S m o k i n g A n d S o m e t h i n g E l s e :

P r o f e s s o r S i m o n W o l f f , T o x i c o l o g i s t ,
E x p l a i n s H o w D i e s e l C a n G i v e S m o k e r s L u n g C a n c e r ,
A n d A B i o l o g i c a l l y I g n o r a n t B u t N u m e r a t e L a y m a n
D i s s e c t s T h e S p e c i o u s C l a p t r a p O f
T h e W o r l d ' s M o s t E m i n e n t C a n c e r S p e c i a l i s t ,
P r o f e s s o r S i r R i c h a r d D o l l ,
A n d E x p l a i n s W h y H e R e c e i v e d T h e G e n e r a l M o t o r s C a n c e r P r i z e
I n 1 9 7 9
Smoking And Something Else:
Professor Simon Wolff, Toxicologisf
Explains How Diesel Can Give Smokers Lung Cancer,
And A Biologically Ignorant But Numerate Layman
Dissects The Specious Claptrap 0f
The World's Most Eminent Cancer Specialist,
Professor Sir Richard Doll,
And Explains Why He Received The General Motors Cancer Prize
In1979














Br i t i sh Li br ar y Cat al ogui ng i n Publ i cat i on Dat a
Bar on, Al exander
Sr noki ng and Somet hi ng El se: Pr of essor
Si mon Wol f f , Toxi col ogi st , Expl ai ns How
Di esel Can Gi ve Smoker s Lung Cancer , and
a Bi ol ogi cal l y I gnor ant But Numer at e
Layman Di ssect s t he Speci ous Cl apt r ap of
t he Wor l d' s Most Emi nent Cancer
Speci al i st , Pr of essor Si r Ri char d DoI l ,
and Expl ai ns Why He Recei ved t he General
Mot or s Cancer Pr i - ze i n \ 979
I . Ti t I e
6L6. 99
r sBN L- 87L473- 66- 7
S m o k i n g A n d
S o m e t h i n g E l s e : P r o f e s s o r S i m o n W o f J T o x i c o l o g i s t ,
E x p l a i n s
H o w
D i e s e l C a n G i v e
S m o k e r s
L u n g C a n c e r ,
A n d A B i o l o g i c a l l y I g n o r a n t B u t N u m e r a t e
L a y m a n D i s s e c t s
T h e S p e c i o u s C l a p t r a p O f T h e W o r l d ' s
M o s t
E m i n e n t C a n c e r S p e -
c i a l i s t ,
P r o f e s s o r S i r R i c h a r d D o l l , A n d E x p l a i n s W h y H e
R e c e i v e d T h e G e n e r a l M o -
t o r s
C a n c e r
P r i z e
I n 1 9 7 9
P r e f a c e
U p u n t i l f a i r l y
r e c e n t l y , l i k e t h e m a j o r i t y o f t h e a d u l t p o p u l a t i o n , I b e l i e v e d
t h a t t h e
m a j o r
c a u s e
o f l u n g
c a n c e r
i n
o u r
s o c i e t y ,
i n d e e d , t h e m a j o r
c a u s e
o f
c a n c e r p e r S e ,
w a s
c i g a r e t t e s m o k i n g . T o b a c c o . B e i n g
a
l i f e l o n g
n o n - s m o k e r a n d
a
v i r u l e n t a n t i -
s m o k e r I
w a s
a l s o o f t h e
o p i n i o n t h a t s m o k i n g s h o u l d b e b a n n e d , t o b a c c o
f a c t o r y
o w n e r s
s h o t a n d s m o k e r s o s t r a c i s e d l i k e t h e s o c i a l
l e p e r s t h e y
a r e .
L i v i n g i n
o n e
o f t h e
g r e a t e s t
c i t i e s
i n t h e w o r l d ,
o n e
i s s t r u c k b y t h e p a r a d o x o f
p o v -
e r t y
a m i d s t
p l e n t y .
I
a m
o f t e n s t r u c k a l s o b y t h e c u r i o u s p r i o r i t i e s
s o m e
p e o p l e p l a c e
o n
c r e a t u r e
c o m f o r t s ,
n o t
l e a s t o f a l l t h e d e m o n w e e d . A f e w
y e a r s a g o
I w r o t e
t h e
f o l l o w i n g
p o e m
a b o u t t h i s .
A
Q u e s t i o n O f P r i o r i t i e s
W h e n w a l k i n g
t h r o u g h t h e U n d e r g r o u n d I
c a m e u p o n a m a n
W h o h a d h i s f a c e n o t
b e e n
s o
r e d , I ' m
s u r e
w o u l d h a v e l o o k e d
w a n .
P r o p p e d u p r i g h t i n
a
c o r n e r ,
c i d e r b o t t l e
o n
t h e f l o o r ,
H e s t o o d
u p a s
I
p a s s e d b y , s a y i n g : P l e a s e s i r , h e l p t h e
p o o r .
A s I
w a s
g o i n g n o w h e r e f a s t , I
s t o p p e d
a n d
t u r n e d
t o
h i m ;
H i s c l o t h e s
w e r e
f i l t h y
r a g s ,
h i s
e y e s w e r e
w i l d , h i s
f a c e
w a s
g r i m ;
H e h e l d
o u t
a
s c o r b u t i c
h a n d
a n d
r e p e a t e d
h i s p l e a :
T a k e p i t y
o n a
b e g g a r , s i r , h e s a i d
a c c u s i n g l y .
I s m i l e d
a t
h i m
a s
b e s t I
c o u l d :
H a v e
y o u
b e e n s l e e p i n g r o u g h ?
T h e s e l a s t e i g h t
y e a r s ,
r e p l i e d t h e f e l l o w ,
a n d i t ' s m i g h t y t o u g h .
A n d w h e n
w a s
t h e l a s t t i m e
y o u
a t e ? s a i d I ; h e s h o o k h i s h e a d :
T h e
d a y ' f o r e y e s t e r d a y , I
t h i n k ,
a
c r u s t
o r
t w o
o f
b r e a d .
M y h a n d r e a c h e d f o r
m y
w a l l e t ,
a n
a c t
I w o u l d
s o o n
r e g r e t ;
H e t o o k t h e
n o t e
a n d s a i d : T h a n k s , I ' d k i l l
f o r
a
c i g a r e t t e .
' a $ a J B A l J
r o J
I I p l
p , I
' $ l u u q l
: p l u s p u u a l o u a q l
{ o o l
a H
! 1 e . r 8 a . r u o o s p l n o , r
I
I J B
u
! a 1 1 e , r , r
d u . r o ; p e r { J B a J p u e q r ( t r 4 1
' p e a J q
J o
o A r l J o
l s n J J
e
t { u l t t l
1
t r ( e p . r a l s a r (
a r o ; , d u p a q ; ,
: p u o t { s l q ) t o o q s a q i 1 p 1 u s
; a 1 e
n o d a r u l l
l s B I
a q l s E ^ \ u a q ^ { p u Y
' q 8 n o 1
f i q 8 p u s . l l p u u
( , r , r . o 1 1 a y
a q l p a q d a . r
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l q q a l s u l
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l q 8 n o . r
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l B
p a l p u s
I
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p l u s e q
( r 1 s
t r u 8 8 a q
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: e a 1 d q q p a l e e d a : p u u p u u r l r l l n q r o r s
l n o
p t a q a H
l r u r r 8 s u n a a J J s l q
t p g , l r
a l a , t s a , t a s 1 q
( s 8 e r
r i q l g a J a , ' l l s a r l l o l J s I l I
t r u r q o l p a u J n l p u e p a d d o l s
1
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a r a q a { o u 3 u 1 o 8 s u i a
I
s V
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a q l d l a q
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a s e a 1 4 : 8 u r , t e s
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1
s u d n p o o l s e H
6 r o o 1 g
e r l l u o a l i l o q J a p l r
( J a u J o J
u u l
l q 8 r r d n
p a d d o r ;
' u e / a
p a > l o o l a ^ s q p l n o l r a J n s t u 6 l
' p a . r
o s u e e q
l o u
e J B J s l q p e r l o r l 1 t
u s r u e u o d n e t u e J
l
p u n o r 8 r a p u n a q l q 8 n o r q 1 3 u p 1 1 u , u u a r l ! \
s a u u o u d
{ o
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l n o q e
u r a o d 3 u 1 , u o 1 1 o ;
a q l a l o J / a
1
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' p a a / a
u o l u e p a q l
I I B J o l s u a l 1 o u
t q r o ; r u o t
a J n l B e J J u o
a c e l d a l d o a d a l u o s s a 1 1 1 r o g d s n o I J n J e r l l d q o s l e
{ J n J l s
u a } J o u r u
1
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1 s p 1 u t u , { g a
- , t o d ; o
x o p u . r u d a q l d q
{ c n J N
s . r a u o
{ p p o , r , r
e q l q s e I l I J
l s a l u a r 8
a q l
J o
e u o u 1 S u u 1 1
' a r u
, { a q 1 s r a d a l
I s I J o s
e q l a { 1 1 p a s l o e r l s o s J e { o r u s p u e
l o q s
s J a u l t o
d r o l c u ; o r J q o l
( p a u u u q
a q p t n o q s 3 u 1 1 o t u s
l t r l l
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J o
o q s u ^ r
I
J a { o u r s
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l u a l n r l ^
p u J a { o u s - u o u 3 u o 1 a ; 1 1 u 3 u 1 e g
' o J J B q o I ' 8 u p 1 o u r s
a 1 1 a . r u 3 1 c s u , r a
. a s
. r a d J e J u B J
J o
e s n e J . r o f u r u a q 1
' p a a p u - r
( r ( 1 a 1 c o s
J n o u [ J a J u u J 3 u n 1 y o e s n u J r o f u u r
o r t l
t r p
p e ^ a l a q
1
t u o l l u l n d o d
1 1 n p e
e q l
J o
d l r . r o f e r u e q l e r y
' f 1 1 u a c a . r
, { I 4 e J g l u n d 1
a r 0 l a t d
6 l 6 t
u I a z u d r a r u D J s r o ,
- o I N
l n r a u a g
a q J p a ^ l a c a y a H t q y 4 , s u t o l d x g p u v ' l l o ( I p r u q t l y
4 9
n s s a p t 1
i s g o l c
- a d g
n c u o 3
t u a u n u f l t s o r y
s & l r o 1 t a q J
{ O
d o 4 d o 7 3 s n o t c a d g a q J s t x a s s l q u o u { o 7
a p r a w n N
r n g t u D r o u S l
{ g o c 1 8 o 4 o t g
v
p u y 2 a c u n 3 3 u n 7 s r a 4 o u s a q y U D J p s a l q
u o g s u r o 1 d x g
' t s y $ o 1 o c 1 x o t r ' I f i o U
u o u 4 s - r o s s a { o t 1 : a s l g S u r q t a u t o S p u y 3 u 1 4 o u t g
SM OK ING A ND SOM E T H ING E L SE
Y e s , i t d o e s n ' t s c a n p r o p e r l y , bu t a l l t h e s a m e , I t h o u g h t i t
w a s r a t h e r c u t e w h e n I
w r o t e i t . I s e n t i t t o a c l e r g y m a n w i t h w h o m I ' d h a d a r a t h e r l e n g t h y a n d u l t i m a t e l y
f u t i l e c o r r e s p o n d e n c e . V i c a r s a r e p a i d t o be f o o l s a n d t o
s a v e s o u l s , bu t I a m n o t . I t
w a s o n l y q u i t e r e c e n t l y t h a t I r e a l i s e d ju s t w h a t a t e r r i bl e i n d i c t m e n t o f
y o u r s t r u l y
t h i s p o e m r e a l l y i s ; w h e r e o n c e I w a s p r o u d , n o w F m a l m o s t a s h a m e d
t o h a v e w r i t -
t e n i t . I n s p i t e o f m y m o r e o r l e s s l i f e l o n g l o a t h i n g o f s o c i a l i s m , I
w a s i n r e a l i t y p e r -
p e t u a t i n g ju s t t h e s o r t o f c l a p t r a p s o c i a l i s t s a n d o t h e r c o l l e c t i v i s t s
p e r p e t u a t e u n d e r
t h e g u i s e o f t h e " c o m m o n g o o d . T h e a r g u m e n t
g o e s s o m e t h i n g l i k e t h i s : t h e r e a r e
s o m e t h i n g s i n o u r s o c i e t y w h i c h a r e t o o d a n g e r o u s f o r t h e
c o m m o n p e o p l e , t h e
p l e bs , t o d o o r t o u s e . S o s u c h p r a c t i c e s a n d s u bs t a n c e s m u s t be e r a d i c a t e d .
T h i s s p e -
c i o u s a r g u m e n t i s u s e d t o a t t e m p t t o d e n y ( o f t e n s u c c e s s f u l l y )
a l l m a n n e r o f f u n -
d a m e n t a l f r e e d o m s f r o m f r e e d o m o f s p e e c h ( 1 ) t o t h e r i g h t
t o e n g a g e i n v o l u n t a r y
t r a n s a c t i o n s w h i c h , a l t h o u g h t h e y m i g h t r e v o l t t h e m a jo r i t y o f
t h e p u bl i c , a r e n o
bu s i n e s s o f a n y o n e bu t t h e p a r t i e s i n v o l v e d . ( 2 )
B u t w h o d e c i d e s w h a t t h e s e s u bs t a n c e s a n d p r a c t i c e s a r e ?
T h e u n e l e c t e d , s e l f -p e r -
p e t u a t i n g s o c i a l i s t " e l i t e t ' o f c o u r s e . T h e e n d r e s u l t o f t h i s i s
e m p i r e -bu i l d i n g , t o w i t ,
t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f a v a s t ( a n d t o t a l l y u n a c c o u n t a bl e )
bu r e a u c r a c y a n d t h e s l o w bu t
s u r e s t r a n g u l a t i o n o f bo t h c i v i l l i be r t i e s a n d p r o d u c t i v e e c o n o m i c a c t i v i t y . T h i s
bu r e -
a u c r a c y c a n , a n d d o e s , f i n d m o r e a n d m o r e a r e a s o f o u r l i v e s t o r e g u l a t e ,
a n d i n
o r d e r t o d o t h a t , ba n k r o l l e d a s i t i s by t h e , f o r a l l p r a c t i c a l
p u r p o s e s , l i m i t l e s s f u n d s
o f t h e s t a t e ( i e y o u r t a x m o n e y ! ) , i t
c a n a n d d o e s c r e a t e m o r a l p a n i c s , w h i p u p m e d i a
h y s t e r i a , a n d f a br i c a t e " ju n k s c i e n c e " t o
s e r v e i t s o w n e n d s o n t h e p r e t e x t o f s e r v i n g
t h e " c o m m o n g o o d " .
A s A y n R a n d s o t e l l i n g l y p o i n t e d o u t , t h e r e i s
n o c o m m o n g o o d . T h o s e w h o w o u l d
p r e s e r v e h u m a n r i g h t s m u s t p r e s e r v e m i n o r i t y r i g h t s , a n d t h e s m a l l e s t
m i n o r i t y o n
E a r t h i s t h e i n d i v i d u a l . ( 3 ) W i t h o u t i n d i v i d u a l r i g h t s t h e r e
a r e n o r i g h t s a t a l l , o n l y
c o n c e n t r a t i o n c a m p s a n d G u l a g s , o r , a s i s i n c r e a s i n g l y t h e
c a s e i n B r i t a i n , t h e c r e -
a t i o n o f a c o t t o n w o o l o r " n a n n y s t a t e " . ( 4 )
H o w e v e r , t h e i s s u e t h a t o r i g i n a l l y a t t r a c t e d
m e t o t h e s m o k i n g d e ba t e w a s n o t t h e
m o r a l a r g u m e n t : t h e r e i s n o m o r a l a r g u m e n t . A s C h r i s
T a m e a n d e v e r y o t h e r m e m -
be r o f t h e L i be r t a r i a n A l l i a n c e w i l l p o i n t o u t , i n
a f r e e s o c i e t y , n o o n e h a s t h e r i g h t
t o t e l l a n i n f o r m e d , h a l f -i n t e l l i g e n t a d u l t h u m a n be i n g w h a t
h e o r s h e c a n d o w i t h h i s
o r h e r bo d y , a n d t h a t i n c l u d e s s t i c k i n g o bn o x i o u s c h e m i c a l s i n o n e ' s m o u t h ,
u p o n e ' s
n o s e , a n d i n o n e ' s a r m . W e d o n o t h o w e v e r l i v e i n a f r e e s o c i e t y , f u r t h e r m o r e ,
w e a r e
n o t i n f o r m e d , r a t h e r w e a r e m i s i n f o r m e d . I w i l l
g o f u r t h e r t h a n t h a t a n d s t a t e u n -
c a t e g o r i c a l l y t h a t w e a r e be i n g l i e d t o . S p e c i f i c a l l y
w e a r e be i n g l i e d t o by t h e a n t i -
s m o k i n g l o bby , by t h e h e a l t h a n d s a f e t y l o bby , by t h e
c a n c e r i n d u s t r y , a n d , m o s t
p r o ba bl y by i t s p a y m a s t e r s a s w e l l .
SMOI{NG
AND SOMETHING ELSE
ies, it doesn't scan properly,
but all the same, I thought it was rather cute when I
wrote it. I sent it to a clergyman with whom I'd had a rather lengthy and ultimately
futile correspondence. Vicars are paid to be fools and to save souls, but I am not. It
was only quite recently that I realised just
what a terrible indictment of yours truly
this poem really is; where once I was proud, now I'm almost ashamed to have writ-
ten iL In spite of my more or less lifelong loathing of socialism, I was in reality per-
petuating
just
the sort of claptrap socialists and other collectivists perpetuate
under
the guise of the
"common
good".
The argument goes something like this: there are
some things in our society which are too dangerous
for the common people, the
plebs, to do or to use. So such practices
and substances must be eradicated. This spe-
cious argument is used to attempt to deny (often
successfully) all manner of fun-
damental freedoms from freedom of speech (1) to the right to engage in voluntary
transactions which, although they might revolt the majority of the public,
are no
business of anyone but the parties involved. (2)
But who decides what these substances and practices
are? The unelected, self-per-
petuating socialist
"elite" of course. The end result of this is empire-building,
to wit,
the construction of a vast (and
totally unaccountable)
bureaucracy and the slow but
sure strangulation of both civil liberties and productive
economic activity. This bure-
aucracy can, and does, find more and more areas of our lives to regulate, and in
order to do that bankrolled as it is by the, for all practical purposes,
limitless funds
of the state (ie your tax money!), it can and does create moral panics,
whip up media
hysteria, and fabricate
"junk
science" to serve its own ends on the pretexi
of serving
the "common good".
As Ayn Rand so tellingly pointed
ou! there is no common good.
Those who would
preserYe human rights must preserve
minority rights, and the smallest minority on
Earth is the individual. (3) Without individual rights there are no rights at all, only
concentration camps and Gulags, or, as is increasingly the case in Britain, the cre-
ation of a cotton wool or
"nanny state". (4)
However, the issue that originally attracted me to the smoking debate was not the
moral argument: there is no moral argument. As Chris Tame and every other mem-
ber of the Libertarian Alliance will point out, in a free society, no one has the right
to tell an informed, half-intelligent adult human being what he or she can do with his
or her body, and that includes sticking obnoxious chemicals in one,s mouth, up one's
nose, and in one's arm. We do not however live in a free society, furthermore, we are
not informed, rather we are misinformed. I will go
further than that and state un-
categorically that we are being lied to.'specifically
we are being lied to by the anti-
smoking lobby, by the health and safety lobby, by the cancer industry, and, most
probably
by its paymasters
as well.
,,'
S M O K I N G A N D
S O M E T H I N G E L S E
S m o k i n g A n d M o r t a l i t y
-
T h e F i g u r e s D o n ' t A d d U p
O n S a t u r d a y , 7 t h M a r c h 1 9 9 2 , I a t t e n d e d
a
c o n f e r e n c e o r g a n i s e d b y F O R E S T
( F r e e d o m O r g a n i s a t i o n f o r t h e R i g h t
t o E n j o y
S m o k i n g
T o b a c c o ) . ( 5 ) T h e D i r e c t o r
o f F O R E S T , C h r i s T a m e , i s
a
l e a d i n g L i b e r t a r i a n a n d S e c r e t a r y o f t h e L i b e r t a r i a n
A l l i a n c e . I f i r s t
m e t
T a m e c 1 9 8 2 b u t d i d n ' t
m e e t
u p
w i t h h i m a g a i n u n t i l t h e
s t a r t
o f
t h e 9 0 s . T a m e , w h o j o i n e d F O R E S T
a s
C a m p a i g n D i r e c t o r i n 1 9 8 9 , ( 6 ) i s
a n o n -
s m o k e r , f i t n e s s f a n a t i c a n d v i t a m i n f r e a k . H e h a s a l w a y s s t a t e d c a t e g o r i c a l l y t h a t h e
d e f e n d s t h e r i g h t
t o
s m o k e p u r e l y
o n
L i b e r t a r i a n g r o u n d s , a n d t h a t h e i s
n o t
i n t e r -
e s t e d e i t h e r i n d e n y i n g
o r
m i n i m a l i s i n g t h e r i s k s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h s m o k i n g . H o w e v e r ,
t h e
m o r e
h e
l o o k s
a t
t h e e v i d e n c e ,
t h e
m o r e
h e i s c o n v i n c e d t h a t
w e a r e
b e i n g
l e d
u p
t h e g a r d e n
p a t h . W e l l , h e w o u l d
s a y
t h a t ,
w o u l d n ' t h e ?
T h a t
w a s m y
v i e w
t o o ,
u n t i l I
h e a r d S i m o n W o l f f s p e a k .
P r o f e s s o r S i m o n W o l f f h a s b e e n L e c t u r e r i n T o x i c o l o g y
a t
U n i v e r s i t y C o l l e g e L o n -
d o n s i n c e 1 9 8 6 . W h e n h e i s n ' t l e c t u r i n g , h e w o r k s i n t h e L a b o r a t o r y o f T o x i c o l o g y a t
t h e R a y n e I n s t i t u t e , w h i c h i s
p a r t
o f t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f M e d i c i n e , U n i v e r s i t y o f
M i d d l e s e x S c h o o l o f M e d i c i n e . H i s a c a d e m i c
q u a l i f i c a t i o n s
a r e
i m p r e s s i v e ,
a m o n g
o t h e r t h i n g s h e h a s d e g r e e s i n b i o c h e m i s t r y
f r o m
O x f o r d a n d h a s c a r r i e d
o u t p o s t -
d o c t o r a l r e s e a r c h
a t
B r u n e l U n i v e r s i t y .
N o w ,
y o u
c a n
d i s m i s s
a
c i v i l l i b e r t a r i a n
a s
b i o l o g i c a l l y
i g n o r a n t ,
( 7 ) b u t
n o t
a
l e c -
t u r e r
i n t o x i c o l o g y . A f t e r t h e c o n f e r e n c e I
r a n g
P r o f e s s o r W o l f f a n d
w e n t
c l o w n
t o
i n t e r v i e w h i m a t h i s l a b o r a t o r y .
S o m e
t i m e l a t e r , I s e n t t h e t r a n s c r i p t t o E d w a r d
G o l d s m i t h , f o u n d e r
a n d
o n e - t i m e
e d i t o r
o f T h e E c o l o g i s t .
( 8 ) S u b s e q u e n t l y h e
p h o n e d
m e ,
s a i d h e
w a s
i m p r e s s e d w i t h w h a t S i m o n W o l f f h a d
t o
s a y ,
a n d t h a t I
m i g h t f i n c h i t e n l i g h t e n i n g t o
c o m e
d o w n t o h i s o f f i c e
s o m e
t i m e a n d b r o w s e
t h r o u g h
a
c o u p l e o f h i s f i l e s . I d i d . A n d I d i d n ' t l i k e w h a t I f o u n d .
S o , w h a t i s t h e
a r g u m e n t
t h a t a t t r a c t e d
m e
t o
t h e s m o k i n g / c a n c e r c o n t r o v e r s y ?
S p e c i f i c a l l y i t i s t h i s . I f
a n
a d u l t h u m a n b e i n g
w a n t s t o p u t
p o i s o n o u s s u b s t a n c e s
i n
h i s ( o r h e r ) m o u t h ,
o r
b l o o d s t r e a m , t h a t i s h i s d e c i s i o n a n d h i s d e c i s i o n a l o n e . H e
s h o u l d b e a l l o w e d
t o
d o w h a t h e
w a n t s
w i t h
t w o c a v e a t s :
t h a t h e d o e s
n o t
h a r m o t h e r s .
t h a t
a s
w e l l
a s
e n j o y i n g
t h e
r e w a r d s o f h i s f o l l y ,
( 9 )
h e
a l s o t a k e s t h e
c o n s e q u e n -
c e s .
