Document LJN0O1wmqVL8NDDyy0Ve624mq

TUMORS OF THE UROGENOUS ORGANS 481 m-dimethyl-azo-benzol) recently have been employed successfully in the production of malignant tumors of the connective tissue, liver, stomach, and bladder (Shear5 Schiller; Yoshida; Otsuka and Nagao; Yamazaki and Sato). Attention may be called to observations made many years ago by Salant and I Bengis, who experimented with various related dyes (yellow AB (benzeneazo-beta-naphthylamine), yellow OB (toluene-azo-beta-naphthylamine),sudan III (benzene-azo-benzene-azo-beta-naphthol), sudan I (benzene-azo-beta- naphthol), butter yellow (benzene-azo-dimethylaniline), oil yellow (benzene- :aaii azo-phenol), sudan G (benzene-azo-resorcinol) and spirit yellow (amino-azo benzene)). The introduction of these dyes either orally, subcutaneously, intravenously or intraperitoneally, into rats, rabbits and cats resulted in their retention in the adipose tissue. The dyes remained longer in this tissue than in any. organ and the degree of retention, as well as excretion by the urine, ran parallel to the amount of dyes given (ranging from days to weeks). A satisfactory agreement also does not exist in regard to the carcinogenicity of the three aromatic amines mainly incriminated (aniline, benzidine and naphthylamine). There is a general consensus that beta-naphthylamine, at least in its commercial form, is definitely cancer producing. There is still doubt as to alpha-naphthylamine. While German investigators are doubtful as to this substance and have listed only a few cases in which it was suspected as the activating agent (Engel, 1937), the American authors have attributed, with certain reservations, an appreciable portion (about.25 per cent) of the total number to this substance (Gehrmann; Evans). It is, however, uncertain I whether alpha-naphthylamine possesses cancer-producing qualities to any $ appreciable degree, as the commercial product of German, American and English manufacture contains from 5 to 10 per cent beta-naphthylamine as an 3 impurity (Engel, 19375 Gehrmann). The latter substance may account for the carcinogenic response displayed after contact with commercial alpha- naphthylamine. The potential carcinogenic role of aniline appears to be equally uncertain v if the statements of German and American investigators are compared. While $ the German sources are definite as to the carcinogenic qualities of this com pound (Engel, 1937) and list 78 cases as caused by it and its homologues, the American authors (Gehrmann; Evans) are equally emphatic that, according 'i * to their observations, the American product does not produce tumors. Evans stated that there was not a single case of tumor of the bladder in a group of 65 men who had been engaged for as long as twenty years in the production jt of aniline exclusively. The average time of employment of these men was V$ twelve years. They suffered, moreover, frequent attacks of acute aniline poi soning (Wolfe). It is also doubtful, whether pure benzidine base is carcinogenic. According 0 to German sources, none of the workers of a plant in which men came in