Tobacco Documents Online

17. B-8 THE EVENING STAR Woshinqton, D. C., Thursday, December 14, 1967 Smog Gets C!ean Bill as Cause of Lung Cancer, j SACRAMENTO, Caiif. (AP) - the study was lower there than I substantial evidence of it yet, i Angeles County was 96.6 for : Something about urban life I in either San Diego or San Fran- Breslow said. ~each 100,000 man•years com- ' makes death from lung cancer ~ cisco: In his report, Breslow distin- pared with 106.3 in the San Fran- more common in the city thanl Breslow teamed with Dr. John, g u i s h e d between California:jcisco Bay and' San Diego areas the country, but it's not smog, a iE. Dunn and Philip Buell to ana- smog-caused mostly by motor and 79.9 for the rest of the state. l team of state health acientists reports. The conclusion was based on resutts of a nine-year study of almost 70,000 Californians. "Although smog is known to have serious adverse health ef- fects, it is not a causative factor in lung cancer,"' state Health Director Leslie Breslow told a news conference yesterday. Breslow reporte& the results of a study launched in 1958 t'o find out if California's smog may be a factor in the higher lyze the cases of 69,868 men. The vehicle exhaust-and the sooty Despite these results, Breslow ~ ~ researchers concentrat'ed! on those who hadli'ved4nithe statee for 15 to 20 years-theperiod'in~ which smog became a major problem in Los Angeles and'then in other metropolitan areas. "We would~expect an influence on lung cancer to show up about. this time," Breslow said. But there was none, he reportedL Studies are continuing to find out why city residents are moree likely to get lung cancer than thes rural counterparts. rate of lung cancer deaths in "That problem remains un- cities than in rural regions. soNved," Breslow said. Although~ Los Angeles has the Lung cancer may be a hazard ~st'ate's worst smog, the lung lof some occupations associated 'cancer death rate reported in iwith urban, life, but there is no type common in, the Eastern said, "I want to emphasize veryJ'. United States and Europe. strongly that smog does have i~ Motor vehicle exhausts trans, i serious adversc health eff'ects."'" formed photochemically by the j These include eye and throat I sun's rays are blamed' by pollu-; i r r i ti a:t i o n and' difficulty of ~ tion control officials for more than 80 per cent of Los Angeles County smog, Breslow's study showed the lung cancer death rate in Los breathing, particularly for per- sons who suffer from any ser- ious lung disease, he said.