( 1 0 )
B u t w h a t a b o u t p e o p l e w h o d o
n o t
w i s h
t o
i n j e c t p o i s o n s i n t o t h e i r
b l o o d s t r e a m ?
O r
t o
b r e a t h e t h e m ?
T h e r o l e o f a i r
p o l l u t i o n , s p e c i f i c a l l y d i e s e l f u m e s , i n t h e p r o p a g a t i o n o f l u n g
c a n c e r ,
h a s b e e n g r e a t l y
p l a y e d
d o w n i f n o t
i g n o r e d e n t i r e l y , a l t h o u g h t h e
c o n n e c -
t i o n h a s b e e n k n o w n f o r
s o m e
c o n s i d e r a b l e t i m e .
W r i t i n g
a s
l o n g
a g o a s
1 9 5 9 , S t o c k s
s l t r o l s
' 6 5 6 I
s e o 8 e 3 u o 1 s u 3 u 1 1 1 . t r 1 1
' a u l l
a l q e r a p l s u o c a t u o s J o J u , t { o u 1 u a a q s s q u o l }
- c a u u o J
a q 1 q 8 n o q l l u
( , { 1 a . r J 1 u a
p a r o u 8 g
l o u J I
u ^ r o p p a , ( q d , { 1 1 u a r 3 u e e q s u q
. J a t u s J
3 u n 1
; o
u o l l u 8 u d o . r d a q l u g
( s a r u n y
l a s a I p
, ( l p c g t c a d s
' u o p n 1 1 o d
. r y u
J o
a I o J a I l J
; u a q l
a q l e r q o l r o
i u u a J l s p o o l q
J l a q t o l q s u o s J o d
1 o a [ u 1
o l q q , t r
l o u
o p o q , u , a l d o a d
l n o q u t u q ^ { l n f l
( 6 1 ) ' s a c
- u a n b a s u o J
a q l s a { B l o s l u a q ( C )
' d g o ;
s 1 q
J o
s p r e m a r a q 1 8 u 1 r t o [ u a s B
[ I a ^ {
s u
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: s l u e ^ r o , r $ q l l ^ r s l u B ^ r e q
l B q ^ r
o p o l p e / l r o l l u e q p l n o q s
e H ' a u o l u u o l q r a p s l q p u u u o l s l r a p q q q
1 e q 1
t u u a . r l s p o o l q r o
r q l n o u r
( r a q r o ) q q
u ! s a o u u l s q n s s n o u o s r o d
l n d
o l s l u u A r 3 u 1 a q u u u n q
l l n p s
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J I
' s ! q t
s
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r a c u u c B u p l o r u s a q t o f a r u p a l J u J l l s
l u q l l u a u n 8 r u
a q l s !
1 u q , L r
r o g
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I
l q , $
a r y
l , u p l p
I
p u v ' p l p
I ' s a I U
s F I ; o a l d n o r u
q 8 n o . r q l e s a r o r q p u u a u l l o r u o s a r g J o s l q o l u a r o p a r u o r o 1 E u r u a l q 8 J p a
1 r
p u g
l q 8 y u
I
l u q l
p u u
( r ( e s
o l p u r {
J I I o A I
u o t u l s
} B t l a r
q l l ^ { . p a s s a r d r u l s u , t a q p l u s
( a u
p a u o q d
a q , i l l u a n b a s q n s ( g )
' t s g S o 1 o r g
a U J
J o
r o l r p e e u l l - a u o p u u r a p u n o y
( q l p u s p l o g
p r u ^ r p g o 1
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l u e s I
( r a 1 q
a u l l e t u o s
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s l q
l B
r u l r l i a e ! ^ r a ] u !
o l u a o p
l u e , r r
p u u
J J I o A I
J o s s a J o r d S u u r
1
e r u e r e J u o r a q l J a I J V
' . , { 3 o 1 o r u o 1
u - r J a r n }
- r a l
B
t o u l n q
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l u u . t o u f t
r ( 1 p c 1 E o l o l q s u E I r B U a q q
I ^ I r
B s s l r u q p u u c n o , {
t , n o N
' d 1 1 s r a , l ; u g
l e u n J g
l u
r l J J B a s a J
l u r o l J o p
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p a l r r u c s u r l p u s p r o J x o r u o r ; d . r l q u a q c o J q u 1 s a a . r 8 a p s u q a q s 8 u 1 q 1 r a q l o
E u o u r u
( a , r g s s a . r d r u !
e J B s u o l l u c g l l e n b c l u a p u r u s I H
' e u l r l p a t r {
J o l o o q c s
x a s a 1 p p l l
t r
g o , { 1 1 s : a , r 1 u 1
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J o l u a r u g u d a q
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d . r o l u . r o q u - 1 a q l q $ I r o r a a q
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l 6 u s l
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' 9 9 6 I
a J u l s u o p
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{ 1 1 s r a , r p g
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I 8 o 1 o c l x o J u I r a r n l r y f u a e q s u r l J J I o A t u o r u 1 s r o s s a J o r d
' 4 u a d s
J J I o A { .
u o r u l s p r u a q
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l B q J
a e q
l 6 u p l n o ^ r
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t l l a 1 y r l l u d
u a p . r u 8 a q 1
d n p e 1 8 u l a q e J B a ^ r
l s q l
p a c u l a u o r s ! a q a . r o t u a q 1
( a c u a p r ^ a
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l B
$ [ o o l a q e r o r u e q l
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' S u r y o r u s
q l p r p a l u l r o s s s s { s l r e q l 8 u 1 q 1 e u 1 u l r u J o E u $ u a p u ! r a r l t l a p a l s a
- r a l u !
l o u
q a q
l s q l
p u u
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u u l . r e g a q l l u o d l a . r n d a { o r u s o l
l q 8 l r
a q l s p u a J a p
a q
l B r l l
, ( g u c l . r o E a 1 B r p e l q s s d e n l u s r l e H
. ) I B a J J
u l r u s : l l ^ p u B J p B u u J s s e u l u
( r a q o r u s
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B s I
O )
t 6 B 6 I
u ! r o l r a r l q u 3 l u d r u u 3 s B
J S f , U O g
p a u l o f o q , n
' a r u u l ' s 0 6
e q l
J o
U B l s
e q l
U l u n
u g u S e r u p { r { l l , r r d n
l a a u l 6 u p ; p l n q
Z g 6 I r
e r u a l
l a u r l s r g I ' a r u u l l l v
u s l r B i l o q l a e q l
J o
r ( . r q e . r c e 5 p u B u u l r u a q l T E u l p u a l u s . r
( a t u e l
s . r r r t r 3
t J s f , u o f ,
J o
r o l r a r l 1 1 a q ; ,
G )
' ( o c c e q o g
B u p l o u r 5 , ( o [ u g o r
r q B I U
e q l r o J u o 1 1 u q u u 3 . r 6 u o p a e . r g )
J S t r U O g
d q p a q u u S . r o a c u a r a ; u o r u p a p u a p u
I ' 2 6 6 T
r I r r B I
I
q 1 t r
' r { u p . r n 1 u s
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d n p p V
t , u o q
s a t n 8 r f l a q J
-
& n n u a r y
p u v S u t 4 o t a g
3 s ' t f o N | H I S N O S O N V 9 N t y O U \ S
SM OK ING A ND SOM E T H ING E L SE
s t a t e d t h a t ,
[ r ] e s i d e n t s i n l a r g e t o w n s o f E n g l a n d a n d W a l e s h a v e a l w a y s be e n s u b-
je c t t o h i g h e r d e a t h r a t e s t h a n c o u n t r y d w e l l e r s ... [ t ] w o d i s e a s e s f o r w h i c h t h e u r ba n
e x c e s s i s v e r y p r o n o u n c e d a r e br o n c h i t i s a n d l u n g c a n c e r ..." ( 1 1 ) O k a y , w e d o n ' t
h a v e p e a -s o u p e r s a n y m o r e , bu t t h e r e a r e m o r e c a r s a n d l o r r i e s o n t h e r o a d n o w
t h a n e v e r , m o r e p l a n e s i n t h e a i r , a n d l i t e r a l l y t h o u s a n d s o f c h e m i c a l s be i n g r e l e a s e d
i n t o t h e e n v i r o m n e n t , m a n y o f t h e m o f v e r y r e c e n t g e n e s i s a n d , t h e r e f o r e , t h e i r l o n g -
t e r m e f f e c t s o n h u m a n be i n g s a s o n t h e r e s t o f t h e e c o -s y s t e m a r e t o t a l l y u n k n o w n .
O n 7 t h A p r i l 1 9 9 3 , I t r a v e l l e d t o O x f o r d w h e r e I i n t e r v i e w e d P r o f e s s o r S i r R i c h a r d
D o l l , w h o i s h a i l e d a s o n e o f t h e w o r l d ' s l e a d i n g e x p e r t s o n c a n c e r , i f n o t t h e l e a d i n g
e x p e r t . ( 1 2 ) S i r R i c h a r d , a br i g h t -e y e d a n d bu s h y -t a i l e d e i g h t y -o n e y e a r o l d , s t a t e d
u n c a t e g o r i c a l l y t h a t s m o k i n g a n d s m o k i n g a l o n e i s r e s p o n s i bl e f o r 1 50, 000 p r e m a -
t u r e d e a t h s a y e a r i n B r i t a i n . ( 1 3 ) T h i s i s n e a r l y d o u bl e t h e f i g u r e i s s u e d by t h e
H e a l t h E d u c a t i o n C o u n c i l i n i t s 1 9 86 f i f t e e n v o l u m e m o n s t r o s i t y T h e B i g K i l l . ( 1 4 )
A n d i t i s t h r e e t i m e s t h e f i g u r e g i v e n by D r D a v i d O w e n i n 1 9 7 7 w h e n h e s t a t e d t h a t
" 50, 000 d e a t h s i n t h e Un i t e d K i n g d o m w e r e d u e t o s m o k i n g , a n d c o u l d h a v e be e n
p r e v e n t e d by p e o p l e s t o p p i n g s m o k i n g ." ( 1 5) S u c h f i g u r e s a r e , f r o m m y e x p e r i e n c e ,
p l u c k e d o u t o f t h i n a i r ; m o r e c h a r i t a bl y , P r o f e s s o r E y s e n c k s a y s t h e y a r e " e x t r a p o -
l a t i o n s f r o m e p i d e m i o l o g i c a l e v i d e n c e ...a n d h a v e n o s c i e n t i f i c m e a n i n g o f a n y k i n d .
Ju s t h o w c o r r e c t i s t h a t s t a t e m e n t w a s v i n d i c a t e d by t h e l a t e P r o f e s s o r B u r c h , w h o
p r o d u c e d a d e v a s t a t i n g c r i t i q u e o f T h e B i g K i l l , d e m o n s t r a t i n g i t t o be t o t a l n o n -
s e n s e . ( 1 7 ) B u r c h c o m m e n t e d t h a t " T h e bi o l o g i c a l l y i g n o r a n t bu t n u m e r a t e r e a d e r
m i g h t be f o r g i v e n f o r c o n c l u d i n g t h a t e p i d e m i o l o g y i s n o t o n l y a r i g o r o u s s c i e n c e bu t
a n i n c r e d i bl y a c c u r a t e o n e , w i t h a n i m p l i e d e r r o r i n m o r t a l i t y e s t i m a t e s o f l e s s t h a n
o n e p a r t i n 7 7 , 7 7 4 ." ( 1 8)
I c e r t a i n l y q u a l i f y a s bi o l o g i c a l l y i g n o r a n t . N u m e r a t e ? W e l l , I d i d o n e y e a r o f A
L e v e l ; I d i d n ' t g e t m u c h f u r t h e r t h a n q u a d r a t i c e q u a t i o n s , bu t m y m a t h e m a t i c s i s
g o o d e n o u g h t o t a c k l e t h i s . H e r e i s m y a n a l y s i s :
I n 1 9 9 0, ( t h e l a t e s t y e a r f o r w h i c h f i g u r e s a r e a v a i l a bl e a t t h e t i m e o f w r i t i n g ) , t h e
t o t a l n u m be r o f d e a t h s i n t h e UK w a s 64 1 , 7 9 9 , ( 3 1 4 , 601 m e n a n d 3 2 7 , 1 9 8 w o m e n ) .
( 1 9 ) P r o f e s s o r D o l l w o u l d h a v e u s be l i e v e t h a t 1 50, 000 o f t h e s e d e a t h s , - t h a t ' s 2 3 .4 %
- a r e p r e m a t u r e a n d d u e t o s m o k i n g . B u t t h a t i s n o t t h e w h o l e s t o r y . O f t h e 3 1 4 .601
m a l e d e a t h s i n 1 9 9 0, 4 1 , 1 03 w e r e o f m e n a g e d 85 y e a r s a n d o v e r . W h i l s t a n y d e a t h i s
r e g r e t t a bl e , a m a n w h o d i e s a g e d e i g h t y -f i v e c a n n o t i n a n y m e a n i n g f u l s e n s e be s a i d
t o h a v e d i e d p r e m a t u r e l y . B e c a u s e w o m e n l i v e l o n g e r t h a n m e n , a g r e a t m a n y m o r e
o f t h e m s u r v i v e t o a g r e a t a g e . I n 1 9 9 0, 1 01 , 4 2 1 o f t h e r e c o r d e d f e m a l e d e a t h s w e r e
o f t h e a g e g r o u p 85+ . W h e n o n e d e d u c t s bo t h t h e s e f i g u r e s f r o m t h e t o t a l , o n e i s l e f t
w i t h 4 9 9 , 2 7 5 d e a t h s . I f 1 50, 000 o f t h e s e d e a t h s a r e " p r e m a t u r e a n d d u e t o s m o k i n g " ,
t h a t m a k e s a t o t a l o f 3 0.04 % . B u t w e a r e s t i l l n o t f i n i s h e d .
SMOK]NG AND SOMETHING ELSE
rtut.a that, "
[r]esidents
in Iarge towns of England and Wales have always been sub-
ject
to higher death rates than country dwellens...[t]wo diseases for which the urban
excess is very pronounced are bronchitis and lung cancer..."
(11) Okay, we don't
have
pea-soupers anymore, but there are more cars and lorries on the road now
than ever, more planes in the air, and literally thousands of chemicals being released
into the environment, many of them of very recent genesis and, therefore, their long-
term effects on human beings as on the rest of the eco'system are totally unloown.
On 7th April 1993,I travelled to Oxford where I interviewed Professor Sir Richard
DolI, who is hailed as one of the world's leading experts on cancer, if not fie leading
expert.
(12) Sir Richard, a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed eighty-one year old, stated
uncategorically that smoking and smoking alone is responsible for L50r0fi) pneura-
ture deaths a year in Britain. (13) This is ne:irly double the flrgure issued by the
Health Education Council in its 1986 fifteen volume monstrosiff The Big KilL
$ )
And it is three times the figure given by Dr David Owen in1977 when he stated that
"501000
deaths in the United Kingdom were due to smoking, and could have been
prevented by people stopping smoking." (15) Such frgures are, from my experiencA
plucked out of thin air; more charitably, Professor Eysenck says they are
"extrapo-
lations from epidemiological evidence...and have no scientific meaning of any ldnd."
(16)
Just
how correct is that statement was vindicated by the late Professor Burch, who
produced a devastating critique af The Big KiIl, demonstrating it to be total non-
sense.
(17) Burch commented that
"The
biologically ignorant but numerate reader
might be forgiven for concluding that epidemiology is not only a rigorous science but
an incredibly accurate one, with an implied error in mortality estimates of less than
one part in771774." (18)
I certainly qualify as biologically ignorant. Numerate? Well, I did one year of A
Level; I didn't get r,nuch further than quadratic equations, but my mathematics is
good enough to tackle this. Here is my analysis:
In 1990,
(the latest year for which figures are available at the time of writing), the
total number of deaths in the UK was 641.1799, (314,601 men and 327rI98 women).
(19) Professor Doll would have us believe that 1501000 of these deaths,
-
that's 23.4%
-
are premature and due to smoking. But that is not the whole story. Of the 3141601
male deaths in L990,41,L03 were of men aged 85 years and over. Whilst any death is
regrettable, a man who dies aged eighty-five cannot in any meaningful sense be said
to have died prematurely. Because women live longer than men, a great many more
of them survive to a great age. In L990rl0lr42l of the recorded female deaths were
of the age group 85+. When one deducts both these figures from the total, one is left
witlr' 499,275 deaths. If 150,000 of these deaths are
"premature
and due to smoking",
that makes a total of 30.04Vo. But we are stiil not finished.
4
S M O K I N G A N D S O M E T H I N G
E L S E
A f u r t h e r 8 , 7 5 4 o f t h e m a l e d e a t h s
a n d
4 , 9 0 3 f e m a l e d e a t h s
-
a
t o t a l o f 1 3 , 6 5 7
-
w e r e
o f
p e r s o n s
a g e d 2 4
y e a r s
a n d
u n d e r . I t i s t o t a l l y i n c o n c e i v a b l e
t h a t
a n y
o f t h o s e
d e a t h s
c a n
h a v e b e e n a t t r i b u t a b l e
t o s m o k i n g i n
a n y
m e a n i n g f u l
s e n s e
o f t h e w o r d .
W h e n t h i s f u r t h e r 1 3 , 6 5 7 i s d e d u c t e d
f r o m t h e p r e v i o u s 4 9 9 , 2 7 5 ,
w e a r e
l e f t w i t h
4 8 5 , 6 1 8 d e a t h s i n w h i c h s m o k i n g
m a y
h a v e p l a y e d
a
m e a n i n g f u l
r o l e i n
k i l l i n g
t h e
v i c t i m . T h i s
m e a n s
t h a t , a c c o r d i n g
t o
P r o f e s s o r D o l l ' s f i g u r e s ,
1 5 0 , 0 0 0 o u t o f
4 8 5 , 6 1 8
-
3 0 . 8 8 %
o f
t h e a v a i l a b l e
g r o u p
-
w e r e
k i l l e d b y t h e i r h a b i t . Y e t i n 1 9 9 0 , o n l y 3 1 % o f
m e n
a n d
2 9 %
o f
w o m e n
s m o k e d . ( 2 0 ) F i g u r e s f o r p r e v i o u s d e c a d e s
a r e a s
f o l l o w s .
( 2 1 )
Y e a r % o f s m o k e r s ( m a l e s
1 6 + )
1 9 6 1
7 1 . 9
1 9 7 1 6 4 . 5
1 9 8 1 5 0 . 0
% o f s m o k e r s ( f e m a l e s
1 6 + )
1 9 6 1 4 3 . 7
1 9 7 1 4 2 . 3
1 9 8 1 3 6 . 9
O b v i o u s l y ,
P r o f e s s o r
D o l l ' s
c l a i m s
a r e n o n s e n s e
o f t h e f i r s t o r d e r . I f s m o k i n g k i l l s
s o m a n y
p e o p l e , a n d i f i t
c a u s e s s o m a n y
c a n c e r s ,
i n p a r t i c u l a r
c a n c e r
o f t h e l u n g ,
t h a t d o e s n ' t l e a v e
m a n y
v i c t i m s
f o r o t h e r c a r c i n o g e n s
t o
k i l l . T h i s i s t h e a c c e p t e d
d o g m a a n d
t h e
o n e
w h i c h i s e s p o u s e d b y
t h e a n t i - s m o k i n g l o b b y : A S H , t h e H E A
e t c .
I f t h e e v i d e n c e
f o r
s m o k i n g = l u n g
c a n c e r
i s w e a k , t h e
e v i d e n c e f o r t h e
s m o k i n g / c o -
r o n a r y
h e a r t d i s e a s e
n e x u s
i s
e v e n
w e a k e r , b u t t h a t , u n f o r t u n a t e l y , i s b e y o n d t h e
s c o p e
o f t h e
p r e s e n t
s t u d y .
P r o f e s s o r D o l l : S e n i l e , B e n t
O r G o d ' s G i f t T o G e n e r a l M o t o r s ?
T h e r e
a r e
r e a l l y o n l y t h r e e p o s s i b l e c o n c l u s i o n s
o n e c a n
d r a w f r o m a l l t h i s : e i t h e r
P r o f e s s o r D o l l
i s
l y i n g ,
o r
h e i s
s u f f e r i n g f r o m s e n i l e d e m e n t i a ,
o r
h e
h a s l e a r n e d
s u b c o n s c i o u s l y t h a t h e w i l l b e
v e r y
w e l l - r e w a r d e d i f h e
s a y s
i n c r e a s i n g l y o u t r a g e o u s
t h i n g s a b o u t t h e i l l - e f f e c t s o f t o b a c c o .
P r o f e s s o r D o l l i s c e r t a i n l y
n o t
s e n i l e ,
a n d a l t h o u g h
t w o
o f
m y
c o r r e s p o n d e n t s h a v e
t o l d
m e
t h a t h e i s
a n
o u t r i g h t c r o o k ,
m y
i m p r e s s i o n o f t h e P r o f e s s o r i s t h a t h e i s n o t
a
c o n s c i o u s l i a r b u t h a s ,
a s
S i m o n
W o l f f p o i n t s
o u t ,
" . . . d o n e
s o m e
s i m p l e a n d l i m i t e d
p a l F u I I p u e a l d u l s a t u o s a u o p " ' , ,
l n o
s l u g o d J J I o A \ u o t u l s s u
( s u q
l n q
J s l l s n o l c s u o r
l o u
s ! a r 1
l u r { l
s I r o s s a J o r d a q l ; o u o l s s a . r d r u l , ( r u 5 1 o o r t
1 q 8 J . r 1 n o
u B s . r a q
l u q l
a t u p l o l
e ^ s q
q u a p u o d s a . r r o e d u ; o o , r 1 q E n o q l l u p u u
' a 1 1 u a s
1 o u
, { p l u g e J s I
I I o (
J o s s a J o J d
' o r r u q o l J o
q r e J J a { [
a q l
l n o q u
s 8 u l q t
s n o a 8 u r l n o d 1 8 u 1 s e a r c u 1 s d u s e q
J I
p a p r s ^ r a l - I l a ^ { f r a , r e q
r u , l r
e r l
1 u q 1
, { l s n o l r s u o c q n s
p a u J B a I s e q e q . r o
( e 1 1 u a u a p
e p u e s r u o { 8 u 1 . r a g n s q e q J o
( 3 u 1 , { 1
q
1 1 0 1 1
J o s s o J o J d
J e q l l a : s g l
I I B
r u o . t ; ^ r B J p u s r e u o s u o l s n l c u o c e l q l s s o d a a J q l d 1 u o , { g e a . r a J B e J e r I J
e s r o r o r y l u r a u a g
o J
t f i g
s , p o g r O
t a a g
b p u a g : n o e r o s s a l o r d
a q 1 p u o r a q q
{ , ( l a l u u q r o J u n , r e q r
l n q
6 . r a 4 u a n
u a a e s [ , ; f : f : J J r H ' i r T f ? : f f i :
- o c p u p 4 o t u s
a q l J o J a c u e p l l a a q 1
r 4 u a , r , r
s I J a J U B J 8 u n 1 = S u u t o r u s J o J a J u a p p a e q f
J I
' c l a
V f , H
a q l
( H S V
: d q q o l E u p q o u s - 1 1 u u e r l l , ( q p a s n o d s e
s . r q r l q ^ r a u o e q l p u u u r u S o p
p a l d a c c e a q l q s l r { J ,
T 6 {
o 1 s u a S o u g c r r J e q l o r o J s r u l l J l a f u e r u a ^ u a l
l 6 u s a o p l u r l l
( 6 u n 1
a q l
J o
J a J U B J . r u l n c l g u d u . r
' s r a c u e c
, ( u e u o s s a s n e J
l l J I
p u e
' a l d o a d
f u u r u o s
q g 4 S u p l o r u s
J I
' J e p J o
l s . r u
e q l
J o
a s u a s u o u e J s r u 1 u l c s , [ o ( I J o s s a J o J d
( r t 1 s n o 1 , l q 6
6 ' 9
t z v
L ' E V
I 8 6 I
I L 6 I
1 9 6 T
( + 9 1 s a l u r u a y ) s . r e l o u r s J o
o b
0 ' 0 s
s ' t 9
6 ' I L
( + 9 1 s a l u u ) $ a { o t u s J o
0 6
I 8 6 I
I L 6 T
T 9 6 T
J E a A
G z )
' s ^ f o 1 o J
s B a J s a p r a p s n o p , a . r d . r o ; s a r n 8 g U ( O Z )
' p e { o u s
u o r u o ^ r
J a
0 / 0 6 z p u u u e r u
J o
o / o 1 E f l u o ' 9 6 6 1
u I
t a 1 ? l q B r l 4 a q 1 , t q
p a 1 1 q a r e r i l
-
d n o r E a I q B I I s ^ s a q l J o
o / o g g . 1 ; -
g I 9 ( S g ? J o
l n o 0 0 0 t 0 S 1
' s a . r n 8 g
s . [ o ( I r o s s e J o J d o l E u . r p r o c c u
l u q l
s u s a r u
E r t , L . u q l r r
a q 1 E u g p l q a l o r
1 n ; E u p u a r u
u p a , { u 1 d a , r u q d e u S u p l o t u s q c y l , t r u . r s r { l u a p g l g , S g t
q l l , r .
l J a I
e r e a l r
' S L Z ' 6 6 V
s n o p r a r d a q t r u o { p a t r n p a p s L S g ( t I r a q } r n J s l q } u e q r ! \
' p J o ^ r
a q l
J o
e s u e s
l n g 8 q u a a u
, { u u u 1 S u . q o u r s o l a I q B l n q I J $ B u e a q a a r l u r s q l a p
a s o q l
; o
d u u
l q l
a l q u ^ I a c u o r u ! I g e 1 o 1 q
l I
. r a p u n
p u a s . r e a d p 7 p a ? v s u o s . r a d
; o
e r a / $
-
L S g ' E l J o I s l o l

-
s q l a p a I E r u a J
8 0 6 +
p u
s q l u e p e l e r u a r l l J o
V S L . g J a r I u n J V
3 S - 1 3 9 N l H l . t t / \ O S O N V o N U O I S
SM OK ING A ND SOM E T H ING E L SE
w o r k w h i c h h a s p r o v i d e d a p a r t i a l a n s w e r
c a p a bl e o f s a t i s f y i n g t h e l e s s c u r i o u s " ,
a n d t h a t h e h a s " c l e a r l y .. .be e n
r e w a r d e d f o r p r o v i d i n g t h i s r i g h t a n s w e r ...H e i s a
s k i l l e d d i p l o m a t , a l w a y s o n a u t o m a t i c p i l o t ,
w i t h a n i n s t i n c t f o r k n o w i n g h o w t o d i s -
s i m i l a t e a n d r e a s s u r e ." ( 2 2 )
S o , a s w e h a v e s e e n , t h e p i c t u r e
p a i n t e d by P r o f e s s o r D o l l a n d h i s f e l l o w " l i f e s t y l e
a c a d e m i c s " i s t h a t l u n g c a n c e r i s p r i m a r i l y c a u s e d by
s m o k i n g . F o r g e t a bo u t a i r p 01 .
l u t i o n o r a n y o t h e r p o l l u t i o n ,
f o r g e t a bo u t p s y c h o l o g i c a l f a c t o r s , i n c l u d i n g s t r e s s .
