Tobacco Documents Online

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR THE FIRST AUTHOR REPLIES The error to which Mantel refers (1) was corrected previously (2). The results of the study (3) remain the ,1aIDe overall: nonsmoking.romen married'to men who smoked had higher total (p s 0.05), age-adjusted (p 5 0.10): and multiple-adjusted (p < 0.10) rates of fatal iachemirheart disease than those married to men who did not. The findings have been replicated in women by Hirayama (4) and Gillia et al. (5)! and in MRFIT men by Svendaen at aL (6). Rzroutnctt 1. Mantel N. Re: "EHect+ of passive smoking on iscbsmie 6.art disease mortality of nonsmokers: a prospective swdy' (lstrar.) Am J Epidemiol 19d7;1PS.641. 2. Erratum. Am J Epidemiol 1985;1221112.; 3. Garland C. Barrett•Connor E Suarer L at al. Eff.eta of passive amoking on ischemic heart disease mortality of Cedric Garland Department of Community and Family Medicint Uniuersity oj CotiJorrtio. San Diego Le Jo11a, CA 92093 nonsmokers: a prospective study: Am J Epiiiemiol 19E5:121:645-50: t. Hiraysma T. Table 6: Mortality from iscbemir beart di.e..a in women by age group and'smokme habit of husband In: Pauive amokin` and lung cancer. Paper presenud.t the World Congress on Smoking and Hsaltd. W innipe{. Jdy 7983. 5. GilLL CK Hole DJ, Ha.rtborne VM, a al. Tbe effect of anvironmental tobacco smoke in two urban communities in the .ast of Scotland Eur J Resp Dis 19BA;65(Supp1 t33):121-6: 6. Svendsen KH, Kuller LH. Neaton JD. EQ.eu of psesive smoking in the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFCIT)j (Abstract.) Circulation 1e85:72:I1]-53. :'EXCESS MORTALITY FROM STOMACH CANCER, LUNG CANCER, A SIS AND/OR MESOTHELIOMA IN CROCIDOLITE MINING DISTRI Permit us to SOUTH AFRICA' your attention to the following lahed in the Americon. Journal aspects of an article pui o/ Epidemiobgy on mo districts in South Africa (1 In the abstract it is atu ity in crocidolite mining ;~Tbese frndings...... are likely to be due to espos crocidolite during mining and mental contamination " In the case o South African or to environ- white females and'colbred females, most personnel w environmental exposures only, which is n from the authors' remarks on page 38. subject to evident Wliile the authors stnea that until 1977 as and/or mesothelioma were combined under IC U* 467; not a single case of asbeatosia u known to hav, been contracted by environmental exposure to asbes- tos. The investigations were based entirely on death certificates. The accuracy of death certificates has been questioned all over the world. In South Africa there is a speciallproblem in that in the rural areas of the Nort:hern Cape-and elsewhere in this vast co try-the bulk of death certificates of coloreds have been eompleted by medical personnel but by me of the South African police. During the ear, under review this may also have applied white farmers and their families. This pr Mr. Hart's statement tha females and colored fem subject to environme strengthens our dedi impact may have than occupational In the case of white most personnel were exposures only" (1) that "a major part of the through environmental rather, ure" (2, p. 38) j Our deduction 0 0 ently still continun according to in ''ea to the legal advisers of the South African M Cal Aasociation. In the South Ahican Meaoth 'oma Regiater, then was in October 1983 a total o,228 cases since 1956 of which 510 cases had no nown connection with aabestos. Some of these m be spontaneous casn (2). By March 1985, the to had increased to 1,459 and the number of "unkn " and/or spontaneous cues to 639, i;e., more th 50 per cent of the increase (J. C. A. Davies, tional Centre for Occupational Health, person communication)j RLrCRCNtaa 1. BotEydL. Irwit LM. StrebellPM. Excess mortality from swrpLch cancer, lung cancer, and asbestosis and/or mss- ot}iElioma in crocidolite mining di.tricu in South Afnca: H. P. Hart South Afriean Asbestos Producen Advisory Committee oz/Bua 10505 s-Y-z , ) 54. 7. NOTICE Tfiis materal' mey be pffltected by c0oyriBnt 1~w Ttle 17 U!S. CWjq.I riesburg 2000 Sot)k~ A/rica was based on the increased risk fo scosis and/or mesothelioma deaths that occurred ` r only for males but: also for females, who, according records, had not been employed on mines until 1950 d then at lower rates than males in most districta" (, .38). Mr, Hart does not cite a reference for his a ment J Epidemiol 1986:123130-40. iona) Centre for Occupational Health, annual i raport