Tobacco Documents Online

RADI= REPQRTS INC. Report on Smoking, over WABC-TfT, NY, & ABC-TV Net 7:00 P.M„ January 11, 1964 SPECIAL RUSH SERVICE ANNOWCER: "The News Department of the American Broadcasting Company presersts, 9Report on Smoking,° the highlights and the significance of today gs government report on smoking and health. Here is ABC correspondent Bob Youngt" YOUNG: "aood evening. 52 years ago, an obscure German scier:tistz named Adler published a clinical report saying that he 9d Pound a connee- tion between smoking and lung caneer, his work went almost unnoticed at the time, because cigarette smoking had yet to become a eormton world-wide habit. But the Shcer report did serve to create some serious medical doubts about tobaeco, which have been growing ever since. "Well today, a federal grand jury, - - - a federal panel, rather, of scientists, assembled in TIFL 0520940 TMDA 0009340

2 Washington to d2zxmM disclose the latest report on the effeets oQ smoking. This ten man group was appointed fourteen months ago by the Surgeon 2ratm General's ofi'ice, and has been working ever siiaoe$ reviewing ten to twelve thousand studies on smoking, somes of them Iasolvitmg interviews with as many as 100002000 sc;b jeQts o "The results were disclosed at a netis conference in the State Department auditorium. At the requestion of ABC Science Sd9.tor, Jules Bergmrtn, Surgeon General Luther Terry summed up those firMings s" TERRY: "I think briefly the eomnittee fls report may be summarized in this way: firet, that there is a definite significant health hazard asso- eiated with cigarette smoking; that the degree of this hazard is related to the amount of smoking, both 3rAx terms of the amount in a day 9s time and ove r a period of a lifetime; and that the best way to avoid this hazard 3s never to have smoked, but oese who has smoked can decrease the magnitude of this health hasard, and 3mprove his chances, by ceasing to smoke, or even possibly in cutting down." BEROWNs "Doctor Terr9s what were the commi.ttee 'a speeifie findings in terms of cigarette smoking and TIFL 0520941 TMDA 0009341

3 diaeasd?" TERRY: "The oommittee's specific findings related largely to lung cancer, but involved all of the pther types of disease which have been asso- ciated with smoking. In the first place, the Qommiictee felt that the strongest association, and i.n fact, a causal relationship, U that #3 cigarette smoking was the gr3nc3pAl cause for lung cancer, resulting a in some 41,000 deaths in this eountry last year. In addition, they felt that there was a signiPieant and similar type of relationship between cigarette smoking and cancer of the larynx, of voice box. There was also a very clear relation- ship between chronic bronchitis and ea:ph,yzema in relation a to cigarette smokiag, though the causal aspects could not be so clearly proven. I think that one of the other things that the com6itte brought out was the fact that cigars ancd pipes appear to be much less of a health hazard; on the other haad, it did point out that one of the Important points in relation to pipe smoking was a very definite asso- eiation - -- relationship between pipe smoking and cancer of the lipa" BERama: "What about heart disease, Doctor Terry?" FL 0520942 T I TMDA 0009342

TERRYs "This was an area in which, unfortunate3y, the comittee felt that we didnet have all of the evidence that we needed, but that there was a very strong relatiaraship, and probably a causal relation- ship, between heart disease and cigarette smoking." raER0M4: "And what is the Qommittee °s eonelu- sior:?" concluded, in `I'ERRY: "The comn:itteeXj/ jxW effect, after all of this material had been brought forward by saying that cigarette smoking is a health hazard of suffieient importammee in the United States, to warrant appropriate remedial aotiom." YOUNG: "Well today's report, which 3s entitled 'Smoking and Health,' and here 2x It is, is so long,ites 150,000 words, that 9.tQs being printed as a book for distribution to state and federal agencies, and other interested grotaps, too, Eventaally, copies will go to every doctor in the aation, and will be on sale to the public as well. "The study was based principally on men, since women are not as often regular smokers. The comittee conelsded that in the average mele smoker, that is, the pack-a-day or less umn, the chance of lung cancer is about nine to ten times as great as in a non-smoker. With the heavy smoker --- more TIFL 0520943 TMDA 0009343

5 than a pack a day --- the chance is multiplied to twenty-to-one. In other words, the report said that the risk of lung cancer increases, the more you smoke and the longer you smoke; it decreases if you stop smoking. nThe study also reported a far higher Qeath- rate among cigarette smokers than non-smokers, not just from lung eas:cer, but froa: a variety of diseases, principally affecting the heart and blood vessels.Well this is how that breaks down: in groups of men smoking ten cigarettes a day or less, the death rate is 40% higher than in non=smokersj up to 20 cigarettes a day, the rate Increases to 70%; up to 40 cigarettes a day it goes to 90%; and at more than 40, that is, more* than tao packs a day, the death rate jumps to 120% more than that of non-smokers. So on an average, the mortality rate of cigarette smokers is about 70% higher than that of non-smokers. But quitting smoking, even in middle age, improves the chances of survival by a consider- able degree. "Nov these are the ailments that the panel associated with smoking: cancer of the mouth, and in the case of pipe smokers, cancer of the lip; cancer of the lary=, smoking as significant factor; TIFL 0520944 TMDA 0009344

