RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT ESTABLISHMENT.
British-American Tobacco Co., Ltd., Southampton.
MEETING AT ROYAL MARSDEN HOSPITAL. ADDRESSED 13Y
DR. E. WYNDER
ON JULY 15TH, 1959.
The meeting, convened by Prof. A. Haddow F.R.S.,
brought together
number of English workers concerned with the
problem of smoking and
health to listen to Dr. Ernst Wynder and rdcalled
a similar medting some
two years ago.
Wynder's theme was very much the same as that he
gave to the
7 th International Cancer Congress in London in
July 1958, and which he has
published on numerous occasions. His indictment of
smoking was based
an a five-point justification.
1. Presumptive - the relationship between
cigarette consumption and
incidence of 1~ng cancer and other bronchial
diseases.
2. Statistical - the retrospective and prospective
studies of
Hammond and Horn and of Doll and Hill. These
findings have now been
confirmed in some 20 countries. Wynder's own study
of Seventh Day
Adventists was also described.
3. Patholociical - the concept of "Carcinoma in
situ" and the work
of Auerbach et al.
4. Biolooical - painting experiments with several
strains of mice,
rabbits and Blacklock's work with rats described.
Passev's failure to
reproduce Wynder's results was ascribed to the use
of too low a dosage vate.
5. Chemical - the isolation from smoke of
carcinogenic hydrocarbons.
Wynder and his collaborator (Hofmann) described
the isolation of two new
polycyclic carcinogens, e.g. 3x4-benzfluoranthene
and 10:11-benzfluorantheae=
which are quite potent, producing 100% tumours in
8 months with CAF1mice
when tested in 0.5% solution. Nevertheless, Wynder
conceded that the
summation of all the activities found individually
did not approach that
C=)
C7111
BATCo document for Province of British Columbia 3
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RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT ESTABLISHMENT,
B,i&,h-Arn.,1ca. Tobacco Co., Ltd.. Southampton.
-2 -
required of whole smoke. His conclusion was that
tobacco smoke is a very
weak carcinogen, on the limits of detection which
is why he uses such large
doses.
His collaborator, Hofmann, described the chemical
fractionation and
showed a fluorescent photograph of a crystal Of
234-benzpyrene, allegedly
isolated from cigarette smoke condensate. By
radio-isotope dilution studies
the amount of 3s4-benzpyrene was calculated to be
1.2 t 0.1 ppm of smoke
condensate.
Wynder summarised the remedial measured he
proposed.
(a) Stop smokIng
(b) Reduce smoking habits
(c) Discard cigarette stubs whis they are still
long
(d) Do not inhale deeply
(e) Choose a brand low In tar and nicotine. The
effect of
filter tips was touched upon here.
(f) Reduction of carcinogens, i.e. polycyclic
hydrocarbons, by
means of catalysts. Wynder has tested the effects
of 20 catalysts chemically
and 12 have been evaluated by biological test
using 50,000 cigarettes per test.
Throughout 'Nynder was confident and indeed
arrogant and aimed
several shafts at the U.S. and British Tobacco
Industries. He appeared
very anxious not to miss anything and couittered
every suggestion of a
sensible nature from the floor with the remark
that he had the investigation
in hand or that he proposed to do work on that
subject.
DGF/JW/46D
20.7.59.
C711
BATCo document for Province of BritiSh Columbia 3
November 1999