Document dnrqd7VpJoMvKQ7kGe9qq4ek0

rs IMPERIAL CANCER RESEARCH FUND QMrEpUcdklo0iDd Clinical Trials Unit UN1VBU1TY OB OXFORD tOO(f iUm- Mmhti noruioi m neu mu, bju Ck*4 IfiUj} 5374] * ul yfebbllMd Oxford oxl jQo 10 October 1970 Mr. K. Sykes TBA Industrial Pro^cto Ltd. P.O. Bos 40 Bochdale Lancs OL19 7K) Dear Beg, The 'Hew Scientist ' trtlefc on "A scale for^Basurlng risks seesis fairly sensible, altowgh the InitialBcotation from Richard Doll, tbat envlronsj^tal agents "-*i e the aajority of all cancers. Is, as usualRused extri isleadingly. By "environmental", be meant Everything ed by life-style in the widest sense, lndudlnBsex, whi; causes cervical cancer, having a first baby afRar the of 30. which increases the risk pf breast clctr, a Hesters diet, which seems to be correlated with tbeviak cancer. Doll wodld also say t^t breast and colo-rectal than S% of cancers are caused by industrial exposui 1 have presented the results of ie of my predictions in terms of "percentage dying as a, Lult of asbestos exposure" because this is always asked fq The original B.O.H.S. report was necessarily -~r*--y 1 his way, because erepltations are not fatal, and th^T.C.A articularly asked me to cite percentages wbo would gm cance following various periods of exposure at various fibiwlevels, t 1% getting asbestos- induced cancer sounds much^nrse than loss of expected life of less than 3 months, wbjpn Is what 1factually means. Incidentally, you can gelpa rough idea mf the "percentages killed" corresponding tatbe table of lAa of expected life in the New Scientist by d^Kding by IS year^k Thus, for example*, if a coal-miner enter^H the Industry at fta 20 loess on average 155 days of ^Bected life, about 3^(1.e. 155/(365x15) ) of life-long miners mm killed by mining. I have always thoiw that risks of the orde: .of 1% or 3% ars quite acceptable,^it many people (including Allardice) strongly dlsagrejV and it is after all a matt of personal Judgement. Th^Rrouble is that you could hari 1 point of view,Because your motives would recei than what youBctually said. It is, to say the present such a mors attention t, a can of worn. Touraa/.ncerely, Julian Psto irAhiHi llli Umlrt la nee, UUa veu Xs Dr. i.T. Allaidlee