Document 1gqrVBv1gxoV1O75pbYdEj28E

FILE NAME Newspaper & Magazine Articles NMA DATE 1964 Oct 7 DOC NMA004 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION NYT Article - A Rare Carcinoma Believed on the Rise , eye ine a Nadi, 24 imine: CARCINOMA BELIEVED RISE , Study of Asbestos Workers director for the ciety of statistical arch American Cancer So- . Shows a High Incidence By HAROLD M. SCHMECK Jr. Occupational exposure to 83- cM bestos may be making an ex- FG tremely rare form of cancer G EPI much more common accord ing to a report yesterday to the ' annual meeting of the American 1 Health Association The cancer is called mesothe- Mesothelioma is so rare in the general population that it is not separately coded among causes of death Yet a study four years ago in an African asbestos min- : ing region found 33 cases the report said : Heavy exposure to asbestos dust has in the past been linked with some increased risk of lung cancer Dr. Selikoff and Dr. Hammond said at a news conference before their talk but : the mesothelioma is another sg lioma It affects the inner lining of the abdomen or of the chest and in either case it is fatal In the general population it is extremely rare but studies in matter The group pursued the ques- tion by studies in the United States One of these was a study of deaths among members of two New York area locals of a Africa where asbestos is mined construction trade union whose and more recent studies of members dealth with asbestos construction workers exposetdo asbestos dust in the New York City area show it to be far insulation Of a total of 307 deaths occurring this fairly years- restricted group over 20 1943 to 1964-10 were found to _ more common among those ex- be caused by mesothelioma posed occupationally The report called this an those The specialists who gave the extraordinarily high incidence noe for a tumor generally so rare tem report expressed worry that the In contrast they current hugh - danger might not be entirely study by the American Cancer restricted to a limited occupa- ane Society on the effects of environ T I 73 tion group but that it might mental factors on health showed cane? be more general and possibly of considerable importance There TROD A that among 31,652 deaths in the general population only three were due to mesothelioma ee is no direct evidence to sub- A further study of many cases AT stantiate this they said but of mesothelioma collected over ea TA some of the available findings a long period by the Armed a hint that this may be the case Forces Institute of ens Pathology The report was given by Dr. showed that fourth of those EE Irving J. Selikoff and Dr. Jacob specimens that could be tested Churg of Mount Sinai Hospital ene stares and Dr. E. Cuyler Hammond evidence of the presence of asbestos + The worrisome feature Dr. Hammond and Dr. Selikoff said is the evidence that asbestos once taken into the body stays there Thus even a single heavy exposure could conceivably pro- duce a cancer after a latent psaeidriod of 20 years or more they This idea for which they said there is some experimental as well as epidemiological evidence Fi could expand the risk from sim- * ply those occupationally exposed a & to virtually anyone who might eee only occasionally encounter as- (eho + besTthoes sde^v...ersitty of exposure nec- Go essary to produce such a sen- is tty ous effect not known the '_ Ten twophysicians said The New York Times Dr. E. CuylerHammond