s and cancer of the eaophogas, evidence of the ooranece tioaa, but not enough to say that smoking is a definite cause there; lung cancer, a definite ;ausal relation, the committee saya; also, chronic bronchitis and gulmonary em;th,qzema, a condition of fluid in the lung; peptic ulcers, an association far greater than mith gastric or duodenal ulcers; and heart disease, specificallg,cos:onary artery ailments, a higher death rate among smokers, in fact, the chief reason for the higher death rate, with lung cancer the second. Tvo other ailments also were mentioned: cancer of the b2adder, and s=a cyrrhosis of the 13ver, but the panel said that there was not enough data to support the association in either of those easeso. "The details of the report were top-seeret until the Washington news conference this morning. Then reporters were called in and given copies of the finidings. All ten members of the panel were present, and the question-and-ansvaer fol].oaed. Iiere are some of the highlights of that:" TERRY: "I think that each physician must make an lndividual judgement on it. Of eourse, he should utilize this report and any other information which he has available to him. But I think In order TIFL 0520945 TMDA 0009345

7 !t for the report to be most effective in whatever direction it is effective, it wil]l depend upon the judgeraent, no only of the medical protession tY~~roughout the country, but of many aS other in-• nolved agencies. " RBPCtTERs "When do you feel the second part of the study will get under way?" TERRYs "Actually, we are already underway In © the Public Health 3enrvice, with an analysis of this." REPCRTEFts "Doctor Terry, $s the report specifically doe®nQt say I anything about filters, was this a deoiaion a - - - a deliberate decision by the oonsnittee, or ia this a matter they juet over-looked." `PERRY: "I believe there is a section within the report, at least brieFly, about filters. Doctor Guthrie, could you answer that?" QtFMYS t"The rpport does mention filters briefly= hoNever, the committee felt in general that there is not enough evidence published or available today to ieake a sudgement on filters and their etfeat on a hazard to health at this time." REPORTERs "Doctor Terry, if you were in private practice, on the basis of this report, what would you advise your patients about smoking?" TIFL 0520946 TMDA 0009346

8 TERRY: "I missed --= I m-- what would I advise..." FiFPORTER: "IP you were in private practice, and on the basis of this report, what would you advise your patients about smoking?" TERRY: "Fra:akly, I would advise a person, In light of this- -- - the conclusiveness of this report and the clear indication of an associated health haaard, that if that individual wished to smoke, s one should certainly do it, with a recog- nition that he was u:adertaking and subjecting him- self to a definite health risk.lE" REPCRTER: "I°d like to ask Doctor Burdett, iP he could come up for a second, using the a miero- phone, and define for us the eommitteesls own feelings ab®dtt how serious a public health prob- lem smoking is." TERRY: "Doctor Burdett, would you?" BDRDETTs "I think you could define this in terms of numbers= in the case of a aareinoma of the lung, where the mortality rate shows the high, there are about 41,000 deaths, and tb committee, in this instanee, feels that the major causal factor is smoking, In other areas, the relationship is not so clear-cut. Does this answer your question?" RFPORTSR: "Do you feel a direct causal TIFL 0520947 TMDA 0009347

relationship is now established? Thl.s is what aeany men weren't satisfied with before." BIIRDETT s"Yes, we have - - - I think I Qm speaking for the remainder of the ooronittee, we have felt that in the case of cancer of the lung and there are a other tnes of cancer mentioned here, also In bronchitis and emphyzema, I believe, that there is a direct causal relationship. This oonolu- siow is based an converging evidence of several different t7ves." REPC~tTBRs "Doctor Burdett..." TERRYs "I think Dator Burdett might point out, in addition to that, as a comparison when he speaks of 41,000 deaths from oaroiaa®a of the lung in this oountry per year, that the number of deaths from automobile acoidents, Sa3nc last year, I believe, was around 38,000. This is only for ao®e oompari- tivc substance. "Thereva one other point that I rouid like a to make clear. Doctor Guthrie apparently felt that ia answer to the question about my advice to a per- son on smotcLng indicated that I would advise the pertoII to ContiIIlle to smoke. Th18 I did not mean, I xpft would advise anyone to out - - - to discontinue smoking oigarettes. But, if he were to continue TIFL 0520948 TMDA 0009348

10 smoking e3garettes, be a sh( tion of the health hazard." Iatt:'t?i`i'Etti S "wOudd y0u s tart ?" IERYYs "I certainly i not to start." REPORTER s "In view o: nomic implicatfons of this : committee say about the poe: caneer-eausiog iaagredients : TERRY: "I doai Qt reca: in this report, relative to so that the comibittee,and I did not address ltself to t< aation, but rather, to the : ship between smoking and he: health hazard assoeiated, u: magnitude of that health ha: REPORTERs "Doctor Burn TERRYs "I°ve even been RBPORTERs "'Doctor Burc t3x JAMA of Iiwecaber 28, l9' of treating tobacco or filt, demonstrated to be effeetiv~ or eliminating the hazard o. TIFL 0520949 TMDA 0009349