I f
y o u w a n t t o s a v e
l i v e s , c o n c e n t r a t e o n i n c r e a s i n g t h e t a x o n t o ba c c o
a n d e v e r y o t h e r
c o n c e i v a bl e t a c t i c f a i r a n d f o u l t o e n c o u r a g e
p e o p l e t o g i v e u p t h e d e m o n w e e d . I n
h i s l e t t e r o f 1 3 t h M a y , 1 9 9 3 ,
P r o f e s s o r W o l f f s a i d o f P r o f e s s o r D o l l ' s v i e w
t h a t
" v e r y h e a v y a i r p o l l u t i o n [ i s ] p o s s i bl y
c o n t r i bu t i n g a 1 0% e x c e s s r i s k i n s m o k e r s ' i s
n o n s e n s e o f t h e f i r s t o r d e r .
T h e s t u d i e s h e q u o t e s d o n o t e x i s t . H i s w o r k h a s
h e l p e d
m a k e s u r e t h e y w e r e n e v e r c a r r i e d
o u t ." ( 2 3 )
H o p e f u l l y , t h i s p u bl i c a t i o n a n d t h o s e w h i c h
f o l l o w w i l l c o n t r i bu t e i n s o m e s m a l l
m e a s u r e t o s m a s h i n g t h e
f a l s e p a r a d i g m w h i c h P r o f e s s o r D o l l h a s be e n
i n s t r u m e n t a l
i n c o n s t r u c t i n g . H e r e t h e n , w i t h o u t
f u r t h e r c o m m e n t , i s w h a t S i m o n W o l f f h a s t o
s a y :
P r o f e s s o r S i m o n P . W o l f f M A D P h i l , S e n i o r
L e c t u r e r , T o x i c o l o g y , Un i v e r s i t y C o l -
l e g e a n d M i d d l e s e x S c h o o l o f M e d i c i n e ,
i n t e r v i e w e d W e d n e s d a y , 1 3 t h M a y , 1 9 9 2 .
Qu e s t i o n : F o r y e a r s , d o c t o r s h a v e be e n t e l l i n g u s
t h a t s m o k i n g c a u s e s c a n c e r , p a r -
t i c u l a r l y l u n g c a n c e r . S u r e l y t h e r e i s n o m e d i c a l
f a c t m o r e c e r t a i n u n d e r t h e s u n
t h a n t h i s . A r e y o u t e l l i n g u s n o w t h a t s m o k i n g
d o e s n ' t c a u s e l u n g c a n c e r ?
S i m o n W o l f f : T h e r e i s n o d o u bt t h a t c i g a r e t t e
s m o k i n g c a u s e s l u n g c a n c e r , bu t
t h e r e i s a l s o n o d o u bt t h a t a i r p o l l u t i o n ,
p a r t i c u l a r l y f r o m d i e s e l , i s a c o n t r i bu t o r y
f a c t o r , s o i m p o r t a n t t h a t p e r h a p s w i t h o u t a i r
p o l l u t i o n w e w o u l d s e e a m u c h l o w e r
r a t e o f l u n g c a n c e r t h a n w e h a v e . F o r
e x a m p l e , i n r u r a l C h i n a , w h e r e p e o p l e t e n d t o
s m o k e v e r y h e a v i l y a n d w h e r e a i r p o l l u t i o n
i s m u c h l e s s , t h e d i f f e r e n c e s i n l u n g
c a n c e r r a t e s be t w e e n s m o k e r s
a n d n o n -s m o k e r s i s v e r y s m a l l , a l s o , t h e l u n g c a n c e r
r a t e s a r e a bo u t o n e t e n t h o f t h e l u n g c a n c e r
r a t e s i n i n d u s t r i a l i s e d c o u n t r i e s .
T h i s
o bs e r v a t i o n w a s m a d e t i m e a n d t i m e a g a i n i n t h e
50s a n d 60s w h e n t h e r e w a s g r e a t
d e ba t e a bo u t t h e c a u s e o f l u n g c a n c e r . O n e o f
t h e m y s t e r i e s w a s w h y w a s t h e bl a m e
f o c u s e d s o l e l y o n t o ba c c o s m o k i n g .
Qu e s t i o n : O r i g i n a l l y i t w a s n ' t ju s t t o ba c c o t h a t w a s
s u s p e c t e d o f be i n g t h e v i Ji a i n
S W : T h r e w a s a n i d e a a n d t h e r e w a s m u c h
d e ba t e a s t o w h e t h e r i t w a s a i r p o l l u -
t i o n f r o m t h e n e w f a n g l e d d i e s e l l o r r i e s
a n d bu s e s o r w h e t h e r i t w a s c i g a r e t t e
s m o k -
SMOKING AND SOMETHING ELSE
work
which has
provided a partial answer capable of satisfying the less curious",
and
that he has
;'clearly...been
rewarded for providing this right answer...He
is a
skilled
diplomat,
always on automatic
pilo! with an instinct for knowing
how to dis'
similate
and reassure."
(22)
So, as we have seen, the picture painted by Professor Doll and his fellow "lifestyle
academics"
is that lung cancer is primarily caused by smoking. Forget about air pol-
lution
or any other
poilotioo, forget about
psychological factors, including stress.If
you want to save lives, concentrate on increasing the tax on tobacco and every other
conceivable
tactic fair and foul to encourage
people to give up the demon weed' In
his letter
of L3th May, ':ggg, Prof,essor
wolff said of Professor Doll's
view that
,,'very
heavy air pottuiion
[is]
possibly contributing tl|Vo excess risk in srnokers' b
,rorrr"or.
of the first order. The studies he quotes do not exist' His work has helS
make sure they were never carried out'"
(23)
Ilopefully,
this publication and those which follow will contribute in sore sBell
,rr*ur,rr.
to smashing the false
paradigm which Professor Doll has been instrwutal
in constructing.
Heie then, without further comment, is what Simon Wotfr hs b
say:
Professor
simon P. Wolff MA DPhil, senior Lecturer, Toxicology,
University c-oL
lege and Middlesex
School of Medicine, interviewed Wednesday, L3th Ma&l''L
euestion:
For years, doctors have been telling us that smoking causes cans'
Inr-
ticularly lung cancer. surely there is no medical
fact more certain under & m
than this. Are
you telling us now that smoking doesn't cause lung cancer?
Simon
Wolff: There is no doubt that cigarette smoking causes tung canerr but
there is also no doubt that air
pollution, particularly from diesel, is a contribuffi5r
factor, so important
that perhaps with out air pollution we would see a much lower
rate of lung cancer than we have. For example, in rural China, where peop'le tild b
smoke very heavily and where air pollution is much less, the differences in
llng
cancer rates betweln smokers and non-smokers is very small, also, the lmg ceru
rates are about on-e tenth of the lung cancer rates in industrialised
cnuntrie- IAb
observation
was made time and time again in the 50s and 60s when there rs grcd
debate about the cause of lung cancer. One of the mysteries
was why wm ft h
focused solely on tobacco smoking.
Question:
Originally it wasn't
just
tobacco that was suspected
of being fu riEeLE
SW: There was an idea and there was much debate as to whether it was air pollu-
tion from the newf,angled
diesel lorries and buses or whether it was eigaretle mk-
6
S M O K I N G A N D S O M E T H I N G
E L S E
i n g , a n d I
t h i n k
t h e b l a m e j u s t
g o t
a l l o c a t e d
t o
c i g a r e t t e s m o k i n g
a n d a l l c r i t i c a l
a p -
p r a i s a l o f a i r p o l l u t i o n
a s a
l u n g
c a n c e r
t h r e a t
w a s v e r y
r a p i d l y d r o p p e d .
Q u e s t i o n :
V e r y
r a p i d l y ?
I
w a s
u n d e r t h e
i m p r e s s i o n t h a t t h i s
w a s s o m e
t h i n g t h a t
t o o k d e c a d e s
t o d e c i d e .
S W :
N o t r e a l l y . W h a t h a p p e n e d
w a s
t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e m e d i c a l
p r o f e s s i o n h a d
k n o w n f o r
s o m e
t i m e t h a t t h e r e
w a s
s o m e t h i n g b a d a b o u t
s m o k i n g
-
i t h a d b e e n
k n o w n s i n c e t h e 2 0 s a n d 3 0 s
t h a t s m o k e r s t e n d e d
t o
d i e
y o u n g e r
t h a n n o n - s m o k e r s
-
t h e t h i n g
w a s
t h a t t h e r e h a d
n e v e r
b e e n
a n y
s p e c i f i c d i s e a s e b l a m e d
o n
s m o k i n g .
F r o m t h e 3 0 s o n w a r d s t h e y
b e g a n
t o
r e a l i s e t h a t t h e r e
w a s
t h i s
e n t i t y o f l u n g
c a n c e r
w h i c h s e e m e d
t o
b e i n c r e a s i n g .
B y a n d
l a r g e t h e m e d i c a l p r o f e s s i o n
a r e v e r y
c o n s e r v a t i v e ; w h e n t h e y ' r e
g i v e n
a
n e w
i d e a , t h e y t a k e
y e a r s
t o a c c e p t i t , a n d r e a l l y t h e y c o n v e r t e d
t o
t h e i d e a
t h a t
c i g a -
r e t t e
s m o k i n g
w a s
t h e s i n g l e
c a u s e
o f l u n g
c a n c e r o v e r a
t w o
y e a r
p e r i o d , a n d i t t o o k
l o n g e r o f
c o u r s e
f o r i t t o b e c o m e
g e n e r a l l y a c c e p t e d t h r o u g h o u t s o c i e t y ,
b u t t h e
m e -
d i c s h a d
d e c i d e d w i t h i n
a
c o u p l e o f
y e a r s
t h a t t h a t
w a s
t h e t h i n g . A n d I t h i n k t h a t
d e c i s i o n
w a s
r a t h e r h e l p e d
a l o n g .
Q u e s t i o n : A t
o n e
t i m e s o m e t h i n g l i k e 9 0 % o f t h e p o p u l a t i o n
u s e d
t o
s m o k e ?
S W : Y e a h , a l l t h e
m e n ,
j u s t a b o u t . W h a t i s r e m a r k a b l e
i s t h a t i t
w a s
p o s s i b l e
t o p u t
t h e b l a m e
o n
c i g a r e t t e s m o k i n g b e c a u s e i t
w a s s o
c u l t u r a l l y n o r m a l . I t
m u s t
b e
s o
d i f f i c u l t t o a c c e p t t h a t s o m e t h i n g
t h a t e v e r y b o d y d i d s o c i a l l y ,
n o r m a l a c t i v i t y , c o u l d
a c t u a l l y
b e d a m a g i n g
a s
o p p o s e d
t o
i n t h e
v e r y
v a g u e s t
o f
t e r m s .
I t ' s r e m a r k a b l e
t h a t
p e o p l e
w e r e
p e r s u a d e d
s o
q u i c k l y t h a t i t
w a s
s o m e t h i n g
t h a t
w a s v e r y
d a m a g i n g . E v e n
n o w
i t ' s
v e r y
h a r d
t o
c h a n g e p e o p l e ' s
b e h a v i o u r
e v e n
w h e n t h e y k n o w t h a t
a
f o r m o f a c t i v i t y
i s
v e r y
i n j u r i o u s .
Q u e s t i o n : T h e o b v i o u s e x a m p l e
i s A I D S .
S W : Y e s , w h a t
c o u l d b e s i m p l e r t h a n s a f e
s e x ,
b u t p e o p l e
s e e m
t o
b e
v e r y
r e s i s t a n t
t o
t h i s i d e a .
Q u e s t i o n :
Y o u
s a y
t h a t i t ' s b e e n k n o w n f o r
m a n y y e a r s
t h a t s m o k e r s d o n ' t l i v e
a s
l o n g
a s
n o n - s m o k e r s .
I r e m e m b e r r e a d i n g
s o m e w h e r e t h a t i f
y o u
a p p l y f o r l i f e
a s s u r -
a n c e ,
a n d
y o u ' r e
a
n o n - s m o k e r , t h e y w i l l a c t u a l i s e
y o u a s
t h o u g h
y o u w e r e
f o u r
y e a r s y o u n g e r .
W h e n
w e
s a y
t h a t s m o k i n g k i l l s p e o p l e ,
w h a t e x a c t l y d o
w e
m e a n ?
A n
o f t '
q u o t e d s t a t i s t i c i s t h a t s m o k i n g i s d i r e c t l y
r e s p o n s i b l e f o r 1 0 0 , 0 0 0
p r e m a t u r e
d e a t h s
i n t h e U K
e v e r y
y e a r .
T h a t s o u n d s
v e r y
e m o t i v e a n d
v e r y
d r a s t i c , b u t w h a t
d o e s t h a t
s t a t e m e n t
r e a l l y
m e a n ,
a n d i s i t a c c u r a t e ?
L
a a l B J n r J B l l
s . r p u u
. u u e r u
f g u a . r
l u a u a l e l s l e r p
s a o p
l s q , t r l n q
( o 1 1 s u r p
f . r a , r p u e a ^ I l o u e d r a , r s p u n o s
l B q I
. r e a r (
, { r a ^ a
X n
e q l q s q l a p
a r n l e u r a r d
0 0 0 ( 0 0 I
J o J a l q l s u o d s a . r , { 1 1 c a 4 p s l E u p l o u s
l u q l
q c l l s l l u l s p a l o n b
. l J o
u V
; u B a r u
a . d \ o p d l l c e x a
l B r { , r a
( a l d o a d
q 1 p 1 S u p l o u s
l q l
d u s a , r u a r l l l l
. . r a 8 u n o , {
s r e a . {
J n o J a J a a n o d q 8 n o q l s u n o , { a s I l E n l J u
1 g , n
, i a q 1
( . r a > 1 o r u s - u o u
B e J 6 n o . d p u u
( e J u B
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a J I I J o J f l d d u n o , { g
I B I J I
a J a l l l r a t u o s E u . r p u a . r J a q u a r u a l
I ' s J a { o u s - u o u
s u 3 u o 1
s u e ^ [ I
l , u o p
s J a { o r u s
1 u q 1
s r e a d , t u u r u J o J u , t r o l f ) l u a a q s 6 l l
1 u q 1
, t u s n o 1 : u o J l s a n $
' B a p r
s r q l o l
l u u l s l s a l
, { r a , r a q o l r u a a s a l d o a d
1 n q
( x a s
e J B s u u r l l . r a l d u l s e q p l n o J
l u q , r .
. s a a
: 1 1 5
' S f l V
q a l d r u u x a s n o r a q o a q ; : u o r l s a n $
' s n o r . r n f u g
f . r a , r s 1 f 1 r . L 1 1 r u
J o
r u J o J B
t s q ]
, r o u [ , ( a q 1 u a q , n
u a A a J n o l A u q a q s , a l d o a d e S u u q J o l p J q f r a , r s r 1 1 ^ \ o u u e l g
. S u p e u r e p
d r a , r s u , t r
1 e q 1
S u l q l a r u o s s a , t l
r l g r l l
f 1 4 c 1 n b o s p a p n s J a d a r a n a l d o a d
t u r l l
a I q B { J B r r a J s 6 l r
' s t u r a l
g o
l s a n 8 u a
, i r a , r a q 1 u r o 1 p a s o d d o s e S q 8 u u r u p a q f g u n l c u
p l n o r
( , ( 1 r a r 1 c u
I u r u r o u
( d l u 1 c o s
p 1 p d p o q , f u a ^ a
l B r l l
8 u 1 q l a u o s
1 e q 1 l d a c c E
o l
l l n c g J r p
o s a q
t r m t I I l I
' [ B r u J o u
f 1 1 u . r n 1 1 n r o s s B ^ r
1 [
a s n B c a q S u p l o r u s a 1 1 a r u 3 1 c u o a r u B l q a q l
1 n d
o 1 a l q l s s o d s e ^ a
l I l r t l
q e X q u > l r s r u a r s I
l r l A l T n o q u l s n f
( u a r u
a q ]
I I E
( q e a a
: 1 1 g
a a { o r u s
o l p a s n u o l l u l n d o d e q l
J o
0 / 0 0 6
a l 1 S u l q l a r u o s e r u l l a u o
1 y
: u o 1 1 s a n }
' E u o 1 u
p a d l a q r e q l u r s , , t r u o l s l r a p
f u q f
{ u 1 q l I
p u y
' 8 r y { t
a q } s u i a
l B r I } l u r l l
s r u a f
; o
a l d n o c B u I q l I A p a p l r e p p s r l s r l p
- a r u
a q l
1 n q
( f 1 a 1 r o s
l n o q 8 n o r q l
p a l d a c c u , t l u . r a u a 8 e r u o J a q o l
l I
J o J a s J n o J g o . r a 8 u o l
) t o o l
1 l
p u u
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. r e a r { o , { a l u J e a o J a o u e c 3 u n 1 ; o a s n e J a 1 3 u 1 s a q l s B A r S u r l o r u s a 1 1 a r
' u 3 1 c
1 e q 1
B a p ! a q l o l p a u e ^ u o c r ( a q l d g u a r p u u
t l l
l d a c c u
o l s . r u a , { a > 1 q d a q l
r e a p l
, r . a u
u u a . L 1 3 a r , d a q l u a q ^ r l a , r y 1 u , r . r a s u o c d r a , r e J u o l s s a J o r d
l u c r p a r u
a q 1 a 3 . r e 1 p u e d g
' S u r s u e r c u !
e q o l p a u a a s q c F l , r a
J e J u B c 3 u n 1 ; o f 1 1 1 u a s F I l s u ^ r e J a r p
l e q l
a s J l e e r o 1 u u S a q / ( a q l s p r u , l r , u o s o g a q t r u o J f ,
' 8 u p 1 o r u s
u o p e t u l q e s a s l p a g l c a d s d u u u a a q J a a e u p B r I a J e r l l
l u r l l
s g ^ r F u 1 q 1 e q 1
-
s J e { o r u s - u o u u 8 r l l . r a S u n o , t e l p o l p a p u e l
s J a { o r u s
l q l
s o g p u B s o z a q l e J u l s u , $ o r D l
u a a q p B q
1 1
-
S u p l o r u s
l n o q B
p B q S q q l a r u o s s s ^ r e J a r l l
l E r l l
a u l l a r u o s J o J u ^ r o r D l
p u q u o l s s a J o . r d p c l p a u a q l q 8 n o q l l u
l u q l
s u , r a p a u a d d e q
l B r I A l
. , { 1 u a . r
l o N
: A I S
' a p l J a p
o l s a p r e p
{ o o l
1 e q 1
3 q q 1 e u r o s s , r a s . r q l
l B q l
u o l s s a r d u n a q l J a p u n s u r a
I ; r ( 1 p 1 d u . r
, { r a 1 : u o 1 1 s a n }
' p e d d o r p
z i l p l d e l r { r a a s e , r
l u a ' r r l l
J a c u r F u n l u s u u o l l n l l o d r ; u g o
l u q e . r d
- d u - 1 u c 1 1 r r c
I I B
p u g 8 u . n 1 o u r s o g a . r u 8 1 c o l p e l u J o l l u
1 o B 1 s n [ a u u l q
a q l ) t u H l
1
p u u
. B u . r
3 S 1 f e N t H r = l 0 s c N V e N H o y \ s
SM OK ING A ND SOM E T H ING E L SE
S W : I ' m n o t s u r e w h a t i t r e a l l y m e a n s . L e t ' s s a y
f o r a s e c o n d t h a t t o ba c c o s m o k i n g
i s t h e o n l y c a u s e o f l u n g c a n c e r . W e k n o w h o w m a n y c a s e s
t h e r e a r e a y e a r - i n t h e
UK t h e r e a r e a bo u t f i f t y t h o u s a n d . ( 2 4 ) W e
k n o w t h a t p e o p l e w i t h l u n g c a n c e r a r e
v e r y l i k e l y t o s m o k e o r t o
h a v e s m o k e d , o v e r 9 0% o f t h e m . Qu i t e a l o t o f n o n -s m o -
k e r s c o n t r a c t l u n g c a n c e r t o o , bu t by a n d
l a r g e , t h e l u n g c a n c e r p a t i e n t s a r e t h o s e
w h o a r e s m o k e r s o r e x -s m o k e r s . S o w h e n o n e t a l k s
a bo u t a l l t h e s e p r e m a t u r e d e a t h s ,
t h e y w o u l d a l l o c a t e a l l t h e s e d e a t h s a n d a
p r o p o r t i o n o f t h o s e d y i n g f r o m h e a r t d i s -
e a s e a n d o t h e r c a n c e r s t o
s m o k i n g .
T h e H e a l t h E d u c a t i o n A u t h o r i t y p u t o u t a bo o k l e t i n
w h i c h t h e y a l l o c a t e d 9 5% o f
a l l l u n g c a n c e r d e a t h s t o s m o k i n g , a c e r t a i n
p r o p o r t i o n t o a n o t h e r d i s e a s e , a n d s o
o n . T h e f o u r y e a r s y o u
m e n t i o n e d i s I t h i n k a n a c t u a r i a l o bs e r v a t i o n - y o u c a n
l o o k
a t h o w l o n g p e o p l e l i v e a n d t h e n
d e t e r m i n e w h e t h e r t h e y a r e s m o k e r s o r n o t .
W h e t h e r y o u c o u l d s a y t h a t t h e l o s s o f f o u r y e a r s w a s
d u e e n t i r e l y t o s m o k i n g o r t o
s o m e o t h e r be h a v i o u r i s , I
t h i n k , a n e n t i r e l y m o o t p o i n t . S m o k e r s t e n d t o d r i n k
m o r e , f o r e x a m p l e .
