Zong as you are poll'uting it arzth tobacco smoke. 'r' BIRMQNGHAM',, Alai., News editorially advised its readprs that it takes no position onithe issue of smoking, that of the four people who put together the editorial page, half smoke and! added:: "The past two decades of life in this country have been dominat'ed tin some areas by strong acts aimed at protect'ing,mi'norities. No less should'be accorded those whoichoose t'o smoke, taking normaZ precautions not to-offend their fellows seriously," MEDICAL COLUMNIST George C. Thosteson, M.D., was asked in the Richmond News Leader if tobacco smoke is~harmful to the nonsmoker. "I don''t think much factual information i~s known„"'he replied, adding that non- smokers," rights should stilli be observed. .. ~~... ., .,_._. . ,. INiITS NEWSLETTER, .. Nati~onali Tnteragency ~ounciiY on'8moking and Healthiannounced Jan. 11-17, 1975, as National Education Week on Smoking. The theme, according to the NICSH newsletter, is "Non-Smokers Have Rights:" ` RESEARCH DR. BARBARA BROWN's brainwave work with smokers "throws doubt on the belief that cigarettes cause cancer," says Psychology Today in an,introduction to excerpts from her upcomiing,book, "New Mind, New Body: Biofeedback: New Direc- tions for the Mind!." The magazine describes the former CTR grantee as "one of the great physiologists", and quotes her:: "Sknokers have a distinct personaZity,pattern. So.do people who have a pot'entiaZ of cancer. Obviously there is an overl'ap: I believe that peopZe who smoke are predisposed to behavior of,which smoking is the most sociaZZ,y acceptabZe.," A,SUBURBAN LOS ANGELES study of cancer mortality was re- ported by the Torrance South Bay Breeze which said in a feature series that a USC research:team found more cancer deaths between Los Angeles and San Pedro than anywhere el.se in the country.-.:The researchers linked the high cancer rates w.it,h j,rjdystriaJ_i pollutants there arndd with, what they ' o= ca1ldd-tieaVy`'CiqaYette'smoking:"` Th~ iesearclie'rs seemed ta-'Jv lay more weight on air pollutants as cancer causers because,: they sai!d, there does not seem to be an excess of larynx, -bladder, esophagus or pancreas cancers as there allegedly should'be if cigarettes alone caused cancer. In another part of the series, a UCLA medical professor said he wouldh't bank,on the data as proof of a cause-and-effect relationship and commented that "tRere''s a correlation between neWspaper, readers and the incidence of cancer, too, but I don't think we can assume news- papers cause cancer:" A,JEFFERSON MEDICAL COLLEGE, Philai.,, researcher told' UPI that vitamins C and Bl may be capable to protect humans against the allegedly harmfull effects of'cigarette smoking and heavy drinking. Dr. Herbert Sr-p ince saiid, "Our findings point the way to a possible buildup of natural protectvon against chronic body insult from acetal'dehyde, whzch arises from chronic high intake of'ethyl alcohol together rrcth, heavy, ssmoking." He warned that more work in this field is necessary and that experiments have!only been conducted on rats. 0 ~ ~ ~..7 ~ ` Qa

-5- COUNCIL FOR TOBACCO RESEARCH-U.S.A., said the Nashville Banner, has awarded a research grant to Dr. B. V. Rama Sastry, professor of pharmacoLogy at Vanderbilt Medieal School, to study the infl'uence of nicotine on the unborn child. TWO GERMAN RESEA'RCHERS!released studies they said showed that 2.1% of babies born to heavy smoking fathers were deformed'as compared with 0.8% of babies whose fathers smoked only occasionally or not at all. They said their results indicate that heavy smoking may affect male spermi. JOHNS HOPKINS RESEARCHERS publishedia study, "Cigarette Smoking and Strokes," in the medical jpurnal Stroke, and saiditheiir 8-year mortality study, showed the risk of stroke in cigarette smokers was only 85% of that in nonsmokers., In another 2-year mortality study of stroke cases over age 50, theysaid it appears that the association of cigarette smok- ing to strokes inithe older age groups "'is at most very small." °IF TBE' BLOOD.}7oM.4TED BY; AIHEAVY SMOKER' -- sqmeone who smokes tauo to three packs a:, day -- is given to someone iui.t'h, a borderline heart coruiition, the results could be fatal;" Dr. Richard Stewart, U. of Wisc., told the National Enquirer. After a three-year study involving 29,000 blood donors, Stewart sai&, "iJe're conuinced'that high carbon monoxide levels in the blood caused by smoking con- stitute a danger in blood transfusions.," THE ACTIVE CHEMICAL AGENT IN MARIJUANA, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)',, curbs the growth of three kinds of cancers in mice and may also supress the immunity reaction that causes rejection of organ transplants, saidia Medical College of Va. research team. However, a spokesman for the team told the Washington Post, the work has beenidone so far only in mice and it needs repetition in many more animals andihuman effects may or may not be the same. C PE©'PLE THE NETnI'FIRST LADY SMOKES, reported NBC's Bar- bara Walters on the Today Show. ..".She does-n t' intend' to hide, it' because she's First Lady rr BICY'CLING whenithe pollution index,_ia high may be hazardous to your <Mcealth,,_ says..George:_Washinqton -Lh'. ;r washinqt.on, D: C F,s cardiologist, Dr. Sam Fox. Fox told WTOP-TV that when the - index is high an otherwise healthy cyclist might breathe as much CO as heiwould smoking two packs of cigarettes. INDUSTRY NEWS TOBACCO~PRODUCTIONISIUP13~8from 1973 and should be the largest crop in a decade, report- ed the Wa11 Street Journal from a USDA release. Officials said farmers ' are expected ta produce 25% more burley, 12%'.more cigar-wrapper, 10% more flue-cured and 7% more fire-cured., Production~of all other types, reported!WSJ, is expected to decline. RETIRED: Carl T.: Hick,s„ president of The Tobacco Growers' Information Committee in Raleighisince 1958i. Mr. Hicks founded the Flue-Cured Tobacco S'tabilization Corp. in 1946 and served nearly 30 years as chairman of State Farm Bureau. Federation's tobacco committee.. He was for many years treasurer of the Tobacco Tax~COuncil., TGIC will consider Hicks' successor at aniOctober meeting.

~----~_~ i ~** NEWShETTER 102lreported that the Olin Corp., Honeywell,, Inc. and the U.S. Civil Service Commission were deueloping "cancer education" pro- grams for,their employees in coordination withithe American Cancer So- ciety. According to an ACS news release, O1lini's medical director ex- .plained the,program to employees and "stressedithe teaching of breast self-examination, the Pap test and smoking withdrawal cliinics." After this was reported in the:Newsletter, Olin wrote,at least three cigar- ette manufacturers, complained that ACS was in error and that Olin "is not and has not been involved in any smoke withdrawali clinics or any other organized program of this sort." „ TI President Kornegay wrote Olin, included a copy of the inaccurate ACS news release andlexpressed pleasure at Olin''s desire to rectify the "error".