Document ExJB4KkOYVe8LLK46Lv7rm8eN

i*' THE HOUSTON POST January 22, 1967 RECEIVED <7> T/* A PJ /Zc~UJ v//?/f. .. &Gc 12/iECTI0fl & ~rAl HOUSTON POST: 4UWPAY JANUARY 12, 1947 i Doctor Asks Ckeek On JAslbestos-Canccr I .in?* By MIRIAM IvASS Pma Medical Writr " The question of whether as bestos can cause cancer needs more looking into, a Houston doctor said Saturday at a scientific meeting of the Sin gleton Surgical Society at Saint Joseph Hospital. Dr James E. Dailey said in an interview that there's no proof yet of the asbestos-can cer connection, but there is some good circumstantial evi dence. He mentioned "the ex tremely high incidence of lumors in workers exposed to asbestos." "ASBESTOS IS used in nu merous manufacturing and building processes, insulations of air conditioning units, in sulation of pipe vessels. Ship builders use a lot of it, fabri cators of pipe tanks and heavy machinery, installers of manu facturers equipment. . "It is also used in office and home building -- sheathing of houses and buildings. Demol ishing of buildings is going on all the time, and the construc tion of new ones. "It's not hard to conceive rhat a'considerable amount of asbestos will contaminate the air." Everyone has some ex posure to it. he said. DR DAILEY, who directs the medical education at Saint Joseph, says there isn't enough evidence yet to call for any action in limiting the use of asbestos, but research ers need to find more answers: "They have to go into the chemistry of asbestos and the possibility of combination of it with other substances. Many questions arise -- whether the action of asbesos in producing tumors is mechanical (because of sharp needles) or whether it is the substance itself, or die way it combines with oth ers." DR DAILEY made it clear that he was not singling out asbestos as special in possibly causing or contributing to can cer. "We don't know too much about other dusts, too -- like some of die plastic dust that's involved when they manufac ture carpets. What happens when some of that is stiiTed by carpet beating or by vacu- j um cleaners? "THERE IS NOTHING in j the medical literature to de scribe whether there is any lung reaction to such dust" The Singleton Surgical So ciety was named for the late Dr A. 0. Singleton, former head of die department of sur- ; gery at die University of Tex- as Medical Branch. Members are, or have been, surgical residents at the Medical Branch. ! JAM 30 W DISTRIBUTION J. A. RiridlUftA L. F. Crow W.EKH-j-1-, - A. A. AnJr.iJs " G. C. Bri'e Shifters J. L. Myc'S 7"! K. A. Wc - i D. S. Ki"'*ns G. Vessels K. West File .4 <7913