Qu e s t i o n : T h i s i s a g o o d p o i n t , t o w h a t e x t e n t i s
s m o k i n g s y m p t o m a t i c o f a n u n -
h e a l t h y l i f e s t y l e ? S m o k e r s d o n ' t r u n o r e x e r c i s e m u c h
g e n e r a l l y s p e a k i n g .
S W : F o r a l o t o f p e o p l e s m o k i n g m i g h t be p a r t a n d p a r c e l
o f t h e i r l i f e s t y l e a n y w a y .
M o s t s p o r t s p e o p l e s m o k e l e s s : f o o t ba l l e r s s m o k e ,
m a r a t h o n r u n n e r s d o n ' t . B u t
s m o k i n g ( a n d o t h e r h a bi t s ) a r e s o c i a l l y a c q u i r e d .
Qu e s t i o n : W o u l d y o u s a y t h a t s m o k i n g h a s n o t h i n g t o
r e c o m m e n d i t ?
S W : I t ' s r e a l l y ba d f o r y o u t h o u g h i t d o e s p r o t e c t a g a i n s t
P a r k i n s o n ' s D i s e a s e f o r
f a i r l y w e l l -d e f m e c l bi o c h e m i c a l r e a s o n s .
Qu e s t i o n : C a n y o u e x p l a i n t h i s ?
S W : T h e r e ' s a n i d e a t h a t P a r k i n s o n ' s D i s e a s e i s c a u s e d
by a n a c c u m u l a t i o n o f a
c e r t a i n t y p e o f c h e m i c a l s i n a c e r t a i n p a r t o f t h e br a i n o v e r
t h e y e a r s . T h e r e i s a
s e r i e s o f c h e m i c a l s i n c i g a r e t t e s m o k e c a l l e d
m e t h y l -p y r i c l i n e s w h i c h s e e m t o p r e v e n t
t h e u p t a k e o f t h e s e n a s t y , d a m a g i n g a g e n t s i n t h e s e
p a r t s o f t h e br a i n . S o p e o p l e w h o
s m o k e t e n d t o h a v e l e s s P a r k i n s o n ' s D i s e a s e . T h e r e a r e
o t h e r d i s e a s e s t o o w h i c h a r e
m o d i f i e d p o s i t i v e l y by s m o k i n g .
Qu e s t i o n : I ' v e n e v e r h e a r d t h i s be f o r e .
S W : I t ' s h a r d l y br o a d c a s t , i s i t ?
Qu e s t i o n : I s i t p o s s i bl e t o h a v e y o u r c a k e a n d e a t i t ,
by e x t r a c t i n g t h e s e c h e m i c a l s
s a y ?
SMOKING AND SOMETHING ELSE
SW: Itm not sure what it really means. Let's say for a second that tobacco smoking
is the only cause of lung cancer. We know how many cases there are a year
'
in the
UK there are about fifty thousand.
(24) We know that people with lung cancer are
very likely to smoke or to have smoked, over
gOVo
of them.
Quite
a lot of non-smo-
kers contract lung cancer too, but by and large, thg lirng cancer
patients are those
who are smokers or ex-smokers.
So when one talks about all these premature deaths,
they
would allocate all these deaths and a proportion of those dying from heart dis-
ease and other cancers to smoking.
The Health Education Authoriff
put out a booklet in which they allocated 957o of.
all lung cancer deaths to smoking, a certain proportion to another disease, and so
on. The four
years you mentioned is I think an actuarial observation
-
you can look
at how long
people live and then determine whether they are smokers or not.
Whether
you couta say that the loss of four years was due entirely to smoking or to
some other behaviour is, I think, an entirely moot
point. Smokers tend to drink
more, for examPle.
euestion:
This is a good point, to what extent is smoking symptomatic
of an un-
neattny hfestyle? Smokers dontt run or exercise much
generally speaking'
SW: For a lot of people smoking might be part and parcel of their lifestyle anyway.
Most sportspeople smoke less: footballers smoke, marathon runners
don't But
smoking
(and other habits) are socially acquired.
Question:
Would
you say that smoking has nothing to recommend
it?
SW: It's really bad for you though it does protect against Parkinson's
Disease for
fairly well-defined biochemical reasons.
Question:
Can you exPlain this?
SW: Therers an idea that Parkinson's Disease is caused by an accumulation of a
certain type of chemicals in a certain part of the brain over the years. There is a
series of chemicals in cigarette smoke called methyl-pyridines
which seem to prevent
the uptake of these nasty, damaging agents in these parts of the brain. So people who
,rnok tend to have Iess Parkinson's Disease. There are other diseases too which are
modified
positivelY bY smoking.
Question:
Itve never heard this before.
SW: It's hardlY broadcastr
is it?
euestion:
Is it possible to have
your cake and eat it, by extracting these chemicals
say?
8
S M O K I N G
A N D S O M E T H I N G E L S E
S W : T h a t ' s q u i t e
i n t e r e s t i n g i f
y o u
b e a r i n m i n d
t h a t t h e t e c h n i c a l f i x
t o
l u n g
c a n c e r w a s
t o
i n t r o d u c e
l o w
t a r
f i l t e r t i p s . I n p r i n c i p l e
y o u
c o u l d r e d u c e t h e t o x i c
c o n t e n t
o f c i g a r e t t e
s m o k e b u t i t ' s
n o t
t h e i n - t h i n g
t o d o . T h e r e ' s
n o r e a s o n
f o r
e x a m p l e w h y c i g a r e t t e s m o k e
s h o u l d c o n t a i n
s o
m u c h
c a r b o n m o n o x i d e .
Q u e s t i o n : H o w
c o u l d
y o u
r e d u c e t h i s ?
S W : Y o u c o u l d
h a v e
a
c a t a l y t i c
c o n v e r t e r
o n
t h e
e n d o f t h e c i g a r e t t e . I t ' s p o s s i b l e .
Q u e s t i o n : H a v e
y o u
m o o t e d
a n y
o f t h e s e s u g g e s t i o n s ?
S W : N o , I w o u l d n ' t
d r e a m o f i t , b u t
w e c a n
d o t h i s f o r
c a r s .
T h e p o i n t I w i s h t o
m a k e i s t h a t d i e s e l
a n d
v e h i c l e
e x h a u s t p a r t i c u l a t e c o n t a i n s
s t u c k
o n
i t s s u r f a c e h u n -
d r e d s o f t h o u s a n d s o f
n a s t y ,
D N A - d a m a g i n g
c h e m i c a l s w h i c h
w e c a n
i n h a l e d e e p
i n t o
o u r
l u n g s
a n d w h e r e
n o
d o u b t t h e y
c a u s e
d a m a g e
t o t h e d e l i c a t e c e l l s w h i c h
a r e
a b l e
t o
g i v e r i s e
t o t u m o u r s .
I d o n ' t
t h i n k t h a t
m a t t e r s
v e r y
m u c h u n t i l
y o u
h a v e
a
c h r o n i c i r r i t a t i o n , i n f l a m m a t i o n ,
a n d
o n e
t h i n g a b o u t c i g a r e t t e
s m o k e i s t h a t i t i s
a
c h r o n i c i r r i t a n t , i t ' s
v e r y
i r r i t a t i n g
s t u f f w i t h a l l
s o r t s o f n a s t y , i r r i t a n t p a r t i c l e s .
Q u e s t i o n : Y o u ' r e
u s i n g t h e w o r d ' c h r o n i c ' h e r e
i n t h e m e d i c a l s e n s e ?
S W :
Y e s : l o n g t e r m . F r o m
o u r
u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f
c a n c e r s
a n d t h e e v i d e n c e
w e
h a v e ,
i t
i s e n t i r e l y r e a s o n a b l e
t o s u g g e s t
t h a t
a i r p o l l u t i o n b y v e h i c l e s
i s
a
p o w e r f u l i n i t i a -
t o r o f
c a n c e r
a n d t h a t t h e i r r i t a n t s
i n c i g a r e t t e s m o k e
a r e
p o w e r f u l
p r o m o t e r s o f
c a n c e r .
G e n e r a l l y
s p e a k i n g , w i t h
c a n c e r y o u
n e e d
t o
h a v e b o t h
a n
i n i t i a t o r
a n d
a
p r o m o t e r
i n o r d e r
t o g e t t h e f u l l t u m o u r .
Q u e s t i o n :
E a r l i e r ,
y o u
m e n t i o n e d
t h e C h i n e s e
p e a s a n t
s t u d y . ( 2 5 ) W a s
t h i s
a o n e
o f f ?
A n a b e r r a t i o n ?
S W : N o , i t ' s
n o t , t h a t
w a s
j u s t n i c e b e c a u s e i t
w a s a n
a c c i d e n t a l
o b s e r v a t i o n . A
t e a m w e n t o u t
t h e r e
t o
s e e
i f
a t m o s p h e r i c r a d o n a f f e c t e d
c a n c e r
r a t e s .
O n e t h i n g
a b o u t t r y i n g
t o l o o k
a t
h e a l t h e f f e c t s i n d e v e l o p e d
c o u n t r i e s i s t h e
e n o r m o u s
e f f e c t s
o f
s o c i o - e c o n o m i c s t a t u s
o n
h e a l t h : i f y o u ' r e r i c h ,
y o u
l i v e
a
l o t l o n g e r t h a n i f
y o u ' r e
p o o r .
Q u e s t i o n : T h a t ' s u n d e r s t o o d ?
S W :
Y e s , t h e o b s e r v a t i o n i s u n d e r s t o o d ,
t h e r e i s
a
g r a d i e n t l i k e t h i s f r o m s o c i a l
c l a s s
o n e
t o
s o c i a l c l a s s f o u r . [ A s h e
s p e a k s h e
m o v e s
h i s
h a n d
d i a g o n a l l y u p w a r d s
i n d i c a t i n g
t h a t t h e r i c h
l i v e l o n g e r
o n
a v e r a g e
t h a t t h e p o o r . ] P e o p l e
s a y
t h e
p o o r
s m o k e
m o r e ,
t h e y
d o n ' t
e a t
t h e r i g h t f o o d s a n d a l l t h e
r e s t
o f i t . B u t a l s o ,
t h e
p o o r
t e n d
t o
l i v e i n t h e
m o s t
d e n s e l y t r a f f i c k e d u r b a n
a r e a s .
' s u e r u
u e q r n p a { r U J B 4 d l a s u a p
l s o r u
e q l q a ^ U o l p u a l
r o o d a q 1
' o q u
1 n g ? I J o N a r
e q l
I I B
p u u s p o o J
l q 8 g
a q 1
l s e l . u o p
f a q l
( a . r o u r
a { o u s
. r o o d a q 1 i ( e s a 1 d o a 6
[ ' . r o o d
a q l
l u q l
a 8 e r a , l e u o r a 8 u o l a ^ 1 1 r 1 r l r e r l l
l s q l
S u l l u c g p u r
s p r u , n d n , ( 1 1 u u o 3 u 1 p p u s q s r q s a ^ o u a q s r l u a d s e q s v l
. r n o J
s s l r
[ B I J o s
o l e u o s s u l r
I B I J o S
r u o . r ; s l q l a ) t [
l u a l p . r 8
u q a l a q l
( p o o l s . r a p u n
f l u o r l u l J a s q o a q 1
( s a a
: t r 1 g
a p o o l s J a p u n
s . l e r l t r : u o 1 1 s a n [
' . r o o d
a l , n o , t
J I
u q l r a 8 u o 1
l o l
B a ^ r l n o r (
( q c g
a . r , n o f
J r
: q t l e a q u o s n l l s J r r u o u o J e - o l J o s
J o
s l J a . g a s n o r r r r o u a e q l q s a l J l u n o r p a d o l a . l , a p
u I
q r a , I J e q l l u a q
l E { o o l
o l B u d . r t
l n o q u
S u I r I r a u o
' s a l u J
J o c u B J p a l r e J J g u o p u J c l . r a q d s o u l g
J I
a a s o l e J a r l t
l n o l u a , r l
r u u a l
v
' u o l l u ^ J a s q o
l u l u a p l J J u
u B s t a
l I
a s n e J e q a e l u
l s n f
s e l {
l u q }
( 1 o u
s . l l
, o N
: r [ s
; u o l l B r r a q u
u v
a J J o
a u o B s l q l s B A t
$ 7 )
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l u e s u a d
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. . r a q . r u g
: u o p s a n }
' J n o r u n l
I I n J
a q l
l a 8
o l J e p J o u l . r a l o u r o r d
3 p u u r o l u l l l q u B q l o q a ^ q o l p a a u n o , { J e J u J q 1 1 , r , r
. 8 u p 1 u a d s
, { g u r a u a c
. J a J u B J
J o
s r a l o u o J d
l n g . r a n o d
e J e e { o u s a g a . r u 8 l c q q u B l I r J !
a q l
l s q l
p u a J a J u J
J o
J o t
' B l l l q
1 n j . r a , t o d
B s ! s e I J I r I e ^ r , t q u o r l n 1 o d J . r B
1 e q 1 1 s a 3 3 n s
o l e l q u u o s u a . r , { 1 a r 1 1 u e s . r
l I
( a , r u q
e , { a a J u e p r a a e q l p u s J e J u B r ; o E u r p u u l s J a p u n J n o r u o r f ,
. r u J a l
B u o l : s a a : 1 1 g
a a s u a s l e 4 p a t u
a q l u ! e J a q
6 c l u o J r [ ] 6
p J o ^ r a q 1 3 u 1 s n a . r 6 n o 1 : u o r l s a n [
' s a 1 c 1 g u d
l u e l l r r !
6 , { 1 s u u ; o
s l r o s
I I e
q } I i i l
J J q s
3 u 1 1 u 1 1 " r r 1 f r a a s . l !
. 1 u u 1 1 . r . q
r l u o r q t
B s l
l ! l B r l l
q a { o u s a 1 1 a . r u 3 ; c
} n o q
S u F I f e u o p u B
( u o l l u u n u u u u - r
s u o l l B l l r J r
r T u o J q r
B a a B r l n o , { g l u n r l J n t u , { . r a , r s r a p e r u
l B r l l
{ u H l l r u o p
J
. s J n o u n }
o } a s l J a . , r , g 8 o 1 a l q u
a J B q r l q a s I I a J e l r I l a p a q l o 1 a 8 u t u u p a s n s J f a q l
l q n o p
o u e J a r l ^ r p u e s 8 u n l J n o o l u . r
d a a p a l u q u l u u r e ^ r r l r r r l i a
E u r l u r e q r
S u l S u r u u p V N (
, & s e u
J o
s p u s s n o q l
J o
s p a r p
- u n q
e c s J J n s s 1 I u o
{ J n $
s u p l u o c a l u l n c g g e d
l s n u q x e
e l a F l a ^ p u s
l e s e l p t u q l
s . r e { u t u
o l r l s l i a
1
1 u 1 o d
a q ;
' s J B r
r o J s . r q l o p u u J e r a
l n q ! g
g o u u a r p
l . u p l n o , r l I
( o N
: A l S
l s u o p s a S S n s
a s a r l l J o r ( u u p a l o o u r n o , { a , r u 1 1 : u o r l s e n }
' a 1 q 1 s s o d
s 6 l l ' e $ e r u 8 1 c a q 1 ; o p u e e q l u o r a p a a u o r c l g l q u r B a ^ B q p l n o r n o 1 : l l s
; $ r l l
e J n p a r n o , { p l n o J , r l o 1 1 : u o 1 1 s a n }
' a p F o u o r u
u o q J u J r l J n r u o s u l u l u o c p p o q s e { o u s a l l a r e 8 l c r t q n a l d r u u x a
J o J u o s e J o u s 6 a J e r I I
' o p
o l E u I q t - u I e q l
l o u
s . l l
t n q
e { o u s a 1 1 a r u 8 r c
J o l u e l u o r
c F o l a q l a c n p a l p l n o J n o d a 1 d l c u 1 . r d u 1
' s d p . r a 1 1 g
J B I ^ r o l a J n p o J l u l o l s B , t a J e r u s J
3 u n 1 o 1 x U
I s r l u r l r e l
e q l
l c q l
p q r u u I r u e q n o , { g 3 u 1 1 s a . r a 1 u l
a t p b s . l u r l l : l \ S
3 S I : I 9 N I H I 3 I ^ I O S C N V O N I Y O I / \ I S
SM OK ING A ND SOM E T H ING E L SE
T h e p u r p o s e o f t h e C h i n e s e r u r a l p e a s a n t s t u d y w a s t h a t i f y o u w a n t t o s t u d y t h e
e f f e c t s o f v e r y s u bt l e c a r c i n o g e n s o n t h e p o p u l a t i o n , y o u h a v e t o d o i t s o m e w h e r e
t h e r e a r e n o g r o s s d i f f e r e n c e s i n s o c i o -e c o n o m i c s t a t u s . W h a t t h e r e s e a r c h t e a m d i d
w a s t a k e f i f t y t h o u s a n d p e o p l e i n o n e p r o v i n c e w h e r e t h e r e w a s h i g h r a d o n , f i f t y
t h o u s a n d i n a p r o v i n c e w h e r e t h e r e i s v e r y l o w r a d o n , a n d c o m p a r e d t h e t w o . W h e n
t h e y d i d t h i s t h e y f o u n d t h e r e w a s n o d i f f e r e n c e i n t h e r a t e s o f l u n g c a n c e r be t w e e n
t h e t w o p r o v i n c e s , w h i c h w o u l d s e e m t o i n d i c a t e t h a t r a d o n i s n o t t h e c a u s e o f l u n g
c a n c e r . T h e y a l s o f o u n d , c o n t r a r y t o e x p e c t a t i o n s , t h a t a l t h o u g h m o s t o f t h e m e n
s m o k e d , t h e w o m e n d i d n ' t , y e t t h e y h a d t h e s a m e r a t e s o f l u n g c a n c e r .
T h i s w a s s u r p r i s i n g . W h a t w a s e q u a l l y s u r p r i s i n g w a s t h a t t h e s e p e o p l e h a d a bo u t
o n e t e n t h o f t h e l u n g c a n c e r r a t e s o f t h o s e l i v i n g i n d e v e l o p e d c o u n t r i e s . A n d . a s y o u
m o v e i n t o t h e c i t i e s , y o u f i n d t h a t t h e l u n g c a n c e r r a t e s c r e e p u p . I f y o u w e r e a M a r -
t i a n e p i d e m i o l o g i s t , y o u w o u l d s a y t h a t t h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g a bo u t c i t i e s w h i c h c o n -
t r i bu t e s t o t h e i n c i d e n c e o f l u n g c a n c e r . ( 2 6)
N a t u r a l l y t h e t e a m [ H o f m a n n , K a t z a n d C h u n x i a n g ] r e p o r t e d t h i s , bu t s i m i l a r o b-
s e r v a t i o n s h a v e be e n m a d e i n br o a d l y s i m i l a r s t u d i e s i n v o l v i n g w o r k o n c a n c e r r a t e s
i n t o w n s . A t t h e t i m e o f t h e D o l l l u n g c a n c e r d e ba t e t h e r e w e r e p e o p l e l o o k i n g a t t h e
l u n g c a n c e r r a t e s i n v a r i o u s a r e a s o f N e w Z e a l a n d , S o u t h A f r i c a a n d i n t h e U1 .
t o w n a n d c o u n t r y s i d e . W h a t h a p p e n e d t h e r e w a s t h a t t h e r e w a s a v e r y p o w e r f u l
" p r o -a i r p o l l u t i o n l o bby " , a s i t w e r e . T h e [ c l a i m m a d e w a s t h a t ] u r ba n c a n c e r r a t e s
w e r e h i g h e r be c a u s e p e o p l e w h o l i v e i n t o w n s s m o k e d m o r e ...e n d o f p r o bl e m . T h e r e
w a s n o s c i e n t i f i c ba s i s f o r t h i s , bu t a l l t h e s a m e i t l e d t o t h e s e a r c h f o r a p o s s i bl e l i n k
be t w e e n a i r p o l l u t i o n a n d l u n g c a n c e r be i n g r a p i d l y d r o p p e d .
Qu e s t i o n : T h e p o i n t i s t h a t e v e r y bo d y k n o w s ( q u o t e u n q u o t e ) t h a t s m o k i n g c a u s e s
l u n g c a n c e r , n o w y o u c o m e a l o n g a n d s a y t h a t i t ' s n o t a s s i m p l e a s t h a t . W h o s g o i n g
t o be l i e v e y o u ?
S W : T o s t a r t w i t h , n o t v e r y m a n y p e o p l e , bu t w e h a v e e n o r m o u s p r o bl e m s a t t h e
m o m e n t , a n e n o r m o u s n u m be r o f p e o p l e c o n t r a c t c a n c e r i n i t s v a r i o u s f o r m s .. W e
a r e a c t u a l l y q u i t e c o n c e r n e d a bo u t e n v i r o n m e n t a l e p i d e m i o l o g y a n d t h e c a u s a t i o n o f
d i s e a s e . W e a r e g r a d u a l l y be c o m i n g m u c h m o r e a w a r e o f a i r p o l l u t i o n a n d w e a r e
s t a r t i n g t o be a bi t m o r e s p e c i f i c a bo u t i t . I t h i n k a l s o t h a t a s p e o p l e a r e n o w be n -
n i n g t o l o o k a t p a s s i v e s m o k i n g t h e y w i l l n a t u r a l l y t u r n t o w a r d s a i r p o l l u t i o n a s a n -
o t h e r p o s s i bl e s o u r c e o f c a n c e r , a n d t h a t m y s p e c u l a t i o n s w i l l be bo r n e o u t .
Qu e s t i o n : S p e c u l a t i o n s ?
S W : O bs e r v a t i o n s . I s p e a k t o s o m a n y c l i n i c i a n s a bo u t l u n g c a n c e r a n d t h e y s a y
t h a t t h e l u n g c a n c e r t h i n g i s a l l t i e d u p . T e l l t h e m a bo u t t h e a i r p o l l u t i o n c o n n e c t i o n .
e s p e c i a l l y t h e y o u n g o n e s , a n d t h e y l o o k s u r p r i s e d , a s t h o u g h t h e y h a v e n ' t h e a r d i t -
a l l be f o r e . T h e r e ' s be e n s u c h e n o r m o u s c l i n i c a l f o c u s o n c i g a r e t t e s m o k i n g t h a t i t ' s
be e n h a r d t o l o o k a t a n y t h i n g e l s e .
1 0
SMOKING AND SOMETHING ELSE
The purpose of the Chinese rural peasant
study was that if you want to study the
effects of very subtle carcinogens on the populationr you have to do it somewhere
there are no gross differences in socio-economic status. What the research team did
was take fifty thousand people in one province where there was high radon, fifty
thousand in a province where there is very low radon, and compared the two. When
they did this they found there was no difference in the rates of lung cancer between
the two provinces, which would seem to indicate that radon is not the cause of lung
cancer. They also found, contrary to expectations, that although most of the men
smoked, the women didntt, yet they had the same rates of lung cancer.
This was surprising. What was equally surprising was that these people had about
one tenth of the lung cancer rates of those living in developed countries. An4 fl; you
move into the cities, you find that the lung cancer rates creep up. If you wene a l[ar-
tian epidemiologist, you would say that there is something about cities which con-
tributes to the incidence of lung cancer. (2Q
Naturally the team
[HofmannrKatz
and Chunxiang] reported this, but similar ob
servations have been made in broadly similar studies involving work on canccrretes
in towns. At the time of the Doll lung cancer debate there were people looking et the
lung cancer rates in various areas of New Zealand, South Africa and in thc IIK,
town and countryside. What happened there was that there was a very pmtrftI
"pro-air
pollution lobby", as it were. The
[claim
made was that] urban canccrrrtus
were higher because people who live in.towns smoked more...end of proh-
Thcre
was no scientific basis for this, but all the same it led to the search for a pmdble link
between air pollution and lung cancer being rapidly dropped.
Question:
The point is that everybody knows (quote unquote) that smkirg crtrecs
Iung cancer, now you come along and say that it's not as simple as that Tgho'sgsing
to believe you?
SW: To start with, not very many people,
but we have enormous problem d &c
moment, an enormous number of people contract cancer in its varios frm. Wc
are actually quite concerned about environmental epiilemiology and the causetfur of
disease. We are gradually becoming much more aware of air pollution ard *t ere
starting to b-e a bit more specific about it. I think also that as people ane nor bcgiF
ning to look at passive smoking they will naturally turn towards air pollutir rs e&
other possible source of cancer, and that my speculations will be borne out.
Question
: Speculations?
