Document NGgGOGa33eaz2B87GNozMxb5b
FILE NAME Newspaper & Magazine Articles NMA
DATE 1964 Oct 6
DOC NMA030
DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Newspaper Article - The Pontiac Press - Medical Specialists Suspect Asbestos as Cause of Cancer
PONTIAC PRESS TUESDAY OCTOBER 6 1964 ~
Se
TWELVE
Suspect Asbestos as
Medical Specialists
. By ALTON BLAKESLEE
AP Science Writer
NEW YORK - Medical spe
cialists pointed a strong finger
of suspicion today at asbestos
specialists Much of the
evi-
dence comes from autopsy stud-
asbes- ies of men working with
tos as an insulation material .
They said it also is possible
as a cause not only of lung can- that dust from products contain-
cer but also of another ex- ing asbestos might be exposing
of a
Cause Cancer | more than 30,000
autopsies might incite ulti- study of the general
| sponsored by the
Cancer Society
HIGH INCIDENCE
in a population|
American
source that
|
mate cancer
worry Dr. Hammond saidone 4|
is whether a few or even a sin-
gle past exposure mught set the
Other studies showed a high stage for cancer He said this is
tremely rare form of
human cancer
kx
&
xk
fatal
This cancer known as meso-
thelioma involves the lining of
the abdominal and chest cav
ties
'-
terial in automobile
brake
people generally to some risk of
cancers How much risk there
might be they said they could
not tell
FLOORING MATERIAL
Asbestos is used not only for
insulationn bun t as a flooring ma-
.
terials or possibly from dust
incidence not only of lung can-
cer but mesotheliomas among
persons who had asbestos particl^'isn their lungs at the time of their deaths they said
It would appear that meso-
thelioma must be added the
neoplastic cancer risks of asbestos inhalation and joins lung cancer 53 out of 307
aseamrcah tter for morere-
Sr
ee
re
Taking precautions to avoid
breathing in asbestos dust is|
main protection for industrial
workers be and Dr. Selikolf!
aX
shoes and in many other appli- raised through
Ications Ordinary wear and they said
normal wear
deaths and probably cancer of
the stomach and colon 34 of 307
tear they said might release
dust into the atmosphere
*
x
*
report United States their The report was presented to
MARKED INCREASE
We had previously found that lung cancer and possibly
deaths as a significant compli-
cation of such industrial expo-
sure the
said
the American Public Health gastrointestinal cancer were
x
*
ok Association by Drs Irving J.
Sellkoff and Jacob Churg of the . Mount Sinai Hospital New
marked- York and E. Cuyler Hammoud
Sc.D. director of statistically
they research for the American Can-
tissue continuous cer Society Dr. Hammond is
known for his studies of cigarette smoking in relationship to
markedly increased in incidence
among
asbestos
workers they said
insulation
.
. The cancers may not appear
until 20 to 30 years asbes
tos dust is inhaled or swallowed
ain body Now they also find a
statisticaly high increase among such workers of mesothelioma ain
they sald Since the particles do
not dissolve
may remain
as a
cancer so rare it is not classeadin
separately as a cause of death
in the international classifica-
lung cancer
tion of diseases
.
*
*
*
*
wk '*
*
hesium Asbestos is a ~-n~-neralmagsilicate and about 3 million tons of it are used
worldwide each year they said
In 1935 worldwide usage amounted to about 500 tons the
researchers said
As a prime example they
reported finding 10 deaths due|
to this form of cancer in a study |
of 307 deaths among New York
and New Jersey building trades
union members engaged in
using asbestos at least occasion-
Tiny hard particles of usbes ally as an insulation material
tos can lodge in the lungs during By contrast this form can-
mining processing and applica- cer was found to be the cause of
tion of containing ma death among only three out of
yay
of
SPNY 000399