Tobacco Documents Online

C t Fri., Sept. 8, 1978 * .0 I~Pan 2Francisco Crhronictc 7 (a r t s 00 e f e n el ublac #Vro'lokeng Washington A House committee yesterday put on a parade of medical and other experts who testified there is no evidence that cigaret smoke is hazardous to the health of non- smokers. One pathologist denounced op- ponents of public smoking as pur- veyors of "smoke-a-phobia and can- cer-a-phobia." The hearing was held by the House subcommittee on tobacco, headed by Representative Walter Jones, a Democrat from North Carolina, the leading tobacco-pro- ducing state in the nation. Nine other members of Con- gress were on hand - an unusually high turnout for a hearing - all from tobacco states and some not even on the parent Agriculture Committee. Jones said the panel is con- cerned about local laws and some company policies outlawing smok- ing in public, and about segregation of smokers on airliners. Eight holders of doctorates testified, along with one pollster. All said cigaret smoke does not harm non-smokers and public smoldng therefore should not be banned. The sharpest critic of the no- smoking movement was Dr. Edwin R. Fisher, a University of Pitts- burgh pathology professor and an official of that city's Shadyside Hospital. "Notwithstanding the scientific facts," Fisher said, "There is a small group of vocal non-smokers who have a special interest in trying to convince people that environmen- tal tobacco smoke is harmful to their health. What they are really seeking to do, however, is to rid the world "of smoking and thereby 'protect' the smoker from himself." Fisher dismissed one study on the subject as being unscientific, and said, "As a frequent air travel- er, I have observed that the vast majority of airline passengers do not seem bothered by smoking. Indeed, one survey showed that airline passengers are bothered more by crying babies than by tobacco smoke in the cabin." The only major study to show an effect on the artery hardening of rabbits, he said, was based on a nicotine dose equivalent to 600 cigarets a day. "Americans are in the grip of new diseases, manufactured by fear and anxiety ... transmitted by so- called consumer advocates, certain books ... and news headlines," Fisher said. "The diseases are smoke-a- phobia and cancer-a-pbobia. Every- body seems to know what causes cancer.... to say cigaret smoking does not cause disease is not as newsworthy as saying it causes ingrown toenails. Meanwhile, the Civil Aeronau- tics Board yesterday again post- poned action on a move to ban cigar and pipe smoking on commer- cial airliners. The Tobacco Institute prompt- ly hailed the action, declaring it amounted to a "real repudiation" of the war on smoking being conduct- ed by Health, Welfare and Educa- tion Secretary Joseph Califano. UnetPd Pre.a