Evening star., 1941-04-17
Report tobacco Tars
Cause Cancer Hit
By Scientists
DistilIution Experiments
Explained by Biologist
Before Association
By THOMAS r. HENRY,
Star Stan Correspondent.

CHICAGO, April 17.-Alleged
eancer-causing properties of dis
tillation tars from tobacco, pres
ent in the smoke, are, at the worst
very slight.
Some of Americas foremost can
eer specialists lit pipes and cigar.
with sighs of relief here today a.
DIR. Curtis Flory, University of Chi.
cago biologist, told of experiments
demonstrating this before the Amer
lean Association for Cancer Re-
search.
DR.. F1ory and his associates dis.
titled these tars from tobacco al
various temperatures running as
high as 100 degrees, about the heat
Of Lit pipe. 1t is such substances
which chemically may be distantly
related to some tars known to
cause cancer, which come into con-
tact with the lips, tongue and lungs
OF smokers.
Then, he reported, they rubbed
the tobacco tars into the ears OF
rabbits and in each case produced
a new growth, in some cases very
close to cancer in its general ap-
pearance But only in one extreme
case could they find any evidence
whatsoever of malignancy. The
contacts were greater than smoker
would experience in lifetime.
Effect of Heat Pointed Out.
The investigation was stimulated
Or. Fory said, by recent reports OF
DR.. H. A. Ruffo, celebrated Argentine
cancer specialist, that he could pro-
duce cancers regularly with these
tobacco tarS.
Some of DR.. Ruffo's pictures, he
said, undoubtedly seem to be cancer
but others are very close to the nom
malignant tumors produced by his
own tar substances. Apparently the
capacity of the chemicals to produce
new growths goes up slightly with
the heat at which they are distilled.
Even the non-malignant tumors,
he pointed out, may not be at all
specific 10 tobacco but would be
caused by tars from so much hay
distilled at such temperature.
1t was pointed out by cancer re-
search workers of the Public Health
Service. however, that TOO degrees
Is about the minimum heat at which
a pipe is smoked. The heat of burn
ing cigars runs close to 900 degrees
and of cigarettes from 975 to 1000
degrees. At such heats different
kinds OF tars may be distilled.
Sulfanilamide Danger.
A hitherto unrecognized danger
that cancers may be produced in
extreme instances by sulfanilamide
and related drugs was reported by
DR.. A. T. Haerem of Chicago.
The chemical formation of these
drugs, he pointed out, is not very
different from aniline dyes, some OF
which have been demonstrated to
be cancer-forming. He found that
undoubted cancers could be pro-
duced by injecting sulfanilamide in
rats. This is not done with human
pengx.
He also fed animals enormous
amounts Of the drug, amounting t.
as much as 2 per cent of the diet
and failed to produce any sign o
cancer, although he did produce de-
cided stunting of growth and othel
physical abnormalities.
The formation of cancer by
sulfanilaInide injections, he pointed
out, probably is nothing to worr.
about, 50 far as human treatment
are concerned.
Wants Careful Interpretation.
1t was stressed, however, that tn
findings deserve the most thorough
study, since approximately 309 ton,
Of sulfanilamide and related drug,
were sold to the American public il