Tobacco Documents Online

18. TfiLr NEW YORK 1"Llr[IJ'J, WL~DlVG,)UAY, Lr c;r.rvlt3Ltt zu, tyo7 It's Cigarettes, Not Smog A fascinating study ofl the relationship of cigarettes, smog andi lung cancer has just been completed by Calif'ornia Public Healt'h, Department officials. Its main conclusion gives no comfort to steady cigarette users and tobacco industry spokesmen who have often said that fact'ors other than smoking, especially smog, may be a significant cause of lung cancer. The results of the statistical study of nearly 70,000 deaths over a five-year period specifically ruled outt smog as a cause of lung cancer. After making allow- ances for variables in smokina habits, age and length of residence, the investigators found that the lung cancer death rate was higher in the San Francisco Bay-San Diego area than in Los Angeles County, which is the capital of California smog, The California study indicate& that heavy smokers have a five times greater chance of dyin ; of lung cancer than those who abstain. This statistical finding confirms similar reports in the past by the American Cancer Society, and point up the need for more strin- gent warnings about the perils of cigarette smoking.