SW: Observations. I speak to so many clinicians about lung cancer and thcy say
that the lung cancer thing is all tied up. TeIl them about the air pollution connectbq
especially the young ones, and they look surprised, as though they haven't hcard it
all before. There's been such enormous clinical focus on cigarette smoking that it's
been hard to look at anything else.
10
S M O K I N G A N D S O M E T H I N G
E L S E
Q u e s t i o n : B e f o r e
w e g o a n y
f u r t h e r , y o u ' r e
n o t i n t h e
p a y
o f t h e t o b a c c o
c o m -
p a n i e s ?
S W : N o .
Q u e s t i o n : T h e y
m i g h t l o v e
y o u
f o r s a y i n g t h i s , b u t c e r t a i n o t h e r
p e o p l e
a r e n ' t
g o i n g
t o .
S W : I d o n ' t
t h i n k t h e t o b a c c o c o m p a n i e s
a r e
p a r t i c u l a r l y i n t e r e s t e d b e c a u s e
t h e y ' v e
n o w
g o t t o
t h e
s t a g e
w h e r e
t h e y d a r e n ' t
s a y
a n y t h i n g t h a t
i s i n
a n y w a y p r o -
t o b a c c o
o r
t r y t o d i f f u s e
a n y
o f t h e
a r g u m e n t s ,
I t h i n k t h e y ' v e g i v e n
u p ,
b u t t h a t ' s
a l s o
p a r t
o f i t b e c a u s e w h e n i t
c a m e
t o
t h e o r i g i n a l d e b a t e
o v e r
t h e
c a u s e
o f l u n g
c a n c e r ,
t h e
m o t o r
a n d o i l i n d u s t r i e s
w o n
b e c a u s e t h e y h a d
s o
m u c h
m o r e m o n e y ,
t h e i r l o b b y
w a s s o
m u c h
m o r e
p o w e r f u l .
Q u e s t i o n : W i t h o u t p o s t u l a t i n g
a n y
f a n c i f u l c o n s p i r a c y t h e o r i e s h e r e ,
c a n w e
t a l k
a
l i t t l e a b o u t t h e p o s s i b l e s u b v e r s i o n
o f s c i e n c e b y v e s t e d i n t e r e s t s .
S W : Y e s , I t h i n k t h a t ' s h a p p e n e d .
Q u e s t i o n :
W h o f u n d s t h i s l a b o r a t o r y ?
S W : T h i s l a b o r a t o r y i s f u n d e d p a r t l y b y t h e M e d i c a l
R e s e a r c h
C o u n c i l
a n d p a r t l y
b y
v a r i o u s
m e d i c a l
r e s e a r c h c h a r i t i e s .
Q u e s t i o n : I s t h e r e
a n y
v e s t e d i n t e r e s t h e r e ? A r e
y o u e v e r
t o l d t h a t
y o u
m u s t n o t
r e -
s e a r c h
i n
a
c e r t a i n
d i r e c t i o n ?
S W : N o . I ' m
n o t
v e r y
s e n s i t i v e
t o
t h i s
s o r t o f t h i n g . F r a n k l y , i f t h e t o b a c c o i n d u s t r y
o f f e r e d
m e m o n e y
I ' d p r o b a b l y t a k e
i t . I f
G r e e n p e a c e
o f f e r e d
m e m o n e y o r
B r i t i s h
N u c l e a r F u e l s
o r
S h e l l , I ' d p r o b a b l y t a k e
i t ,
b u t
i n f a c t t h e f u n d i n g o f s c i e n c e d o e s n ' t
a c t u a l l y
w o r k
l i k e
t h a t . Y o u
p u t
i n
r a t h e r s p e c i f i c p r o p o s a l s f o r s p e c i f i c b i t s o f
r e -
s e a r c h a n d t h e y
a r e
f u n d e d
o n
t h a t
b a s i s .
Q u e s t i o n : W h a t I
m e a n t
w a s
t h a t n o b o d y b i t e s t h e h a n d t h a t f e e d s t h e m ; i s t h e r e
s o m e t h i n g
m o r e
s u b t l e o p e r a t i n g f u r t h e r u p ?
S W : I t i s
t r u e
t h a t i t h a s b e c o m e
a l m o s t i m p o s s i b l e
t o
i n
a n y w a y
q u e s t i o n t h e
s i n g l e r o l e o f s m o k i n g
a s a c a u s e
o f l u n g
c a n c e r .
I t ' s h a r d e r
t o g e t f u n d i n g ,
b u t
i t
d o e s n ' t a c t u a l l y
s t o p
y o u
s a y i n g t h i n g s
o r
d o i n g r e s e a r c h i n t o i t .
Q u e s t i o n : B u t i f
y o u
c a n ' t q u e s t i o n
s o m e t h i n g , t h a t i s d o g m a ,
n o t
s c i e n c e .
S W : T h a t h a p p e n s i n
a
l o t o f
a r e a s
o f m e d i c a l s c i e n c e ; t h e r e i s
n o
s u c h t h i n g
a s
t h e
p u r e
p u r s u i t o f t r u t h .
S c i e n t i s t s t h i e v e ,
l i e , c h e a t a n d s t e a l l i k e e v e r y b o d y e l s e .
1 1 I I
' a q a , { p o q , f t a ^ a
a r y
I B a } s
p u u
l u a r l J
( a 1 1 ( a l a l q l
s l s l l u a l c s
' q l n J l J o
l r n s . r n d
a . r n d
a q l s E u l q f q J n s o u s l a r a q l l a c u a l c s
l e l l p a r u J o
s u a r u
J o l o l
u u 1 s u a d d e r l
I B r I I
: A \ S
' a J u a I J s
1 o u
( e r u S o p
s I
l e q l
( E u l q l a u o s
u o l p a n b
l ( u u r
n o , { g
1 n g
: u o 1 1 s a n }
' l I
o l u 1 q i l s a s e J 3 u 1 o p . r o s 8 u l q 1 8 u g , t u s n o , { d o l s f 1 1 u n 1 c u
l ( u s a o p
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3 u n 1 J o a s n a r u s u E u l 4 o r u s
J o
a l o r a 1 E u 1 s
e q l u o l l s e n b f u n d u u u 1 o 1 a l q l s s o d u q
N o r u l s
a u o r a q s B r I
l I l u r 1 t
a n 4 s . r
f I
: A { S
i d n . r a q g q
8 u . r 1 u . r a d o a p q n s e J o r u E u l q l a u o s
a r a q l s 1 ! u a q 1 s p e a l
l u q l
p u u r 1 a q l s e t r I q , ( p o q o u
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J I
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a 4 q z ( l q e q o r d p , 1 , ( a u o u e l u p e J e J J o
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e r o r u q r r u u o s s s t a d q q o 1 . 4 e q 1
' r [ a u o u r
a J o r u q J n r u o s p u q d a q l a m u c a q u o , r a s a g 5 n p u J
l _ r o
p u s J o l o r u e q 1 t e c u e c
E u n l g o e s n u c a r l l r e a o a l s q e p
l u q E g o
a q l o l a r u u c
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u a q ^ r e s n a r e q
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u a , r g 8 a , r . , { a q 1
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r ( e i a r ( u u u g s l
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f , a q f a . r e q / r a a 8 u l s a r l l o l
l o E , r a o u
e , r , , { a q 1
e s n a r e q p a l s e J e t q , { g e l n c l g u d a r u s a g u u d r u o c o J c u q o l e q l
{ u q l l , u o p I
: A l S
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l n q
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S u p ( u s . r o ; n o f a , r o 1 1 q E p u , ( a q l : u o 1 1 s a n [
' o N : l ! l s
l s a p u d
- r u o o
o J J B q o l e q l
; o
d u d e q l u I
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( . r a q g n ;
d u e o B e ^ r a r o J a g : u o r l s a n |
3 S r 3 9 N r H l _ 3 U \ r O S O N V e N H O y \ S
SM OK ING A ND SOM E T H ING E L SE
Qu e s t i o n : I ' v e r e a d a l o t o f p o p u l a r s c i e n c e ; a l l t h e s e a u t h o r s s a y t h a t y o u c o l l e c t
y o u r f a c t s , f r a m e y o u r h y p o t h e s i s ,
w h i c h t h e n be c o m e s a t h e o r y , t h e n a l a w , a n d i f a t
a n y t i m e , e v e n t w o t h o u s a n d y e a r s l a t e r , s o m e o n e
l i k e N e w t o n o r E i n s t e i n c o m e s
a l o n g a n d t h r o w s a s p a n n e r i n t h e w o r k s , y o u h a v e t o d i s c a r d t h e e n t i r e
p a r a d i g m ,
t h e o n l y c a v e a t be i n g t h a t e x t r a o r d i n a r y c l a i m s r e q u i r e
e x t r a o r d i n a r y p r o o f . I n
o t h e r w o r d s , s c i e n t i s t s m u s t a l w a y s be t o t a l l y u n bi g o t e d , t h e y m u s t
c o n s t a n t l y r e -
e x a m i n e t h e i r m o s t t r e a s u r e d be l i e f s a n d u n h e s i t a t i n g l y r e je c t t h o s e
w h i c h o bs e r v a -
t i o n o r e x p e r i m e n t r e f u t e s . I n r e a l i t y t h o u g h i t d o e s n ' t w o r k l i k e t h a t .
S W : T h a t ' s c o m p l e t e b* * * * * * s . G a l i l e o , h e s p e n t h i s t i m e c h a n g i n g h i s a r g u m e n t s .
t r y i n g t o d u p e h i s o p p o s i t i o n , u s i n g d i r t y t r i c k s , a n d w e t h i n k o f
h i m a s a g r e a t
s c i e n t i s t . H e w a s a v e r y g o o d s c i e n t i s t , bu t w h e r e h e c o u l d n ' t c o n v i n c e t h e o p p o s i t i o n
by f o r c e o f a r g u m e n t , h e r e s o r t e d t o a l l s o r t s o f n a s t y t r i c k s . T h i s i s
s o m e t h i n g a l o t
o f s c i e n t i s t s d o ; o f t e n i t ' s f a r e a s i e r t o t r i p u p t h e o p p o s i t i o n t h a n t o p r o m o t e y o u r
o w n t h e o r y .
Qu e s t i o n : C a n w e t a l k a l i t t l e bi t m o r e a bo u t p o i s o n s i n t h e a i r ? I f y o u
w a l k
t h r o u g h C e n t r a l L o n d o n o n a h o t s u m m e r ' s d a y y o u c a n a c t u a l l y s e e
t h e h a z e .
W e ' r e s u p p o s e d t o h a v e c l e a n e r a i r n o w t h a n be f o r e t h e C l e a n A i r A c t w a s
i n t r o -
d u c e d w a y ba c k i n 1 9 56 bu t a l t h o u g h w e d o n ' t g e t p e a -s o u p e r s a n y m o r e . t h e a i r i n
t h e c a p i t a l , a n d i n d e e d i n m o s t B r i t i s h c i t i e s a n d c i t i e s t h r o u g h o u t t h e w o r l d , i s a t r o -
c i o u s . W h a t s o r t o f m u c k a r e w e i n h a l i n g n o w , a n d i n w h a t q u a n t i t i e s ?
S W : I d o n ' t k n o w a bo u t c i t i e s i n p a r t i c u l a r , bu t I h a v e w o r k e d o u t t h a t r o a d t r a n s -
p o r t i n t h e UK c h u r n s o u t o n e m i l l i o n t o n s o f k n o w n c a r c i n o g e n s e v e r y y e a r .
Qu e s t i o n : T h a t ' s ju s t t h e c a r c i n o g e n s ?
S W : T h a t ' s ju s t t h e c h e m i c a l s w h i c h a r e k n o w n t o c a u s e c a n c e r , a bo u t a
m i l l i o n
t o n s .
Qu e s t i o n : C a n y o u i t e m i s e s o m e o f t h e m ?
S W : Y o u ' v e g o t t h e s o o t s t h e n y o u ' v e g o t a l l t h e p o l y a r o m a t i c s u bs t a n c e s - l o t s
o f
s i x c h a i n r i n g s s t u c k t o g e t h e r w i t h i n t e r e s t i n g
n i t r o g e n /o x y g e n g r o u p s s t u c k o n t o
t h e m . T h e s e a r e s o m e o f t h e m o s t r e a c t i v e a n d u n p l e a s a n t c a r c i n o g e n s
t h a t w e k n o w
c h u r n e d o u t i n v a s t q u a n t i t i e s . S o m e t h i n g l i k e 5% o f t h e o u t p u t o f a c a r
i s be n z e n e .
w h i c h i s a w e l l -k n o w n c a u s e o f l e u k e m i a . W e br e a t h e l e v e l s
i n p a r t s o f L o n d o n
w h i c h a r e s t a r t i n g t o be d i s c u s s e d a s w h a t s h o u l d be t h e s o r t s o f
l i m i t s which s h o u l d
be o c c u p a t i o n a l s t a n d a r d f o r a n i n d u s t r i a l s e t t i n g . I t ' s n o w
r e a c h e d t h e s t a g e t h a t i f
T o t t e n h a m C o u r t R o a d w e r e a n A m e r i c a n l a bo r a t o r y , i t w o u l d r u n
t h e r i s k o f be i n g
c l o s e d d o w n .
T h e r e a r e v a s t q u a n t i t i e s o f d i f f e r e n t s o r t s o f n a s t y , r e a c t i v e ,
c o m p l i c a t e d c h e m i c a l s
i n t h e e x h a u s t f r o m c a r s , .a n d w h i c h w e br e a t h e . Y o u ' v e g o t t o
i m a g i n e t h a t y o u a r e
1 2
SMOKING AND SOMETHING ELSE
Question:
I've read a lot of popular sciencel all these authors say that you collect
your facts, frame your hypothesis, which then becomes a theory, then a law, and if at
any time, even two thousand
years later, someone like Newton or Einstein comes
along and throws a spanner in the works, you have to discard the entire paradigm,
the only caveat being that extraordinary claims require extraordinary
proof. In
other words, scientists must always be totally unbigoted, they must constantly re-
examine their most treasured beliefs and unhesitatingly reject those which observa-
tion or experiment refutes. In reality though it doesn't work like that.
SW: That,s complete b*****ts. Galileo, he spent his tirne changing his arguments,
trying to dupe his opposition, using dirty tricks, and we think of him as a great
scientist. IIe was a very good scientist, but where he couldntt convince the opposition
by force of argumen! he resorted to all sorts of nasty tricks. This is something a lot
of scientists do; often it's far easier to trip up the opposition than to promote your
own theory.
Question:
Can we talk a little bit more about poisons in the air? If you walk
through Central Inndon on a hot summer's day you can actually see the haze.
We're supposed to have cleaner air now than before the Clean Air Act was intro-
duced way back in 1956 but although we don't get pea-soupers anymore' the air in
the capital, and indeed in most British cities and cities throughout the world, is atm-
cious. What sort of muck are we inhaling now, and in what quantities?
SW: I don't know about cities in particular, but I have worked out that road trans-
port in the UK churns out one million tons of known carcinogens every year.
Question:
That's
just
the carcinogens?
SW: That's
just
the chemicals which are known to cause cancer, about a million
tons.
Question:
Can you itemise some of them?
SW: You've got the soots then you've got all the polyaromatic substances'lots of
six chain rings stuck together with interesting nitrogen/oxygen
groutrls stuck onto
them. These'are some of the most reactive and unpleasant carcinogens that we how
churned out in vast quantities. Something hke SVo of the output of a car b benzene'
which is a well-known cause of leukemia. We breathe levels in parts of I-ondon
which are starting to be discussed as what should be the sorts of limits which should
be occupational standard for an industrial setting. It's now reached the stage that if
Tottenham Court Road were an American laboratory, it would run the risk of being
closed down.
There are vast quantities of different sorts of nasty, reactive, complicated chemicals
in the exhaust from cars,.and which we breathe. You've
got to imagine that you are
t2
S M O K ! N 3 A N D S O M E T H I N G E L S E
t a k i n g s t u f f w h i c h h a s b e e n c o m p r e s s e d a n d h e a t e d
o v e r
a
f e w m i l l i o n
y e a r s ,
y o u ' r e
t a k i n g i t
o u t ,
p u t t i n g i t i n
a c a r
a n d b u r n i n g i t u n d e r c o n d i t i o n s o f h i g h
p r e s s u r e
a n d
t e m p e r a t u r e .
T h i s i s
a
g o o d
w a y
t o m a k e n a s t y c h e m i c a l s . P a r t o f t h e
p e t r o l i s
b u r n e d ,
y o u
g e t t h e
e n e r g y
o u t o f
t h a t , b u t a l l t h e
r e s t o f i t j u s t
c o m e s
s t r a i g h t o u t
o f
t h e b a c k .
M o s t o f t h e s e
v e r y
r e a c t i v e
c h e m i c a l s
a r e
b o u n d t o t h e s o o t , a n d t h i s i s t h e s o r t
o f
m u c k t h a t a c c u m u l a t e s
o n
L o n d o n
w i n d o w
s i l l s . Y o u ' r e
b r e a t h i n g
t h a t i n a H t h e
t i m e , i t d o e s n ' t a c t u a l l y
g e t o u t
v e r y
w e l l , a n d
m o s t
o f i t
c a n
a c t u a l l y
p e n e t r a t e
d e e p e r i n t o t h e l u n g s t h a n c i g a r e t t e s m o k e d o e s .
Q u e s t i o n : I t a f f e c t s s m o k e r s f a r
w o r s e
t h a n n o n - s m o k e r s b u t i t a f f e c t s
e v e r y b o d y ?
S W : Y e s , i t d o e s , t h e r e i s
a
d e f i n i t e l u n g
c a n c e r
r i s k
e v e n
f o r n o n - s m o k e r s
s o
t h a t
a l t h o u g h
t h e i r p o l l u t a n t s a n d t h e s m o k i n g t o g e t h e r
a r e a
g o o d
w a y
o f g u a r a n t e e i n g
y o u r s e l f l u n g
c a n c e r ,
c e r t a i n l y i t ' s t r u e t h a t t h e n a s t y c o m p o u n d s w h i c h
w e
b r e a t h e
i n d u r i n g
o u r
d a y t o
d a y a c t i v i t i e s
a r e
a b l e
t o
p r o d u c e
c a n c e r
i n
s o m e
p e o p l e .
Q u e s t i o n : W h a t
f r i n g e b e n e f i t s
a r e u s
c i t y d w e l l e r s e l i g i b l e f o r b e s i d e s l u n g
c a n c e r ?
S W : O n e t h i n g w h i c h I f i n d r a t h e r d i s t r e s s i n g i s t h a t
a
l o t o f c a r b o n
m o n o x i d e i s
p o u r e d
o u t
b y
c a r s .
Y o u o f t e n
c o m e u p
a g a i n s t t h e i d e a t h a t t h e s e l e v e l s
a r e
t o o
l o w
t o
h a v e m e a s u r a b l e h e a l t h
e f f e c t s ,
b u t
o n e
t h i n g
w e
d o k n o w i s t h a t c a r b o n
m o n o -
x i d e t e n d s
t o
a c c u m u l a t e i n t h e b l o o d o f u n b o r n b a b i e s , i n t h e f e t a l
h a e m o g l o b i n ,
I ' m
p r e t t y
s u r e
t h a t ' s g o i n g t o b e
a
r i s k f o r l o w b i r t h w e i g h t b a b i e s ;
w o m e n
w h o
l i v e
o n
b u s y
r o a d s t e n d
t o
g i v e b i r t h
t o
l o w b i r t h w e i g h t b a b i e s .
Y o u ' v e
g o t
t h e n i t r o u s o x i d e s
a s
w e l l , w h i c h
a r e
r e s p i r a t o r y
t r a c t
i r r i t a n t s . A i r p o l -
l u t i o n p r o b a b l y a l s o c o n t r i b u t e s t o
e m p h y s e m a , m a i n l y b e c a u s e t h e r e
a r e
t h i n g s i n
a i r p o l l u t i o n w h i c h
a r e v e r y
o x i d i s i n g ,
v e r y
u n p l e a s a n t , a n d a g a i n i t ' s n o t o n l y
s m o -
k e r s w h o c o n t r a c t
e m p h y s e m a , a l t h o u g h i f
y o u
w a n t t o c o n t r a c t
e m p h y s e m a i t ' s
h e l p f u l i f
y o u
s m o k e .
Q u e s t i o n : W o u l d
y o u
l i k e
t o
s e e
s m o k i n g b a n n e d ?
S W :
L e t
m e
p u t
i t t h i s
w a y , y o u
w o u l d h a v e
t o
b e c o n s i s t e n t . I f
y o u
w a n t e d
t o
b a n
s m o k i n g ,
y o u
w o u l d h a v e
t o
e r a d i c a t e a i r p o l l u t i o n
a t
t h e
s a m e
t i m e .
Q u e s t i o n : W h a t
c a n
a n d o u g h t
w e
d o a b o u t a i r p o l l u t i o n
a s
f a r
a s c a r s a r e c o n -
c e r n e d ?
S W : A t o t a l m o r a t o r i u m
o n
a l l r o a d b u i l d i n g , n o t
a n
i n c h
o n a n y
r o a d . T h e r e
s h o u l d b e
a
g r a d e d i n c r e a s e
i n
a l l f o r m s o f
t a x a t i o n
o n
v e h i c l e s
s o
t h a t r u n n i n g
a c a r
c o s t s
a b o u t t w e n t y t i m e s
a s
m u c h
a s
i t d o e s
n o w .
Y o u a s k e d . I h a v e
t h o u g h t a b o u t
t h i s .
1 3 I
' s I q }
l n o q u l q S n o q l
a ^ B q
I
' p a { s u
n o 1
' r r o u
s e o p
l l
s B r l J n t u s B s a u . r l , { 1 u a l q
l n o q u
s l s o t
. r u r e S u l u u n J
l u t l l
o s s a l J l r l a ^ u o u o l l s x u l
J o
s t u J o J
I I B
u I a s a r J u l p a p u r 8 B a q p l n o q s
a J a q l
' p B o J
, { u e u o q J u I u B
1 o u
( 3 u 1 p 1 { n q
p o J
l l e
u o r u n l J o l e J o t u
l u l o } V
: A l S
i p a u J a J
- u o o
a . r a S J B J s a r B J s B u o 1 1 n 1 1 o d J I
t n o q u
o p e , { a
l q 8 n o
p u u u u c
l s t t 1 l
: u o 1 1 s a n }
' a t u p
e r u u s e q l
l B
u o 1 1 n 1 1 o d J I B e l s J I p E J a o l e ^ u q p l n o ^ r n o r (
6 S u r y o u r s
u q o l p a l u u l r n o d g
1 u a l q s u o J
a q o l a ^ B q p l n o , { a n o , (
{ z ( e , r a
s I I p
l t 1 n d
a u
l a . l
: A t S
e p a u u e q
3 u 1 4 o r u s a a s o l a > g 1 n o f p l n o A \ : u o l 1 s a n [
' a > l o t u s
n o d g
l n g d l a q
s , l l u r u a s , { q d u a
l J s J l u o J
o l
l u s .
