Talk by R. Peto
Richard Peto gave an hour and a halfs'
dissertation at GR&DC
on 23rd June to members of the RAT Company
involved in smoking issues.
The talk covered epidemiological considerations of
smoking and lung
cancer in particular, both in a retrospective
sense and, based on very
recent data, prospectively. Peto viewed the future
scenario as essentially
hopeful as far as the industry is concerned, and
finished his talk with
the following statements which are reported
verbatim.
1. Peto's minimum request.
"Even if for legal liability reasons you cannot
publicly
endorse (that there are) health hazards, at least
say nothing".
2. "Try to keep U.K. tar deliveries falling
without misleadingly
suggesting that "low tar" is safe".
3. "Seek product modifications that are likely to
reduce the risks
not only of lung cancer but also of vascular and
respiratory
disease". "i.e. seek the chief determinants of
compensation
"nicotine, flavours"".
4. "Try to act in an international context so as
to encourage and/
or facilitate modifications in countries where
they have not yet
penetrated" "Russia, China, France, Italy".
C711
C-
BATCo document for Province of British Columbia 29
October 1999