Document a15ynzZNkME5ngyDQRajxVkwN

FILE NAME Newspaper & Magazine Articles NMA DATE 1978 Dec 4 DOC NMA129 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Kansas City Star - Officials Accused of Playing Politics With Asbestos ey et we es ~ Officials Accused of PlayingPlayinPlagying Politics | the numbers i In April US Secretary of Health all cases of cancer according to the is game for politi- At least one scicust involvedin the be to playing Education and Welfare Joseph Calda- NCI report can traced exposure cal advantage NCI study reportedly has backed down ke no zomberly announced that more to asbestos For years industry sources have a little saying the September report than 5.6 million Americans would die to as direct result of their exposure advantageous es asbestos fiber In September Califano said the re- ee sults of a recent study by the National safety Cancer Institute showed that betweem These alarming figures were te leased at a politically advantageous moment a national health and meeting in Washing ton been contending that somewhere was only a working draft and not between 1 and 5 percent of all cancers the final word on the subject ~ are caused in the workplace Scientists for the American Cancer Society have Califano's assertion that 17 percent placed the level between 5 and 15 per- of all cancers can be traced to asbestos cent exposure also drew enticism from Dome 23 and 33 percent of all cancer is Though there is almost no doubt that A few scientists and industry o^>fi some scientists least one of whom caused by exposure to carcinogens in mre the jump to as high as 38 percent totally workplace also said Califano that 17 percent of a strong link exists between cancer and exposure to asbestos fibers there is some concern that the government cials have charged that this sudden is unwarranted presented evidence to Congress that the figure is closer to 1 percent It is estimated that 365,000 Ameri- 1 - cae Monday Decembe4r 1978 THE KANSAS CITY STAR With AsbestosAsbestos seodn. cans will die of cancer this year It Califano's 17 percent figure is right it would mean that 62,050 of them would have died because of exposure to asbestos If the 1 percent figure is right the number woubled 3,650 Either way a lot of people are in volved But both figures can't be - night scientists contend govern ment afficials should not alarm the public until they're sure what they're talking about - oe BMA 02767 wove