\ n o d g q 3 n o q 1 1 e
( u r u a s r ( q d r u a
l J a l l u o J
o q / a s J a {
- o u s
r ( 1 u o
1 o u
s , l l u 1 u 3 e p u u
' l u u s u a l d u n
f r a , r
( 3 u 1 s 1 p 1 x o
. { r a a a J B r l J l r l . r \ u o 1 1 n g o d . r 1 u
u r s 3 u 1 q 1 a J B a J a q l e s n J a q , ( 1 u g e u
( u r u a s r t q d u r e
o l s a l n q l J l u o o o s l u , ( 1 q e q o . r d u o 1 1 n 1
1 o d . r 1 y ' s l u B l l J J I
l c u r l
, { r o l u r l d s a r e J e q J l q n a
( g a , r
s u s a p l x o s n o J } I u a q 1 1 o B a l . n o 1
' s a l q s q
1 q 8 r a , r , r
r { 1 r l q , ! r o l o f q f J l q a , r , 1 3 o l p u a l s p u o J d s n q u o
a ^ l l o q ^ \ u a r u o l . t i s a l q u q
1 q 8 r a n
q r J l q ^ { o [ J o J
{ s l J
B a q o 1 3 u 1 o 8 s e l s r { l a r n s , { 1 1 a r d t u , 1
' q q o 1 ? o r u a u q
I s l a l
a r l t q
( s a l q u q
u r o q u n
J o
p o o l q a q l u . r e l u l n r u n J J s o l s p u a l a p l x
- o u o r u
u o q J c
l q l
q , r o u r { o p a , l l . 8 t ! q f a u o
l n q
( s l r a ; g a
q l l u a q a l q e J n s u a r u a ^ u q o l
a \ o [ o o ] a J B s l a ^ a l a s a q l
l s q l
a p l a q 1
1 s u 1 e 3 e
d n a u r o c u e l J o n o 1
' s J u J
d q
1 n o
p a r n o d
q a p p o u o t u u o q r u r
J o l o t

t u q l
s 1 8 u 1 s s a . r 1 s l p r a q l u r p u g
I
r 1 r l q , r 3 r $ I l a u o : A \ S
i r a r u e r
3 u n 1 s a p l s a q r o y e l q 1 3 1 1 e s r a l l e ^ r p f t l c s n e r u s q [ a u a q a S u t { 7 e q 7 r 7 : u o 1 1 s a n [
' a l d o a d
a t u o s u ! J a t u u J e c n p o r d o l e l q e a J s e l t l ^ I l c e r ( u p o 1 , { u p r n o 3 u 1 r n p u . r
a q l u a J q o n a r { J l r l n a s p u n o d u o c d l s u u o q }
l t t }
a n J } s r l l , ( 1 u 1 e g a r
( J a J u B J
3 u n 1 g 1 a s r n o , {
8 u 1 a a 1 u u . r e n 8
g o d u , r a , p o o 8 E e J u . r a q 1 e 3 o 1 3 u 1 4 o r u s a q l p u u s l u u l n g o d . r 1 o q 1 q 8 n o q l p
l u q l
o s s J a { o r u s - u o u J o J u a ^ a
{ s I J
J a J u J 3 u n 1 a g u g a p B s ! a . r a r l l
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1 1
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: 1 1 1 9
l , t p o q d . r a , r e
s l J a . g u
l ! l n q
s J a { o r u s - u o u u u r p e s J o ^ r J E J s J a { o u s s l J a J J s
1 1
: u o 1 1 s a n }
a l a r l a u e d r r 1 1 u n 1 c u u c c
r r r o r s o r u J : " P r : l " H : : t i ' # i : ? T ; t i l 1 f f : J l " : t J i i t i l ;
a r l l
I I B
u I
t u r 1 l
S u . r q l u a r q a J . n o 1
' s I U s
^ l o p u l A r u o p u o r l u o s a l s l n t u n J J
l u q l { J r u u
J o u o s
a q l s ! q q l p u e
l o o s
a q 1 o l p u n o q a J s s l B r I r u e I I J a ^ I l r u a . r f . r a , r a s a q l
J o l s o t r [
T l r 8 q e q l
J o l n o 1 q 3 1 e r 1 s
s a r u o J
$ n f l I J o l s a r
e r l t
I I B l n q l e q l J o l n o
d 8 r a u a a q 1
1 a F
n o , (
( p a u r n q
s 1
1 o 4 a d
e r l l
J o 1 r e d
' s t u q r u a q J
f l s u u a { s r u o 1 f u , r , r p o o 8 u s I s . r r t r J
' a r n } u . r a d r u a l
p u u a r n s s a r d q 3 1 q
J o
s u o l l l p u o r r a p u n
1 1
S u l u r n q p u r e r B u I
l I
3 u 1 1 1 n d
l n o l I
S o t t t * l
a r . r 1 o , (
{ s r e e {
u o I I F u , { e J u J a a o p a l B a r l p u E p a s s a r d r u o J
u a a q s B r I r l J l r l t r g n l s 3 u p 1 e 1
S S l f e N l H l - 3 t O S C N V 9 N r y O y \ S
SM OK ING A ND SOM E T H ING E L SE
W e s h o u l d m o v e r a p i d l y t o w a r d s e l e c t r i c v e h i c l e s o r a l t e r n a t i v e l y t o i n t e r n a l c o m -
bu s t i o n w i t h m e t h a n e a n d o x y g e n a t e d f u e l s w h i c h a r e m u c h l e s s t o x i c . T h e r e s h o u l d
be p l a n s ba s i c a l l y t o f o r c e c a r s o u t o f t o w n s a n d c i t i e s ; i n s t e a d o f m o v i n g o u t w a r d s ,
w e s h o u l d m o v e i n w a r d s . I n L o n d o n , s o m e t h i n g l i k e 1 5% o f c i t y l a n d i s d e r e l i c t , s o
t a x a t i o n s h o u l d be a r r a n g e d t o e n c o u r a g e m o v i n g ba c k i n t o t h e u r ba n c e r t a i n r a t h e r
t h a n v i c e v e r s a . E x t e n s i v e p e d e s t r i a n i s a t i o n .
Qu e s t i o n : C h e a p t r a n s p o r t ?
S W : L o t s o f p e o p l e h a v e be e n s a y i n g f o r y e a r s t h a t w e o n l y p a y a bo u t 1 0% o f t h e
t o t a l c o s t o f p r i v a t e t r a v e l ; s o m e bo d y ' s p a y i n g f o r t h a t , w e o u g h t t o s w i t c h t h i s h u g e
s u bs i d y . W e d o n ' t n e e d f a n c y n e w Un d e r g r o u n d s y s t e m s ; t r a m s a r e d e a d c h e a p a n d
t h e y s e e m t o w o r k w e l l o n t h e C o n t i n e n t . A bo v e a l l I t h i n k , i t ' s l a n d u s e . W e o u g h t
t o s t o p c e n t r a l i s i n g o u r a m e n i t i e s s o t h a t p e o p l e d o n ' t h a v e t o d r i v e e v e r y w h e r e . A
ba n o n o u t o f t o w n s u p e r s t o r e s w o u l d e n c o u r a g e p e o p l e t o s h o p i n t h e n e i g h bo u r -
h o o d . I t ' s o n l y r e c e n t l y t h a t w e ' v e h a d t h i s t r e m e n d o u s n e e d f o r t r a v e l , a n d t h a t ' s
r e a l l y t h e r e s u l t o f ba d p l a n n i n g .
Qu e s t i o n : W h a t a bo u t a i r c r a f t ? T h e r e a r e a n a w f u l l o t o f t h e m n o w a n d t h e y d o
bu r n a t r e m e n d o u s a m o u n t o f f u e l .
S W : I a g r e e , I t h i n k t h a t ' s a n e w p r o bl e m . I t i s t r u e t h a t c a r bo n d i o x i d e e m i s s i o n s
f r o m a i r c r a f t a r e g o i n g t o o u t s t r i p t h o s e f r o m l a n d t r a n s p o r t i n a bo u t f i v e o r t e n
y e a r s t i m e i f t h e p r o je c t i o n s a r e m e t . T h e r e h a v e a l s o be e n r e p o r t s o f m u c h t o o m u c h
l u n g c a n c e r a r o u n d H e a t h r o w .
Qu e s t i o n : I s t h i s c l u s t e r i n g - a s t a t i s t i c a l f r e a k - o r i s i t r e a l ?
S W : N o , i t ' s a r e a l e f f e c t , i f y o u l o o k a r o u n d H e a t h r o w , t h e r e ' s t o o m u c h l u n g
c a n c e r a r o u n d t h e r e .
Qu e s t i o n : W h a t a bo u t o t h e r a i r p o r t s ?
S W : I d o n ' t k n o w , bu t H e a t h r o w i s o n e o f t h e be t t e r i l l u s t r a t i o n s .
Qu e s t i o n : S o w h a t d o w e d o a bo u t t h i s ? W e c a n ' t d o a w a y w i t h p l a n e s e n t i r e l y .
S W : Y o u ' v e g o t t o a s k t h e q u e s t i o n : w h y a r e p e o p l e t r a v e l l i n g ? I t s e e m s o d d t h a t
y o u e n d u p t a l k i n g t o a t o x i c o l o g i s t a bo u t t r a n s p o r t p l a n n i n g . W e
k n o w w h y p e o p l e
u s e c a r s a l o t , i t ' s be c a u s e t h e y ' v e g o t t o . W e [ i n B r i t a i n ] t r a v e l
a bo u t 60% m o r e
t h a n p e o p l e d o i n H o l l a n d be c a u s e e v e r y t h i n g h a s be c o m e s o s p r e a d o u t , s o ba d l y
t h o u g h t o u t . L i t t l e t h i n g s t h a t y o u t e n d n o t t o t h i n k a bo u t l i k e p e o p l e n o w be i n g a bl e
t o c h o o s e w h a t s c h o o l t h e y c a n s e n d t h e i r k i d s t o , s o t h e y c a n c h o o s e t h e n i c e r s o r t o f
s c h o o l t e n m i l e s a w a y w h i c h m e a n s t h a t t h e y ' v e g o t t o d o a n e n o r m o u s r o u n d t r i p
1 4
SMOKING AND SOMETHING ELSE
We should move rapidly towards electric vehicles or alternatively to internal com-
bustion with methane and oxygenated fuels which are much less toxic. There should
be plans basically to force cars out of towns and cities; instead of moving outwards,
we should moye inwards. In London, something like lSVo of city land is derelict, so
taxation should be arranged to encourage moving back into the urban certain rather
than vice versa. Extensive pedestrianisation.
Question:
Cheap transport?
SW: Lots of people have been saying for years that we only pay about l0%o of the
total cost of private travel; somebody's paying for that, we ought to switch this huge
subsidy. We don't need fancy new Underground systems; trams are dead cheap and
they seem to work well on the Continenl Above all I think, it's land use. We ought
to stop centralising our amenities so that people don't have to drive everywhere. A
ban on out of town superstores would encourage people to shop in the neighbour-
hood. It's only recently that wetve had this tremendous need for travel, and thatts
really the result of bad planning.
Question:
What about aircraft? There are an awful lot of them now and they do
burn a tremendous amount of fuel.
SW: I agree, I think that's a new problem. It is true that carbon dioxide emissions
from aircraft are going to outstrip those from land transport in about five or ten
years time if the projections are met. There have also been reports of much too much
Iung cancer around Heathrow.
Question:
Is this clustering
-
a statistical freak
-
or is it real?
SW: No, it's a real effect, if you look around Heathrow, there's too much lung
cancer around there.
Question:
\Yhat about other airports?
SW: I don't know, but Heathrow is one of the better illustrations.
Question:
So what do we do about this? We cantt do away with planes entirely.
SW: You've got to ask the question: why are people travelling? It seems odd that
you end up talking to a toxicologist about transport planning.
'We
know why people
use cars a lot, itts because theytve got to. We
[in
Britain] travel about 60Vo more
than people do in Holland because eyery thing has become so spread out, so badly
thought out. Little things that you tend not to think about like people now being able
to choose what school they can send their kids to, so they can choose the nicer sort of
school ten miles away which means that they've got to do an enonnous round trip
L4
S M O K I N G A N D S O M E T H I N G E L S E
a l o n g
w i t h
o t h e r p a r e n t s t o g e t t o
t h a t s c h o o l w h e r e a s
t w e n t y
y e a r s a g o y o u
j u s t
w a l k e d t o
s c h o o l h a l f
a
m i l e
o r
a
m i l e
a w a y .
L i t t l e
t h i n g s l i k e t h a t m a k e
a n e n o r m o u s
d i f f e r e n c e
a s
f a r
a s
p e o p l e t r a v e l .
A s f a r
a s
a i r t r a v e l i s
c o n c e r n e d , I d o n ' t k n o w . I t h i n k t h a t ' s d u e
t o
t h e f a c t t h a t
s o m e b o d y
h a s
t o
b e
s u b s i d i s i n g a i r t r a v e l
a
l o t b e c a u s e i t ' s r i d i c u l o u s l y c h e a p . I d o n ' t
s e e
w h y
i t ' s
c o m e
d o w n i n p r i c e
s o
m u c h . I r e m e m b e r f l y i n g
t o
P a r i s
o v e r
t w e n t y
y e a r s a g o
a n d i t
w a s
a b o u t t w o
h u n d r e d q u i d !
[ N o w a d a y s
y o u c a n
b u y
a
r e t u r n
t i c k e t
t o
N e w
Y o r k
f o r
l e s s t h a n t h a t , w h i c h , i f
y o u
t a k e
i n f l a t i o n i n t o
a c c o u n t ,
m e a n s
t h a t t h e r e a l c o s t o f a i r
t r a v e l h a s f a l l e n d r a -
m a t i c a l l y . ]
T h e
r e a l
c o s t
o f
t r a n s p o r t
i s b e i n g
v e r y
h a p p i l y s u b s i d i s e d ,
a n d I w o u l d
g u e s s
t h a t
t h e p e o p l e w h o
a r e
s u b s i d i s i n g i t
a r e
t h e p e o p l e a t
t h e d e s t i n a t i o n s w h o t h i n k t h e y
a r e
g e t t i n g l o t s o f
m o n e y
o u t
o f t o u r i s m w h e n i n f a c t
t h e y
a r e
s u f f e r i n g m a s s i v e e n v i -
r o n m e n t a l d e g r a d a t i o n
a t
t o u r i s t r e s o r t s .
Q u e s t i o n : Y o u m e n t i o n e d a l t e r n a t i v e f u e l s , m e t h a n e a n d t h e l i k e , w h a t s o r t
o f i n -
v e s t m e n t
a r e w e
t a l k i n g a b o u t
h e r e ? A n d w h a t a b o u t c a t a l y t i c c o n v e r t e r s ?
S W :
C a t a l y t i c
c o n v e r t e r s
d o n ' t r e a l l y w o r k ; t h e y m a k e
n o
d i f f e r e n c e t o
a i r p o i i i i -
t i o n i n
t o w n s .
M e t h a n e i s
a
n a t u r a l
g a s ; w e
h a v e
a
n a t u r a l
g a s
p i p e l i n e w h i c h i s f a i r -
l y e x t e n s i v e . I ' v e s p o k e n
t o
e n g i n e e r s a b o u t t h i s .
A
m e t h a n e p o w e r e d
c a r
w o u l d h a v e
a
s l i g h t l y
s m a l l e r
r a n g e
-
y o u ' d n e e d
a
l a r g e r t a n k w h i c h
y o u
w o u l d
h a v e
t o
r e f i l l
m o r e
o f t e n . I n t e r m s o f
p e r f o r m a n c e i t ' s
n o t
m u c h . S o m e b o d y
e v e n
s a i d
t o
m e y o u
c o u l d
p o w e r
t h e e n t i r e U K f l e e t f r o m t h e n a t u r a l
g a s
w h i c h l e a k s
o u t
o f
o u r
s y s t e m
e v e r y y e a r a n y w a y .
Q u e s t i o n :
W h a t w a s t e
p r o d u c t s d o e s b u r n i n g m e t h a n e p r o d u c e ?
S W : A l i t t l e b i t o f c a r b o n d i o x i d e , w a t e r ,
a
l i t t l e b i t o f f o r m a l d e h y d e
i f t h e t h i n g
i s n ' t
t u n e d
v e r y
w e l l . I f
y o u
h a d
a
m e t h a n e - p o w e r e d
c a r
w i t h
a
c a t a l y t i c
c o n v e r t e r
t h e n i t
w o u l d j u s t p r o d u c e c a r b o n d i o x i d e a n d
w a t e r .
Q u e s t i o n :
A s
o p p o s e d t o
h o w
m a n y
c h e m i c a l s w h i c h
c o m e
o u t
o f r e g u l a r
e n g i n e s ?
S W : T h o u s a n d s .
T h o u s a n d s .
Q u e s t i o n : I s d i e s e l
w o r s e
t h a n
p e t r o l ?
S W : I ' d
s a y s o .
I t
p r o d u c e s
m o r e
s o o t s ,
a n d I t h i n k s o o t s a c t
a s v e r y
g o o d c a r r y i n g
a g e n t s t o
g e t t h i n g s d e e p e r
i n t o t h e l u n g s .
1 5 S I
' s 8 u n l
a q l o l u ! . r a d a a p s 8 q q r
1 a 6
o 1 s 1 u a 8 e
E u 1 , { . r . r u c
p o o S d . r a , r s u
I J B
s } o o s
{ u l q l I
p u u
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l I
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, ( u s p , 1 : 1 1 1 5
; 1 o r 1 a d
u s q l a s J o / a
l a s a l p
q : u o 1 1 s a n Q
' s p u E s n o q l ' s p u s n o q l
: a l s
l s a u p u a
. r q n E a . r
J o l n o
a r u o J r I J I r I , r { s l s J l r u a q t , { u u r u , l r o q o l p a s o d d o s y : u o p s a n }
' r a l u ^ r
p u a p F o l p u o q r u r a c n p o . r d
1 s n [ p 1 n o n l I
u a q t
J e U a a u o J c 1 f 1 u 1 e c B q l l , t r J B t p e J a a o d - a u u q l a u p q n o r ( y 1
' 1 1 a , r r ,
d . r a a p a u n l
l 6 u s r
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J l
a p r { q a p p u r o J
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s 5 l l e J u u r u J o J J a d ; o s u r . r a l u I
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a 8 u e . r I a l l s r u s , ( 1 1 q 3 r 1 s e
a ^ u q p l n o i a J B J p a J a , r o d a u u q l a r u
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s r a a u l 8 u a o l u a q o d s e a 6 l ' a a l s u a g a , { 1
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s I r t r l r t , r a e q l a d ; d s e 8 1 e . r n 1 u u u a a B q e , { r i s e 8
I s . I n l B u
u s - r e u B q l a I A J ' s u / r a o l u ! u o l l
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l r u o p
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l n o q u l e r l , r a
p u v
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t a { 1 1
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' s g o s a . r
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E u l q p l s q n s e r e o q , u e l d o e d
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s s a n S p l n o , r a
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f L t d d u q f . r e , r S q a q q g o d s u u . r l
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t q q r { , r {
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o s a c 1 . r d q u , & r o p e r u o J s . l l
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l o l
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l e q t
a { n s 8 u 1 q 1 a n r l a
' , { u , r e
e l r r r B J o a l p u B J 1 u r t
l o o q J s
o l p a { I a r
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n o d o 8 u s r u a . { , { 1 u a , r q s u e J e r l , r {
I o o q J s l q l
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3 S I 3 9 N I H I = I A O S C N V O N H O Y I S
SM OK ING A ND SOM E T H ING E L SE
[ P r o f e s s o r W o l f f a d d e d ] W e k n o w t h a t o u r o v e r a l l i m p r o v e m e n t s i n h e a l t h , l o n g e r
l i v e s , be t t e r q u a l i t y o f l i f e a n d s o o n o v e r t h e c o u r s e o f t h i s c e n t u r y h a v e l i t t l e t o d o
w i t h m o d e r n c u r a t i v e m e d i c i n e . R a t h e r t h e y h a v e a l o t t o d o w i t h n u t r i t i o n , s a n i t a -
t i o n , w a t e r ...T h e r e i s a v i e w t h e s e d a y s t h a t e v e r y t h i n g h a s be e n f i x e d , s o t h e c a u s e o f
c a n c e r i s a bi t o f a m y s t e r y . M e d i c a l s c i e n c e c a n c u r e t h e s e , w e ju s t
h a v e t o w a i t a
w h i l e . I n r e a l i t y t h o u g h , t r a n s p o r t a n d l a n d u s e a r e t h e n e x t g r e a t p u bl i c h e a l t h i s -
s u e s w h i c h w e h a v e t o t a c k l e . W e d o n ' t h a v e t o g o
ba c k t o t h e S t o n e A g e a s s o m e
p e o p l e h a v e s u g g e s t e d , bu t i t i s p o s s i bl e t o h a v e e c o n o m i c d e v e l o p m e n t w i t h o u t
p e o p l e h a v i n g t o t r a v e l f u r t h e r a n d f u r t h e r a f i e l d . T h a t r e a l l y i s t h e c a u s e o f o u r a i r
p o l l u t i o n .
I t ' s n o t ju s t a i r p o l l u t i o n ; i f y o u m o v e t h i n g s f u r t h e r a n d f u r t h e r a p a r t , i f y o u bu i l d
s u p e r m a r k e t s o u t o n t h e r i n g r o a d s , t h i s i n e v i t a bl y m e a n s t h a t a l l t h e s m a l l s h o p s
d i s a p p e a r , i n p a r t be c a u s e t h e y ' r e c o m p e t e d o u t a n d i n p a r t be c a u s e t h e r i c h t e n d t o
d r i v e o u t t o t h e n e w m e g a -s t o r e s . T h i s m e a n s i n e v i t a bl y t h a t t h e r i c h h a v e t h e be s t
d i e t s a n d t h e p o o r a r e d i s e n f r a n c h i s e d i n t h a t w a y . T h a t m a y s o u n d t r i v i a l , bu t
t h o u g h s u r v e y s h a v e s h o w n t h a t t h e n a t i o n a l d i e t h a s i m p r o v e d o v e r a l l i n t e r m s o f
V i t a m i n C , f i br e a n d s o o n , t h a t i m p r o v e m e n t h a s o c c u r r e d o n l y i n t h e c a r o w n e r s .
W e h a v e s c u r v y n o w i n t h i s c o u n t r y . T h a t i s a n e n o r m o u s a c h i e v e m e n t o f t h e B r i t i s h
p l a n n e r s t h a t t h e y h a v e r e -i n t r o d u c e d s c u r v y . W e ' l l be h a v i n g r i c k e t s a g a i n s o o n .
Qu e s t i o n : T o w h a t e x t e n t ?
S W : M a i n l y i t ' s i n t h e p o o r a n d t h e e l d e r l y , f r a n k V i t a m i n C s u b-n u t r i t i o n a n d a
f e w c a s e s o f s c u r v y . A n d t h a t ' s ba d , w e s h o u l d n ' t h a v e s c u r v y . A n d t h a t i s e n t i r e l y
d u e t o t h e f a c t t h a t w e ' v e g o t r i d o f h i g h s t r e e t s h o p p i n g a n d r e p l a c e d i t w i t h o n e
s t o p m e g a -s t o r e s t o w h i c h y o u d r i v e e v e r y w e e k e n d a n d f i l l u p y o u r f r i d g e -f r e e z e r .
I t ' s g r e a t i f y o u ' r e r i c h , bu t i f y o u ' r e p o o r , e l d e r l y o r y o u c a n ' t d r i v e o r i f y o u ' r e d i s -
a bl e d , i t ' s d i s a s t r o u s . A n d a l o t o f p e o p l e f a l l i n t o o n e o r m o r e o f t h e s e c a t e g o r i e s ,
s o m e t h i n g l i k e 4 0% o f t h e p o p u l a t i o n .
C o n c l u s i o n
A l t h o u g h t h e e v i d e n c e i s n o t y e t a l l i n - i s i t e v e r ? - a n e l e m e n t a r y c r i t i c a l e x a m i n -
a t i o n o f t h e f a c t s a s p r e s e n t e d by P r o f e s s o r s D o l l , W o l f f a n d o t h e r s , m a k e s t w o
t h i n g s a bu n d a n t l y c l e a r : s m o k i n g m a n i f e s t l y d o e s n o t k i l l 1 50, 000 p e o p l e p r e m a t u r e -
l y i n B r i t a i n e v e r y y e a r . A s E y s e n c k s a y s , i t m a y n o t e v e n be p o s s i bl e i n a n y
m e a n i n g f u l s e n s e o f t h e w o r d t o a p p o r t i o n a n y d e a t h s a t a l l t o s m o k i n g . I t i s c l e a r
t h o u g h t h a t a s w e l l a s t h e p r o v e n c o r r e l a t i o n be t w e e n l u n g c a n c e r a n d s m o k i n g , a n d
i n d e e d be t w e e n t o ba c c o a n d m a n y o t h e r " s m o k i n g -r e l a t e d d i s e a s e s " , t h e r e i s a
s t r o n g c o n n e c t i o n be t w e e n " s m o k i n g -r e l a t e d d i s e a s e s " a n d a i r p o l l u t i o n , p a r t i c u l a r - -
l y d i e s e l . T h e bi g d i f f e r e n c e be t w e e n t o ba c c o a n d d i e s e l i s t h a t n o o n e h a s t o u s e t o -
ba c c o , bu t f o r t h e o v e r w h e l m i n g m a jo r i t y o f p e o p l e i n B r i t a i n a n d i n d e e d
1 6
SMOKING AND SOMETHING ELSE
[Professor
WoUf added] We lcrow that our overall improvements in healthr longer
lives, better quality of life and so on over the course of this century have little to do
with modern curative medicine. Rather they have a lot to do with nutrition, sanita-
tion, water...There is a view these days that everything has been fixed, so the cause of
cancer is a bit of a mystery. Medical science can cure these, we
just
have to wait a
while. In reality though, transport and land use are the next great public health is-
sues which we have to tackle. We don't have to go back to the Stone Age as some
people have suggested, but it is possible to have economic development without
people having to travel further and further afield. That really is the cause of our air
pollution.
