Document ZnXNNvyJgproaz30Qg2apzOrO

FILE NAME: New York State & NY Times (NY) DATE: 1959 Apr 7 DOC#: NY087 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: NYT Article - Job Relationship to Cancer Sought JOB RELATIONSHIP TO CANCER SOUGHT :\Vu York Times (1X5 ~-Current file); Apr 7. I')?'); ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Tim es (1X51 - 2003) pg. 30 JOB RELATIONSHIP TO CANCER SOUGHT 70,000 Workers Studied| -- Cigarettes Are Still | Called a Major Cause EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo., April 6 (UPI)--More than 70, 000 workers are being checked to see whether their jobs make them particularly susceptible to lung cancer. Those being studied include cooks, steam-fitters and all others who work with asbestos; welders, painters; lead, zinc and copper miners, workers in the engine rooms of ships and oper ators of `overhead conveyors of molten metals. , The check-up was disclosed at a seminar on cancer research at the Elms Hotel here. It is being sponsored by the Ameri can Cancer Society. Dr. Lester Breslow, epidemi ologist of the California State Department of Health, said he had questioned more than 70, 000 workers in those fields by mail about their health status, especially in relation to cancer, and was tabulating the answers statistically. Other Cause Sought The study is scientifically sig nificant because whereas some epidemiologists believe that they have proved that cigarette smoking is a major cause of lung cancer, other scientists say that cigarette smoking is not enough in itself to account for the marked increase in the incidence of that disease over the last, forty years. Thus scientific investigators are checking occupational haz ards that might account for "the substantial minority" of lung cancer cases caused by something else, Dr. Breslow continued. Lung cancer patients in thirteen California hospitals were tabulated by occupation. These were compared with an equal number of patients hospi talized for diseases other than cancer. Among the lung cancer cases were fourteen welders. Only two welders were among the non-cancer group. The other proportions were: Cooks 35 cancer cases and 21 non-cancer: molten metals con veyors, 5 and 1; steam-ritters 10 and 1; painters 22 and 12; lead zinc and copper miners 9 and 3; marine engine room workers 12 and 6. Dr. Breslow and the other epidemiologists emphasized their unanimous agreement that cigarette smoking was a prime cause of lung cancer. But, in their opinion, certain occupa tional hazards could have a "booster" effect in smokers and affect non-smokers. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.