From: hawk@hawk.sps.mot.com (George Hawkins)
Subject: Re: link between birds and lung cancer?
Organization: Motorola Inc. MMTG Oakhill Austin Texas
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 17:53:58 GMT

In article <1992Nov6.204303.4820@constellation.ecn.uoknor.edu> richman@reepicheep.gcn.uoknor.edu (Mike Richman) writes:
>I recently heard the last part of a news story reporting some link
>between having pet birds and developing lung cancer.  Does anyone have
>more information on the study?  Is this some wacky chance correlation or
>something more substantive?
>-- 
>Mike Richman                        !CIMMS/The University of Oklahoma
>richman@reepicheep.gcn.uoknor.edu   !100 East Boyd, Room 1110
>405-325-3460 (office) 325-7614 (fax)!Norman, OK  73019-0628  USA

Mike here is an article from rec.pets.birds

I have NO intention to get rid of my
Parrots! ...

George

##########################################################

 mjz@hare.udev.cdc.com (mj zeis x2582)


[1] diseases from keeping birds as pets
Keywords: disease
Date: Mon Oct 26 11:22:34 CST 1992
Organization: Control Data Corporation, Arden Hills, MN

I have been hearing rumours of lung diseases in humans being caused
by mites that live on the birds that people keep as pets.  Apparently
the incidence of lung cancer in humans with birds as pets is higher
than in the general population.  Is this just a bunch of nonsense or
is their something to it.  I have a Red Lored Amazon and I am continually
getting snide remarks from my friends about being around the bird and
ending up with lung cancer.  One friend even metioned seeing an episode
of ABC's 20/20 where they did a story on this.  I think this is some
kind of hoax but I would like to know if anyone has the real facts.
-- 

    Regards,

    Mike Zeis (ARH215)                   mjz@hare.udev.cdc.com
    Control Data Systems                 (612)482-2582
    4201 N. Lexington Ave.               FAX:(612)482-2791
    Arden Hills, Mn. 55126


ec.pets.birds #2123 (30 more)                                        (1)--[1]
From: bergman@panix.com (Mark Bergman)


[1] pet birds and lung cancer risk (complete text)
Date: Fri Oct 23 23:26:11 CDT 1992
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix & Internet, NYC

Verbatim from the AP. All typos are mine. Any comments?
=================================================================
AM-NC--Birds-Cancer    10-22 0607
AM-NC--Birds-Cancer,570
    Study Shows Link Between Pet Birds And Lung Cancer
    CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- Keeping pet birds at home significantly
increases the risk of lung cancer, a new study suggests.
    But researchers aren't sure why.
    The study, conducted with lung cancer patients and control
subjects in Berlin, Germany, showed at least a doubling of lung
cancer risk among people who kept birds from one to five years. The
chance of contracting the illness tripled among people keeping the
animas longer than 10 years.
    "One usually thinks that we can explain all excess lung cancers
by occupational exposure to radiation, chemicals and smoking, but
that isn't true," said Dr. Lenore Kohlmeier, professor of
nutrition and epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill School of Public Health.
    "There are differences in lung cancer rates within countries
that are still unexplained. Our findings, which remian no matter
how we model the data, help explain some of this difference."
    A report on the study appeared in Thursday's issue of the
British Medical Journal.
    Possible explanations for the link between birds and cancer are
that either fungi growing on the bird's excrement or minute
airborne particles such as feather fragments make the lungs more
susceptible to cancer, Ms. Kohlmeier said.
    In their research, she and her colleagues statistically
controlled for the effects of smoking, exposure to checmicals at
work, passive smoking during childhood and other variables.
    The study involved detailed interviews with 239 newly diagnosed
lung cancer patients in three West Berlin hospitals who agreed to
participate in the investigation. Control subjects were selected
and matched for sex, approximate age and the neighborhood in Berlin.
    Statistical analysis of interview data showed that the only
significant difference between patients and control sunjects -- once
smoking and other known risk factors had been eliminated -- was
whether they had kept birds in their homes, Ms. Kohlmeier said.
    No evidence was found that other pets such as dogs, cats
rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs contributed to lung cancer risk.
    Because of her group's findings, Ms. Kohlmeire said she wouldn't 
keep parrots, parakeets, canaries and other pet birds in her home.
She cautioned that people who have a family history of lung cancer
should minimize exposure to birds.
    "I would say that people who are going to keep birds at home
anyway should keep cages very clean and practice good hygiene,"
Ms. Kohlmeier said. "We would like to see other scientists do
similar case control studies in other populations to confirm our
results. We would also like them to go a step further and figure
out what exactly is causing this increased risk from birds."
    The team also anaylzed vegetable consumption among participants
to determine if carrots, peppers, brussel sprouts, kohlrabi or
spinich might have exerted some protective effects against lung
cancer. Earlier studies have suggested vitamin C or beta carotene
might help prevent cancer.
    "The only protective effect we were able to isolate came from
regular consumption of carrots," Ms. Kohlmeier said. "There was a
clear dose response effect, such that 80 percent fewer cancers were
seen in individuals consuming carrots daily."
    Co-authors of the report are Sabine Bartolomeycik, Barbara
Bellech and Michael Thamm of the Institute for Social Medicine in
Berlin; Gerardt Arminger of the University of Wuppertal, Germany;
and Juergen Rehm of the Swiss Institute for the Prevention of 
Alcoholism in Lausanne, Switzerland.
    APTV-10-22-92 1736EDT
=================================================================
----
Mark Bergman
718-855-9148

bergman@panix.com
{cmcl2,uunet}!panix!bergman


regards,
George Hawkins
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
regards,
George Hawkins
------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
George Hawkins                      Internet: hawk@hawk.sps.mot.com
Motorola Digital Signal Processors  UUCP: cs.utexas.edu!oakhill!hawk!hawk
6501 William Cannon Drive West      Phone (512) 891-4543 
Austin Texas 78735-8598             FAX   (512) 891-2947
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