It's notjust air pollution; if you moye things further and further apart, if you build
supermarkets out on the ring roads, this inevitably means that all the small shops
disappear, in part because they're competed out and in part because the rich tend to
drive out to the new mega-stores. This means inevitably that the rich have the best
diets and the poor are disenfranchised in that way. That may sound trivialr but
though suryeys have shown that the national diet has improved overall in terms of
Vitamin C, frbre and so on, that improvement has occurred only in the car owners.
We have scuryy now in this country. That is an enormous achievement of the British
planners that they have re-introduced scurvy. Wetll be having rickets again soon.
Question:
To what extent?
SW: Mainly it's in the poor and the elderly, frank Vitamin C sub-nutrition and a
few cases of scurvy. And that's bad, we shouldn't have scurvy. And that is entirely
due to the fact that we've got rid of high street shopping and replaced it with one
stop mega-stores to which you drive every weekend and fill up your fridge-freezer.
It's great if you're rich, but if you're poor, elderly or you cantt drive or if youtre dis-
abled, it's disastrous. And a lot of people faII into one or more of these categories,
something like 4AVo of the population.
Conclusion
Although the evidence is not yet all in
-
is it ever?
-
an elementary critical examin-
ation of the facts as presented by Professors Doll, Wolff and others, makes two
things abundantly clear: smoking manifestly does not kill150,000
people premature'
ly in Britain every year. As Eysenck says, it may not even be possible in any
meaningful sense of the word to apportion any deaths at all to smoking. It is clear
though that as well as the proven correlation between lung cancer and smoking, and
indeed between tobacco and many other "smoking-related
diseases", there is a
strong connection between "smoking-related
diseases" and air pollution, particular-
Iy diesel. The big difference between tobacco and diesel is that no one has to use to-
bacco, but for the overwhelming majority of people in Britain and indeed
l 6
S M O K I N G A N D S O M E T H I N G
E L S E
t h r o u g h o u t
t h e
d e v e l o p e d
w o r l d , a i r p o l l u t i o n i s s o m e t h i n g
w e
h a v e
n o
c h o i c e b u t
t o
t o l e r a t e . ( 2 7 )
I t
w a s
M a x P l a n c k , t h e f a t h e r o f
q u a n t u m m e c h a n i c s a n d
o n e
o f t h e g r e a t e s t s c i e n -
t i s t s o f a l l t i m e , w h o s a i d , " T h e
n e w
s c i e n t i f i c t r u t h d o e s
n o t
t r i u m p h b y c o n v i n c i n g
i t s
o p p o n e n t s
a n d m a k i n g t h e m
s e e
t h e l i g h t , b u t r a t h e r b e c a u s e i t s
o p p o n e n t s e v e n t -
u a l l y d i e , a n d
a n e w
g e n e r a t i o n
g r o w s
u p
t h a t i s f a m i l i a r w i t h
i t . " ( 2 8 )
P r o f e s s o r S i r
R i c h a r d D o l l i s
n o w
e i g h t y - o n e
y e a r s
o l d .
H e i s a l s o
a v e r y
p l e a s a n t ,
c h a r i s m a t i c a n d i m m i n e n t l y l i k a b l e
f e l l o w ; I h o p e t h a t i n
d u e
c o u r s e
h e r e c e i v e s h i s
t e l e g r a m f r o m t h e Q u e e n . B u t l e t
u s
h o p e t o o f o r t h e s a k e o f f u t u r e g e n e r a t i o n s
-
t h a t , u n l i k e t h o s e o t h e r p s e u d o - s c i e n t i s t s
F r a n z B o a s , S i e g m u n d
F r e u d a n d K a r l
M a r x
-
t h e e v i l
h e h a s d o n e d o e s n o t l i v e a f t e r h i m .
1 7 L I
' r u l r l
J a I J E a ^ I [
l o u
s a o p a u o p s q o q
F ^ e
a q ]
-
X J B W
l J u X
p u p n a J [ p u n u E e l s
( s u o g
z u J d s ] q t u e l J s - o p n a s d J a r l l o e s o q l a q l J n n
6 1 u q 1
-
s u o p e J a u a 8 a . r n 1 n ;
J o
e { B s a q l J o J o o 1 a d o q s n
l a l 1 n g
. u a a n }
a q l u r o r J r u u . r E a l a l
q q s a ^ l a c a r a q a r n o r e n p u !
t s q l
a d o q
1
! n o 1 1 a ; a l q q 1 f l l u a u p u r u l p u e q l u u r s l r s r l r
3 1 u u s e a 1 d
d . r a , r e o s I B s ! a H ' p t o s . r e a , { a u o - z { 1 q f t a , r r o u q
1 1 o O
p J B q J . r U
4 5
J o s s a J o J d
( g Z )
, , ' t I
q l l , t . r J B I I p U U J s . r
l s q l
d n s , s , o . r 8 u o l l u . r a u a E , $ e u B p u u
. a g p
, { g u n
- l u a a a
s l u a u o d d o s l l e s n s r e q r a q l u r
l n q 1 q 3 1 1
a q l a a s u a q t S u p l e r u p u
$ u a u o d d o
q 1
8 u l a u 1 , r u o c , ( q q d u n g . r l
l o u
s a o p q l n . r l J U I l u a I J s a e u a q J i l
. p 1 u s
o q , r , r
, n o q l
I I B J o
s l q l
- u a l J s
1 s a 1 u a r 3
a q l
J o
a u o p u u s r l u u r l J e r u u r n l u u n b
J o
J e r I l B J a q 1 b 1 c u e 1 6 x t r
J
s u t a
l I
( 1 7 ) ' e 1 u r c p 1
o l
t n q
a J l o q c o u a a u r l a , u 8 u 1 q 1 a u o s q u o l l n l l o d . q u
, p 1 . r o , l r
p a d o l a , r a p a q l
l n o q 8 n o . r q l
f s l S e N t H r S u \ o s c N V 9 N t v o v l s
SM OK ING A ND SOM E T H ING E L SE
N o t e s a n d R e f e r e n c e s
O f t e n u n d e r t h e p r e t e x t o f e l i m i n a t i n g r a c i s m , s e x i s m o r s o m e
s u c h n o n -e x i s t e n t
m e n t a l i l l n e s s . A l s o i n t h i s c o n n e c t i o n i t s h o u l d
be bo r n e i n m i n d t h a t f i l m c e n s o r s
w e r e i n i t i a l l y
r e g a r d e d a s d e f e n d e r s o f p u bl i c m o r a l i t y . A t o n e t i m e i t w a s n o t p e r -
m i s s i bl e t o p o r t r a y s u c h c h a r a c t e r s a s c o r r u p t
p o l i c e o f f i c e r s , p r e s u m a bl y be c a u s e
t h e r e w a s n o s u c h a n i m a l . I n
v i e w o f t h e p l e t h o r a o f w e l l -d o c u m e n t e d f i t -u p s w h i c h
h a v e c o m e t o l i g h t i n r e c e n t y e a r s :
t h e G u i l d f o r d F o u r , B i r m i n g h a m S i x , C a r d i f f
T h r e e e t a ! , t h i s w a s w i s h f u l t h i n k i n g o f
t h e m o s t f a n c i f u l ( a n d d a n g e r o u s ) s o r t .
T h e t w o m o s t o bv i o u s e x a m p l e s a r e p r o s t i t u t i o n
a n d s e l l i n g " d a n g e r o u s " d r u g s .
R e p u l s i v e a s t h e y a r e , w h o r e s d o p r o v i d e a s e r v i c e
w h i c h n o m a n i s o bl i g e d t o s e e k
o u t . T h e p r i n c i p a l o bje c t i o n t o d r u g s s u c h a s
m a r i ju a n a , c o c a i n e , h e r o i n a n d o f l a t e ,
c r a c k , i s t h a t t h e y a r e r e c r e a t i o n a l . M i l l i o n s
o f p e o p l e i n t h i s c o u n t r y a n d c o u n t l e s s
h u n d r e d s o f m i l l i o n s t h r o u g h o u t t h e w o r l d bu y
p o i s o n e v e r y d a y . *
* T h e s a m e d a y I w r o t e t h i s I p u r c h a s e d a bo x o f 1 2 0 h a l i bu t l i v e r o i l c a p s u l e s
f r o m
m y l o c a l S u p e r d r u g s t o r e .
O n e c a p s u l e c o n t a i n s 4 00 m t e r n a t i o n a l u n i t s ( 1 0 m i c r o -
g r a n i i n e s ) o f V i t a m i n D , f o u r t i m e s t h e r e c o m m e n d e d
d a i l y i n t a k e . C l e a r l y , V i t a m i n
D i s h u n d r e d s o f t i m e s m o r e t o x i c t h a n
m a r i ju a n a .
3 ) T h e e x a c t q u o t e i s " ...t h e s m a l l e s t m i n o r i t y o n
e a r t h i s t h e i n d i v i d u a l . T h o s e
w h o d e n y i n d i v i d u a l r i g h t s , c a n n o t c l a i m t o be
d e f e n d e r s o f m i n o r i t i e s ." , f r o m p a g e
1 3 2 o f t h e e s s a y R a c i s m , f r o m T h e V i r t u e o f S e l f i s h n e s s :
A N e w C o n c e p t o f E g o i s m , by
A y n R a n d , p u bl i s h e d by S i g n e t , N e w Y o r k , ( 1 9 64 ) .
A p h r a s e - p r o ba bl y o f A m e r i c a n o r i g i n - p o p u l a r i s e d by
T i m e s jo u r n a l i s t B e r -
n a r d L e v i n .
R I S K F R E E D O M A N D P A T E R N A L I S M , i n t r o d u c e d by
L o r d H a r r i s o f H i g h
C r o s s . T h e o t h e r s p e a k e r s w e r e G o r d o n R e a d o f C h o i c e
I n P e r s o n a l S a f e t y , P i e r s
M e r c h a n t , P u bl i c A f f a i r s D i r e c t o r o f t h e A d v e r t i s i n g
A s s o c i a t i o n a n d C h r i s t i e
D a v i e s , P r o f e s s o r o f S o c i o l o g y a t t h e Un i v e r s i t y o f
R e a d i n g .
T a m e i s n o w D i r e c t o r ; M a r jo r i e N i c h o l s o n ( f l e e
B r a d y ) i s c u r r e n t l y C a m p a i g n
M a n a g e r .
T a m e i s i n f a c t e x t r e m e l y w e l l -r e a d o n m a n y m a t t e r s
r e l a t e d t o t h e h e a l t h o f t h e
h u m a n o r g a n i s m . Ju s t a s i m p o r t a n t , h e k n o w s
h o w t o r e a d be t w e e n t h e l i n e s . I n
1 9 9 2 i n h i s r o l e a s D i r e c t o r o f F O R E S T h e p u bl i s h e d a
p a m p h l e t o n " ju n k s c i e n c e "
* w h i c h e x p o s e d t h e f a l s e p r o p a g a n d a o f t h e A m e r i c a n E n v i r o n m e n t a l P r o t e c t i o n
A g e n c y .
1 8
SMOI(NG AND SOMETHING
ELSE
Notes
and References
(1) Often
under the pretext of eliminating racisnt, sexism or some such non'existent
mental
illness.
Also in this connection it should be borne in mind that'frlm censors
were initially
regarded as defenders of public morality. At one time it was not per'
missible
to portray such characters as corrupt
police officers,
presumably because
there
1ou, ro such animal. In view of the
plethora of well-documented
frt-ups which
have
come to light in recent years: the Guildford Four, Birmingham
Six, Cardiff
Three
et al, this was wishful thinking of the most fanciful
(and dangerous) sort.
(2) The two most obvious examples are
prostitution and selling "dangerous"
drugs.
Repulsive
as they are, whores do provide a service which no man is obliged to seek
out^. The
principal objection to drugs such as marliuana, cocaine, heroin and of late,
crack, is itrat they are recreational.
Millions of people in this country and countless
hundreds
of millions throughout the world buy poison everyday.
*
*
The same day I wrote this I purchased a box of 120 halibut liver oil capsules from
my local Superdrug
store. One capsule contains 400 international
units
(L0 micro'
grammes; olViturnio
D, four times the recommended daily intake. Clearly, Vitamin
D is hundreds of times more toxic than marijuana.
(3) The exact
quote is
"...the
smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those
who deny individual rights, cannot claim to be defenders of minorities.", from page
I3Z ofthe essay Racism, from The Virtue of Selfishne,ss.'A New Concept of Egoism, by
Ayn Rand,
published by Signet, New York,
(1964).
(4) A
phrase
-
probably of American origin
-
popularised by Times
iownalist
Ber'
nard Levin.
(5) ruS6, FREEDOM
AND PATERNALISM,
introduced by Lord Harris of High
Cross. The other speakers were Gordon Read of Choice In Personal Safety, Piers
Merchant, Public Affairs Director of the Advertising Association
and Christie
Davies, Professor of Sociology at the University of Reading'
(e Tame is now"Director;
Marjorie Nicholson
(nee Brady) is currently Campaign
Manager.
(7) Tame is in fact extremely
well-read on many matters related to the health of the
human organism. Just
as important, he knows how to read between the lines. In
1992 inhis role as Director of FOREST he published a pamphlet on
"junk
science"
*
which exposed the false
propaganda of the American Environmental
Protection
Agency.
18
S M O K I N G
A N D
S O M E T H I N G
E L S E
* " J u n k S c i e n c e " I n A c t i o n : C r i t i c a l N o t e s
o n
t h e E n v i r o n m e n t a l P r o t e c t i o n
A g e n c y
( E P A ) , b y
C h r i s R .
T a m e , p u b l i s h e d b y
F O R E S T ,
L o n d o n , ( J u n e , 1 9 9 2 ) .
I h a d
p r e v i o u s l y i n t e r v i e w e d G o l d s m i t h
f o r
a
m a g a z i n e f e a t u r e .
A l t h o u g h i n
m y
h u m b l e o p i n i o n ,
t h e r e w a r d s o f s m o k i n g
a r e
m i n i m a l i f t h e y
e x i s t
a t
a l l ,
m o s t
s m o k e r s c l e a r l y d i s a g r e e .
F o r
e x a m p l e ,
s o m e
p e o p l e f m d i t
r e l i e v e s
s t r e s s .
T h e
c o n s e q u e n c e s
o f s m o k i n g
c a n
b e
a
d e c l i n e i n p u r c h a s i n g
p o w e r
( d u e a l -
m o s t
e n t i r e l y
t o
p u n i t i v e t a x a t i o n ) ; h a l i t o s i s ; y e l l o w t e e t h ; b o d y o d o u r ; s m o k e r s '
c o u g h ;
i n c r e a s e d s u s c e p t i b i l i t y
t o
i n f e c t i o n i n c l u d i n g b r o n c h i t i s a n d e m p h y s e m a ;
c h r o n i c o b s t r u c t i v e l u n g d i s e a s e ; i n c r e a s e d r i s k o f
c a n c e r ;
p r e m a t u r e
d e a t h .
C A N C E R A N D B R O N C H I T I S M O R T A L I T Y I N R E L A T I O N T O A T M O S P H E R I C
D E P O S I T
A N D S M O K E , b y P e r c y S t o c k s , ( p a g e 7 4 ) , p u b l i s h e d i n t h e B r i t i s h M e d i c a l
J o u r n a l f o r
J a n u a r y 1 0 , 1 9 5 9 , ( p a g e s 7 4 - 9 ) .
I t
w a s
D o l l ,
a l o n g w i t h
t h e l a t e
S i r A u s t i n
B r a d f o r d
H i l l ( r e g a r d e d
a s
t h e
f o u n d i n g f a t h e r o f m o d e r n e p i d e m i o l o g y ) , w h o f i r s t e s t a b l i s h e d t h e l i n k b e t w e e n
s m o k i n g a n d l u n g
c a n c e r .
T h e i r f a m o u s ( a n d g r o t e s q u e l y f l a w e d ) D o c t o r s ' S t u d y
( n o t t o b e c o n f u s e d w i t h t h e
S o v i e t D o c t o r s '
P l o t ) i s s t i l l r e g a r d e d
a s
t h e
b e d r o c k
o n
w h i c h r e s e a r c h i n t h i s f i e l d i s b a s e d . T h e D o c t o r s ' S t u d y h a s
n o t
o n l y b e e n s e v e r e l y
c r i t i c i s e d b u t i n
a t
l e a s t
o n e
c o u n t r y
i t i s h e l d
u p a s a
c r o w n i n g e x a m p l e o f h o w n o t
t o
s t u d y e p i d e m i o l o g y .
S o t h a t t h e r e a d e r i s i n
n o
d o u b t e x a c t l y w h a t P r o f e s s o r D o l l
m e a n s ,
I
r e p r o -
d u c e h e r e t h e f o l l o w i n g f r a g m e n t f r o m t h i s i n t e r v i e w :
Q u e s t i o n :
T h e l a t e s t s e t
o f
f i g u r e s g i v e n
u s
b y t h e a n t i - s m o k i n g
l o b b y i s 1 5 0 , 0 0 0
p r e m a t u r e
d e a t h s
a y e a r
d u e t o s m o k i n g .
S i r
R i c h a r d :
T h a t ' s
r i g h t ,
y e s .
Q u e s t i o n : T h a t g i v e s t h e i m p r e s s i o n t h a t i f e v e r y b o d y s t o p p e d s m o k i n g t h e r e
w o u l d
b e 1 5 0 , 0 0 0 p e o p l e l e s s
a y e a r
d y i n g . T h a t ' s
n o n s e n s e ,
i s n ' t i t ?
S i r R i c h a r d : T h a t ' s
n o n s e n s e ,
y e s ,
t h e y ' d j u s t d i e
t e n
y e a r s
l a t e r , o l d e r ,
l o s i n g
a c -
t u a l l y
o n
a v e r a g e
a b o u t f i f t e e n
y e a r s
o f l i f e , t h e
o n e s
w h o d i e o f s m o k i n g - r e l a t e d d i s -
e a s e s .
Q u e s t i o n : A s m u c h
a s
t h a t ?
S i r R i c h a r d :
Y e s , i t ' s
a
g r e a t
d e a l .
1 9 6 I
' I s a p
t B a r 8
s 6 l l
( s a ^
: p r r l 4 u J l s
i t " - r l l
s 8 q r n t u s v : u o l l s a n o
' s a s a a
- s l p
p a l e l a r - 8 u p l o t u s
J o
e 1 p o q . t r s a u o a q l
' a , I T I
J o
s r u a , { u e a t J g
l n o q u
a i s r a l e u o f g e n l
- c e
E u 1 s o 1
( . r a p 1 o ( . r a 1 e 1
s r e a f u a l e l p
1 s n [
p , , { a q l
' s a , { ' a s u a s u o u
s r l u { I : p J u t l c 1 y J r S
; l I
t r u s l
. a s u a s u o u
s . l q ; , . 8 u $ p r e a r ( u s s a l e l d o a d
0 0 0 6 0 s I
e q
p l n o . t r a J a r p S u p 4 o r u s p a d d o l s d p o q , { r a , r a J I
l u r { l
u o l s s a r d u q a q 1 s a a p
l r [ J
: u o p s a n [
' s a , { ' 1 q i g r
s , l u r l l : p r q J I U J . r S
' 8 u p 1 o r u s
o l e n p . r u a , { u s r l l u a p a r n l e r u a r d
0 0 0 ( 0 S I
s 1 , t q q o 1 S u p l o r u s - p u s a q l f q s n u a , r 1 3 s a r n 8 g
J o l a s 1 s a l q
a q ; , : u o 1 1 s a n $
: , t r a l ^ J a l l q s l q l u r o 4 l u a r u 8 u r ; S u p r o g o ; a q l a . r a q e J n p
- o . r d a r
1
{ s u u a t u
1 1 o ( I
r o s s a J o J d
l s l l , r a
d l l c e x a
l q n o p
o u u ! s I r a p u a . r e q l
l q l
o S ( g f )
' d 8 o 1 o n u a p 1 d a
r ( p n 1 s o 1
l o u
^ r o q ; o a l d u r u x a 3 u 1 u , n o r J s s s d n p l a q s 1
1 1
, t : 1 u n o J e u o
l s e l l u
q
l n q
p a s t r l l r J J
d l a r a r r a s u a a q , { 1 u o
l o u
s s q , { p q s
. s J o l J o O
a q J
' p a s e q
s . r p I a U q q f u - r q J r u a s a l r 1 J l q , r
u o
{ r o J p a q
e q l s B p a p r e 8 a l
r u $
s . t ( 1 o 1 4
, s . r o l c o 1 1
l e p o s
a q l q l I A p e s n J u o r e q o 1 1 o u )
d p q s
6 s J o l J o O
( p a n u g , { l a n b s a r o r 8 p u u ) s n o r u s J J . r a q J
' J a c u u c
3 u n 1 p u u 3 u 5 r 1 o u s
u e a a q a q
{ u 1 1
a q l p a q s [ q q s a
1 s r g
o q , r
' ( , { 3 o 1 o p u a p 1 d a
u r e p o u
J o
J e q l B J S t q p u n o ;
a r p s B
p a p . r u S a r )
I I I H
p r o J p s r { u p s n v
4 5
a l q a q l q l l , r { 3 u o 1 u
' 1 1 o 9
s e , r a
I
( Z D
'
G - V t
s a 8 u d ) '
6 9 6 1
6 6 1 , { r u n u e f
t o 1
l o u r n o f
I D r y p a W
L l s l t l r g a { f u 1 p a q q l q n d
6 ( p 4
a 8 u d )
' s { a o } S
, ( c . r a 4 f , q ' 4 X O W S
A N V i l S O d g A
U V 4 H i l S O W T V O J N O I J W W N I A J I T V J V O W S I J I H ) N O V { A N V V 4 J N V ) G T )
' q l u a p
a r n l e t u a . r d ! . r a e u e c ; o
{ s F
p a s u a l c u l ' l a s u a q p 3 u n 1 a ^ l l r n J $ q o J T u o J r I r
l e r u a s f q d u e p u u s p l q r r r o r q S u p n l c q u o p t a J l r l o 1 , { g g q p d e r $ r s p a s u e r t u l l q 8 n o o
6 s J a > l o u r s
! . r n o p o d p o q l q t a a t a t o 1 1 a , t l q s o l q u q ! ( u o 1 1 e x q e , r l g u n d o 1 , { 1 a . 4 1 u a
l s o r u
- 1 e
a n p ) . r a , r l o d E u . r s e q c r n d u . r e u J l c a p s a q u u c S u . r x o r r r s
J o
s a c u a n b a s u o c a q ; ( 6 1 )
' s s a 4 s
s a l a l l a l
f I
p u I J a l d o a d a r u o s
{ q d u r e x a . r o g ' a a r 8 u s r p
, { 1 . r u a 1 c s J a { o r u s
l s o u r
' g u
l s l q x o
d a q f
; 1 I s u r . r u 1 u r
a . r u E u p l o u r s
J o
s p J u i r e J a r l l
6 u o p . r d o
e l q u n q d r u u . r q 8 n o q r y y ( 6 )
' a r n l s a l
a u l z e i e r u u r o J q l l u s p l o C p a i a a ! ^ r e l u ! f , l s n o n a r d p q
I G )
' ( Z e e t
( a u n 1 ' )
' u o p u a l ' I S f l U O {
I q p a q q q n d ' a r u e ; ' U s r . r q 3 [ q ' $ a g )
K c u a 8 y u o l p a p J d
l v l u a l u u o J ' r u u g
a q t u o s a t o q
I D J 1 1 ? J J
: u o u J v u I
t p J u a n s l u n f , , x
3 S l 3 o N I H I 3 N O S C N V 9 N t X O r \ t S
SM OK ING A ND SOM E T H ING E L SE
Qu e s t i o n : W h e n w e u s e t h e t e r m s m o k i n g -r e l a t e d d i s e a s e s , I r e c a l l t h e c a s e o f a 2 5
y e a r o l d n o n -s m o k e r w h o d i e d o f l u n g c a n c e r e a r l i e r t h i s y e a r . O bv i o u s l y t h a t ' s a
r a t h e r e x c e p t i o n a l c a s e , bu t w o u l d y o u s a y i n y o u r o p i n i o n t h a t t h e r e a r e 1 50, 000
p r e m a t u r e d e a t h s a y e a r i n t h i s c o u n t r y d u e t o s m o k i n g a l o n e ?
