Re: Bethlehem workers and Western NY State

[RuthWeiner@AOL.COM]

See SCIENCE, 19 jUNE 1981, V. 212, pp1404-1407 (and I want to thank Steve 

Dapra for digging this paper out).  Of the nin specific cancers and the "all 

other category,  the ratio of observed to expected cancers, age standardized, was 

significantly more than 1 only for respiratory cancers (it was 2: 9 female 

cases were observed, 4.6 expected).   Even this was not statistically 

significantly different  from other census tracts in Niagara Falls, nor was there 

evidence that lung cancers were associated with exposure to the Love Canal wastes.  

Since waste burial ended in 1953, these data are for the 24 years following the 

end of waste burial.



Bottom line: exposure to the Love Canal wastes do not appear to have caused 

cancer.  



Now this is not an excuse for the waste disposal practices at Love Canal.  We 

need to dispose of wastes properly WHETHER THEY CAN BE SHOWN TO CAUSE CANCER 

OR NOT!!  Biut we also don't need to succumb to cancer hysteria with such 

depressing regularity.



Ruth



Ruth Weiner, Ph. D.

ruthweiner@aol.com