S i r R i c h a r d : Y e s , I w o u l d s a y t h a t 1 50, 000 m o r e p e o p l e d i e d a s a r e s u l t o f t h e i r
s m o k i n g t h a n w o u l d h a v e d i e d w i t h o u t s m o k i n g . F o r s m o k i n g t o d o s o m u c h d a m -
a g e .. .g i v i n g u p c a n ' t [ p r e v e n t ] i t a l l .
Qu e s t i o n : W e ' r e t a l k i n g a bo u t y e a r s h e r e ?
S i r R i c h a r d : Y e s , w e ' r e t a l k i n g a bo u t y e a r s o f l i f e l o s t .
( 1 4 ) T h e B i g K i l l : " S m o k i n g E p i d e m i c I n E n g l a n d A n d W a l e s . " , ( i n 1 5 v o l u m e s ) , E d i t e d
by Jo h n L . R o be r t s a n d P a u l A . G r a v e l i n g , p u bl i s h e d by t h e H e a l t h E d u c a t i o n
C o u n c i l , * ( 1 9 86) .
T h i s p u bl i c a t i o n , w h i c h w a s p r o d u c e d jo i n t l y w i t h t h e B M A , p u r p o r t s t o be a
br e a k d o w n r e g i o n by r e g i o n o f s m o k i n g f a t a l i t i e s a n d h o s p i t a l i s a t i o n s .
P a g e 5 c l a i m s o r i m p l i e s t h a t s m o k i n g h a s k i l l e d t h r e e m i l l i o n a d u l t s i n E n g l a n d
s i n c e t h e e n d o f t h e w a r . T w o p a g e s p r e v i o u s l y t h e c l a i m i s m a d e t h a t t h e n u m be r o f
d e a t h s g i v e n i s a n u n d e r e s t i m a t e .
T h e e n t i r e p u bl i c a t i o n i s c o m p l e t e n o n s e n s e c o v e r t o c o v e r a n d a w a s t e o f p u bl i c
m o n e y , f o r e x a m p l e :
V o l u m e 1 , p a g e 3 8 e s t i m a t e s t h a t i n C a r l i s l e , 1 68 p e o p l e d i e d f r o m s m o k i n g d u r i n g
t h e c o u r s e o f t h e y e a r .
V o l u m e 2 , p a g e 62 e s t i m a t e s t h a t i n G l a n f o r d a n d S c u n t h o r p e , 1 4 9 p e o p l e d i e d
f r o m s m o k i n g d u r i n g t h e c o u r s e o f t h e y e a r .
V o l u m e 3 , p a g e 1 05 e s t i m a t e s t h a t i n S h e f f i e l d , B r i g h t s i d e , 2 01 p e o p l e d i e d , a n d s o
o n f o r f i f t e e n v o l u m e s , t h r o u g h o u t E n g l a n d a n d W a l e s . ( S e p a r a t e v o l u m e s w e r e
p u bl i s h e d f o r S c o t l a n d a n d N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d ) . A n d s o o n .
T h e B i g K i l l e s t i m a t e s t h e n u m be r o f p e o p l e k i l l e d a n n u a l l y by s m o k i n g i n E n g l a n d
a n d W a l e s a t 7 7 , 7 7 4 ! I t a l s o p r o f e s s e s t o c a l c u l a t e t h e n u m be r o f be d s f i l l e d by s m o -
k e r s a n d t o i t e m i s e t h e c o s t t o t h e N a t i o n a l H e a l t h r e g i o n by r e g i o n .
* N o w t h e H e a l t h E d u c a t i o n A u t h o r i t y .
2 0
SMOKING AND SOMETHING ELSE
Question:
When we use the term smoking-related diseases, I recall the case of a 25
year old non-smoker who died of lung cancer earlier this year. Obviously thatts a
rather exceptional case, but would you say in your opinion that there are 150,000
premature deaths a year in this country due to smoking alone?
Sir Richard: Yes, I would say that 1501000 more people died as a result of their
smoking than would have died without smoking. For smoking to do so much dam-
age...giving up can't
[prevent]
it all.
Question:
We're talking about yeans
here?
Sir Richard: Yes, we're talking about years
of life lost.
(L4) TIte Big KiII:
"Smoking
Epidemic In EnglandAndWales.", (in 15 volumes), Edited
by
John
L. Roberfs and Paul A. Graveling, published by the Health Education
Council,
{' (L980.
This publication, which was produced jointly
with the BMA, purports to be a
breakdown region by region of smoking fatalities and hospitalisations.
Page 5 claims or implies that smoking has killed three million adults in England
since the end of the war. Two pages previously
the claim is made that the number of
deaths given is an underestimate.
The entire publication is complete nonsense cover to cover and a waste of public
money, for example:
Volume L, page 38 estimates that in Carlisle, 168 people died from smoking during
the course ofthe year.
Volume 2, page 62 estimates that in Glanford and Scunthorpe, 149 peopte died
from smoking during the course of the year.
Volume 3, page 1"05 estimates that in Sheffield, Brightside, 20L people died, and so
on for fifteen volumes, throughout England and Wales. (Separate volumes were
published for Scotland and Northern Ireland). And so on.
The BigKil/ estimates the number of people
killed annually by smoking in England
and Wales at77r774l It also professes to calculate the number of beds filled by smo-
kers and to itemise the cost to the National Health region by region.
*
Now the Health Education Authoritv.
20
S M O K I N G
A N D S O M E T H I N G E L S E
C i t e d b y H a n s E y s e n c k i n
S m o k i n g A n d H e a l t h , ( p a g e 1 9 ) , h i s c o n t r i b u t i o n
t o
S m o k i n g a n d S o c i e t y : T o w a r d
a
M o r e B a l a n c e d
A s s e s s m e n t ,
E d i t e d b y
R o b e r t D . T o l l i -
s o n ,
p u b l i s h e d
b y L e x i n g t o n B o o k s , L e x i n g t o n , ( 1 9 8 5 ) .
E y s e n c k ,
p a g e
1 9 , ( i b i d ) .
C a n e p i d e m i o l o g y b e c o m e
a
r i g o r o u s s c i e n c e ? H o w b i g i s T h e
B i g K i l l ?
w a s
o r i g -
i n a l l y p u b l i s h e d
i n 1 9 8 6 . I t
w a s
l a t e r r e p u b l i s h e d p o s t h u m o u s l y ( p a g e s
2 4 3 - 5 6 ) i n
T h e B i o l o g i c a l B a s i s o f D i s e a s e : S e l e c t e d
p a p e r s
b y
P . R J . B u r c h , E d i t e d b y
M . S .
C h e s -
t e r s
a n d J . E . B u r c h , L e e d s U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , ( 1 9 8 9 ) .
S u s a n C h e s t e r s P h D . , w h o
w o r k s i n t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f M e d i c a l P h y s i c s i n t h e
U n i v e r s i t y o f L e e d s ,
w a s a
c o l l a b o r a t o r o f P r o f e s s o r B u r c h ; J a n e B u r c h P h D . , h i s
w i d o w ,
n o w
r e t i r e d , w o r k e d i n t h e
D e p a r t m e n t o f B i o c h e m i s t r y a n d
w a s
a u
f a i l w i t h
h e r l a t e h u s b a n d ' s w o r k . P r o f e s s o r B u r c h , l i k e S i m o n
W o l f f , H a n s E y s e n c k a n d
o t h e r s ,
w a s
t o t a l l y u n i m p r e s s e d w i t h P r o f e s s o r D o l l ' s
c l a p t r a p ; h e a l s o d e v e l o p e d
a
u n i q u e ( a n d
y e t t o
b e r e f u t e d ) t h e o r y o f d i s e a s e w h i c h h e
e x p o u n d e d i n h i s
b o o k T h e
B i o l o g y o f C a n c e r : A N e w A p p r o a c h , p u b l i s h e d b y
M T P , L a n c a s t e r ,
( 1 9 7 6 ) .
T h e B i o l -
o g i c a l B a s i s o f D i s e a s e c o n t a i n s
a
c o m p l e t e b i b l i o g r a p h y o f P r o f e s s o r B u r c h ' s s c i e n -
t i f i c w r i t i n g s .
B u r c h , B i o l o g i c a l B a s i s
o f D i s e a s e ,
p a g e
2 4 3 , ( i b i d ) .
T h e s e a n d a l l t h e f i g u r e s t h a t f o l l o w
a r e
o f f i c i a l
g o v e r n m e n t
f i g u r e s c o m p i l e d
b y t h e
C e n t r a l S t a t i s t i c a l O f f i c e
a n d
a r e
p u b l i s h e d i n t h e A n n u a l A b s t r a c t o f S t a t i s t i c s ,
( N o 1 2 8 E d i t e d b y G e o f f D e n n i s ) , p u b l i s h e d b y H M S O , L o n d o n . T h e s e f i g u r e s
a r e
f r o m t h e 1 9 9 2 e d i t i o n .
A s I
w r i t e t h e s e w o r d s , t h e 1 9 9 3 e d i t i o n h a s a p p e a r e d i n
W e s t m i n s t e r C e n t r a l R e f e r e n c e L i b r a r y .
P r e s s c u t t i n g f r o m D a i l y M a i l , ( L i n c o l n
H a n n a h M e d i a S c a n d a t e d 4 t h S e p t e m -
b e r 1 9 9 2 , s u p p l i e d b y J u d i t h H a t t o n o f F O R E S T ) .
F r o m
p a g e s
2 7 - 8 o f U K S m o k i n g
S t a t i s t i c s , b y N i c h o l a s W a l d a n d A n s N i c o -
l a i d e s - B o u m a n , S e c o n d E d i t i o n , p u b l i s h e d b y t h e W o l f s o n I n s t i t u t e o f P r e v e n t i v e
M e d i c i n e , L o n d o n , ( 1 9 9 1 ) .
M a l e f i g u r e s
a r e
f o r a l l s m o k e r s ; f e m a l e f i g u r e s
e x c l u d e p i p e s m o k e r s .
P e r s o n a l c o r r e s p o n d e n c e f r o m P r o f e s s o r S i m o n
W o l f f , M a y 1 3 , 1 9 9 3 .
T h e r i g h t
a n s w e r
i s
a
r e f e r e n c e
t o
P r o f e s s o r D o l l ' s a w a r d o f t h e 1 9 7 9 G e n e r a l M o t o r s P r i z e .
T h e f o l l o w i n g e x t r a c t i s f r o m
o u r
i n t e r v i e w , 7 t h A p r i l , 1 9 9 3 .
S i r R i c h a r d :
I ' v e
b e e n
v e r y
l u c k y i n t h e a w a r d s I ' v e b e e n g i v e n . T h e f i r s t
o n e w a s
t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s A w a r d F o r C a n c e r , w h i c h I t h i n k
w a s
b a s e d
o n
t h r e e t h i n g s :
o u r
s t u d y
o n
s m o k i n g , t h e w o r k
I ' v e
d o n e
o n
r a d i a t i o n , a n d t h e w o r k
o n
a s b e s t o s , s h o w -
2 1 I Z
- ^ r o q s
b o l s a q s u u o
r y o ^ r
a q l p u s
r u o l l u l p e r
u o a u o p a A . I
{ J o ^ r
a q 1
t E u p l o u r s
u o d p n l s
. r n o : s 8 u l q l a a J q l u o p a s s q s , r a
{ u l q l I
q c l q a
( . r a c u u 3
J o t r p J r { a v s u o l l N p e l r u n e q t
s a a u o
$ J g
a r { I
' u a a g 6
u a e q a a . I s p J u i a e a q l u ! , { > 1 c n 1 , i r a a u a a q a ^ 6 J : p J B I I J I U J I S
' E 6 6 I t l l . r d v
q 1 4
( , t r a p r . r e l u 1
J n o r u o { s l
l r s J u a
3 u 1 , n o 1 1 o y e q ;
' a z v d
$ r o l o t r {
I B J a u a c 6 L 6 T
e w
J o
p J s ^ r B s , I I o ( I J o s s a J o J d o l a J u a J a J a J u s I J a ^ r s u B
r y ? y
a q a ' E 6 6 I
t g l
, { u I A I
$ t o U .
u o u 4 s r o s s a J o r d r u o { a c u a p u o d s a r r o c
l u u o s r a t r
( 9 7 )
' s r a { o r u s
a d l d a p n l c x a s a . r n 8 . g e l e r u a l l s . r a 4 o r u s
I I B
J o J a . r u s a . r n S g a I I
l
' ( t O O
t )
' u o p u o l ' a u 1 c J p a 1 , n
a ^ p u a a a r d
J o
a l n l p s u l u o s J l o 1 l a r l f d q p a q q l q n d
t u o l q p f ,
p u o c a s
( u e u n o g - s a p 1 u 1
- o r l N
s u v p u u p l u / r { . s l o r l r l N f , q
( s 4 t q r u t g
S u t 4 o u t g
X n J o
g - 1 7 s a 8 e d u o r g ( 1 9 )
' f i , S g U O . f
J o
u o l l u H r l r p n f d q p a q d d n s ' 2 6 6 I r q
- u e l d a g
q l t p a l u p u B r S B I p a I
t r
q u u u u H u l o c u r l )
' U o W
{ I l o e r u o { 3 u . r 1 1 n e s s a r t r ( g g )
' i i r u r q . t l
e J u a J a J a U
[ B 4 u a J
J a l s u p u l s e 1 l
u 1 p a r u a d d u s q u o l l l p a
6 6 I
a r { f
( s p r o , r
a s a q l a } ! r ^ r
I
s V
' u o l l l p a
Z 6 6 T
a q l r u o . r ;
e r e s a r n 8 g a s a q l
' u o p u o T ' O S I
t r I
f q p a q q l q n d
( ( q u u a (
J l o a 3
, ( q p a t t p g g Z I o N )
$ t t 7 s 1 1 o 1 g t o
p o q s q v p n u u v a \ l
u r p a q s g q n d a . r u p u u a o g J o
I s r r l s p u l s I B r l u e J
e q l , t q
p a l l d r u o c s a . r n 8 g
t u e u r u r e a o 8
l u l o g g o
a r u ^ r o l l o J
1 e q 1
s a r n 8 g a q r
I I B
p u s a s a q l ( 6 1 )
'
( p t q l )
(
g p 7 a ? e d ,
(
a s o a n q
t o
s t s o g
7 o
c d o p ! g
( q r r n g
( g
1 )
' s 8 q 1 g u .
c g p
- u a l J s
s 6 q e r n g r o s s a J o r d J o d q d u r 8 o 1 1 q 1 q a l a l d r u o J u s u l u l u o r a s o a n q
l o
s ? s v g
7 n n 3 o
- p ! g
a T I
' $ r c D
( . r a 1 s u c u u 1
' d t r I
I
, i q p a q q t q n d , 3 r 1 c o o t d d y M a N
V
: n c u o 3
l o
t S o 7 o t g
a q J > I o o q E I I q p a p u n o d x a a q q r l r 1 ^ r . a s u a s l p ; o , { r o a q 1 ( p a l n y a r a q o t
t a , {
p u u ) a n b p n
u p a d o l a , r a p o s I B a q l d e 4 d u l J s 6 I I o ( J o s s a J o J d r l t ! ^ r p a s s a . r d u r . r u n , { p u 1 o 1 s u , t ' s . r a q 1 o
p u e
{ r u a s , { g
s u e 1 1
t $ t o A l
u o u q s a q g
' q c r n f l
J o s s e J o J d
T r o r a
s . p u u q s n q a l u l J a q
q 7 7 r l ^
t l o t
l r o s a r . r p u u d . r l q u a q J o l {
J o l u e r u U u d a g
a q 1 u - r p a { J o ^ r
. p a 4 1 a . r
n o u
( , n o p l n
s l q
" O q d
q r J n f l a u u f : r I J J n f l J o s s a J o J d
J o
J o l B J o q s l I o J B s i a
6 s p a a l
g o f l g s r a , r g p
e q l u ! s a 1 s , { q 4
I B J I p a t r t r J o l u a u i l u d a q
a q t u . r s r l r o ^ r o q ^ r
. . 1 1 q d
s J a l s a q J u u s n s
' ( O S O f ) 6 s s a . r 4 , { 1 1 s r a , l p 1 1
s p e a T
' q o r n g . f , ' f
p u u s r a l
- s a q 3
' S ' r u
I q p a t l p f ,
( t 1 c m g ' f y ' d
{ q s t a d o d p a p a p s : a s o a s l q t o n s o g
T o n S o y o ? g
a q J
r r 1
$ S - E V Z
s a 8 u d ) , { l s n o u n q l s o d p a q q l q n d a . r r e l e l s u ^ r
f I
. 9 9 6 I
u I p a q s l q n d f , 1 1 e u . r
- 3 1 r o
s e , r a
f n r y 4 U
a W s ! 3 9 u o 1 1
Z a r u a n s
s n o t o & t t o a t i l o ) a q { 8 o 7 o r u t a p t d a u o 3
Q 1 )
( p l q D
( 6 1 a 8 u d
t c u a s , { g @ 1 )
' G S O 1 )
( u o 1 3 u g * 1 ' s { o o f l
u o 1 3 u 1 x r 1 d q p a q q t q n d
s u o s
- { I o I
' O
i l a q o 1
d q p a f p g
( l u a t u s s a s s y p a r u D l o g
a r o r y D p r D ^ 4 o J : , Q a 7 c o g p u o S u o l o r u g
o l u g l l n q r r l u o r s F I
6 ( 6 1
a 8 u d )
' q t l o a g
p u y 3 u 7 7 o u t g u 1 > 1 c u a s , { g s u B H , t q p e l l C
G t )
3 S l 3 e N t H t _ 3 t O S C N V 9 N t y O y \ S
SM OK ING A ND SOM E T H ING E L SE
i n g t h a t a s be s t o s w a s a c a u s e o f l u n g c a n c e r . T h a t w a s a l l w o r k w h i c h I d i d i n t h e
1 9 50s . T h e Un i t e d N a t i o n s h a s n ' t g i v e n a n y o t h e r a w a r d s f o r c a n c e r r e s e a r c h , a l -
t h o u g h i t g a v e t h r e e o n t h a t o c c a s i o n .
I ' v e a l s o h a d t h e G e n e r a l M o t o r s A w a r d . T h a t ' s a m a jo r a w a r d t h a t G e n e r a l M o -
t o r s s t a r t e d i n 1 9 7 9 a n d I w a s f o r t u n a t e e n o u g h t o g e t o n e o f t h e f i r s t
t h r e e . T h e y
w a n t e d t o e n c o u r a g e p e o p l e t o d o r e s e a r c h i n t o c a n c e r , a n d a n n o u n c e d t h e y w o u l d
g i v e a r e w a r d e v e r y y e a r . I t i s a v e r y s u bs t a n t i a l o n e , a n d h a s c o n t i n u e d e v e r s i n c e .
Un d o u bt e d l y , S i r R i c h a r d d o e s be l i e v e t h e s e a w a r d s a r e a t t r i bu t a bl e t o " l u c k "
T h o u g h i f R o t h m a n s o r E m ba s s y h a d a w a r d e d a v e r y s u bs t a n t i a l p r i z e " t o e n c o u r -
a g e p e o p l e t o d o r e s e a r c h i n t o c a n c e r " , t h e r u be s
ba c k o n m a i n s t r e e t w o u l d l o n g
s i n c e h a v e w o k e n u p .
I bi d .
T h e r e c o r d e d d e a t h s f o r m a l i g n a n t n e o p l a s m o f t r a c h e a , br o n c h u s a n d l u n g
f o r 1 9 9 0 w e r e 3 4 , 3 7 5 i n E n g l a n d a n d W a l e s ; 4 , 1 2 3 f o r S c o t l a n d ; a n d 7 7 1 f o r N o r t h -
e r n I r e l a n d ; a t o t a l o f 3 9 , 2 69 f o r t h e UK i n t o t a l o r a bo u t
6% o f a l l d e a t h s . T h e s e
f i g u r e s h a v e be e n m o r e o r l e s s c o n s t a n t f o r t h e p a s t f i f t e e n y e a r s . A n n u a l A bs t r a c t s ,
( o p c i t ) .
R e p o r t e d by W e r n e r H o f i n a n n , R o be r t K a t z a n d Z h a n g C h u n x i a n g i n L u n g
C a n c e r R i s k a t L o w D o s e s o f A l p h a P a r t i c l e s , p u bl i s h e d i n H e a l t h P h y s i c s , ( p a g e s 4 57 -
68) , V o l 51 , N o 4 , ( 1 9 86) .
A g a i n , S i r R i c h a r d i s w a y o f f be a m , a s t h e f o l l o w i n g e x t r a c t c l e a r l y s h o w s :
Qu e s t i o n : T h e r e i s t h o u g h a c o n n e c t i o n be t w e e n l i v i n g i n t o w n s a n d l u n g c a n c e r ?
S i r R i c h a r d : W e l l , y e s , a s m a l l r e l a t i o n s h i p t h e r e w a s , t h o u g h i t ' s d i s a p p e a r i n g
n o w , bu t t h i s c o u l d be e x p l a i n e d a l m o s t w h o l l y i f n o t
w h o l l y by t h e d i f f e r e n c e i n c i -
g a r e t t e c o n s u m p t i o n be t w e e n t o w n s a n d t h e c o u n t r y s i d e , p a r t i c u l a r l y p e o p l e i n
t h e
c o u n t r y s i d e t e n d e d t o g o o n s m o k i n g p i p e s l o n g e r ; t h e y s w i t c h e d o v e r t o c i g a r e t t e s
l a t e r , a n d o n a v e r a g e t h e y s m o k e l e s s t h a n p e o p l e i n t o w n s .
N o w w i t h t h e c h a n g e i n s m o k i n g h a bi t s w e ' v e s e e n m o r t a l i t y i n L o n d o n g o i n g
d o w n , a n d s o m e o f t h e N o r t h e r n c i t i e s w h e r e i t ' s g o n e u p , s o i t ' s n o t e v e n t r u e t o s a y
i t ' s i n t o w n s n o w , i t ' s i n s e l e c t e d t o w n s .
P e r h a p s i t ' s t i m e y o u r e t i r e d , S i r R i c h a r d .
I n v i e w o f P r o f e s s o r W o l f P s r e v e l a t i o n s - w h i c h , a s n o t e d , a r e n o t n e w - i t i s a l l
t h e m o r e r e m a r k a bl e t h a t t h e a n t i -s m o k i n g l o bby h a s be e n a bl e t o g e t a w a y w i t h i t s
s p e c i o u s c r u s a d e a g a i n s t p a s s i v e s m o k i n g . I f , o v e r t h e p a s t f o r t y y e a r s , t h e m e d i a
2 2
SMOKING AND SOMETHING ELSE
ing that asbestos was a cause of lung cancer. That was all work which I did in the
L950s. The United Nations hasn't
given any other awards for cancer research, al-
though it gave three on that occasion.
Itve also had the General Motors Award. That's a major award that General Mo-
tors started in 1979 and I was fortunate enough to get one of the first three. They
wanted to encourage
people to do research into cancer, and announced they would
give a reward every year. It is a very substantial one, and has continued ever since.
Undoubtedly, Sfo Richard does believe these awards are attributable to
"luek"
Though if Rothmans or Embassy had awarded a very substantial
prize
"to
encour-
age people to do research into cancer", the rubes back on main street would long
since have woken up.
(23) Ibid.
(24) The recorded deaths for malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung
for 1990 were 34,375 in England and Wales; 4,123 for Scotland; and 771for North-
ern Ireland; a total of 391269 for the UK in total or about 67o of all deaths. These
figures have been more or less constant for the past fifteen years. Annual Abstracts,
(op cit).
(25) Reported by Werner Hofmann, Robert Katz and Zhang Chunxiang in Lung
Cancer Risk at Low Doses of Alpha Particles, published in Health Pltysics,
(pages 457-
68), Vol51, No 4, (1986).
(2Q Again, Sir Richard is way offbeam, as the following extract clearly shows:
Question:
There is though a connection between living in towns and lung cancer?
Sir Richard: WelI, yes, a small relationship there was, though itts disappearing
now, but this could be explained almost wholly if not wholly by the difference in ci-
garette consumption between towns and the countryside, particularly people in the
countryside tended to go on smoking pipes longer; they switched over to cigarettes
later, and on ayerage they smoke less than people in towns.
Now with the change in smoking habits we've seen mortality in London going
down, and some of the Northern cities where it's gone up, so it's not even true to say
itts in towns now, itts in selected towns.
Perhaps it's time you retired, Sir Richard.
(27) In view of Professor Wolffs revelations
-
which, as noted, are not new
-
it is all
the more remarkable that the anti-smoking lobby has been able to get away with its
specious crusade against passive smoking. If, over the past forty years, the media
a ,
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