Individual Toxic Chemical Histories from the Secret History of the War on Cancer

Tobacco
1939 – German Researchers discovered that very heavy cigarette smokers got 16 times more lung cancer than non smokers
1947 – US research confirmed the link of cigarettes to lung cancer
1951 – The American Cancer Society confirmed the link again with a huge study
1954 – The American Cancer Society made an official policy statement that smoking caused lung cancer
1954-1960 – The tobacco companies formed the Tobacco Industry Research Council to cast doubt on the litany of studies against tobacco and also started research on filtered cigarettes
1957 – Researchers found that filtered cigarettes were just as hazardous as unfiltered cigarettes
1957 – The US Surgeon General published a Policy Statement that cigarettes caused lung cancer.
1962 – Royal College of Physicians produced their own policy statement against cigarettes
1964 - The US Surgeon General published another policy statement that cigarettes caused lung cancer.
1980’s – finally started creating non smoking areas in public places, restaurants and bars
Delay time 41 years

The Pap Smear
1930’s – George Papanicolaou developed the “Pap Smear” which could detect early signs of cervical cancer
1950’s – US physicians wrangled about whether doctors or medical technicians should do the tests and whether they were worthwhile
1960’s – Japan and Finland introduced the Pap Smear and reduced cervical cancer by a factor of 4
1970’s – the US finally introduced the Pap smear and permitted medical technicians to perform the test
Delay time 40 years

Benzene
1825 – Original discovery. Proved to be miraculous at dissolving tars and other sticky industrial residues.
1862 – Discovered that benzene caused mental problems
1916 – Found that dry cleaning workers became mentally unstable from benzene.
1917 – Found that people working with benzene sometimes bled to death with massive hemorrhages
1919-1940 – 33 publications confirmed the hazards of benzene
1970 – Major study showed that benzene causes leukemia
1970 – Study found that benzene causes chromosome damage.
1979 – More studies showed that benzene causes leukemia.
1980’s – Benzene was recognized as a hazardous chemical by OSHA
Delay time 118 years

Asbestos
1930’s – German researchers discovered that it caused lung disease.
1980’s – Asbestos levels in Sarnia, Ontario were found to be 8500 times the legal limit. The asbestos was from the insulation on the pipes in the petroleum refineries there.
1998 – For 16 years the government never warned the workers and never enforced their own directives and never stopped the petroleum production process.
Today – Canada continues to export asbestos to China, India and other countries.
Delay time 80 years plus

Vinyl Chloride
1960’s – Used in pressurized containers for products like deodorants, hair spray and whipped cream.
1970’s – Discovered that it caused lung disease
1978 – Finally banned
Delay time 8 years

1,4 Dioxane
1960’s – introduced to make soaps bubbly and personal care products more stable
1970’s – Found that it was a carcinogen
1990’s – Europe banned this chemical
Today – US and Canada still using it
Delay time 40 years plus

Organochlorine, trisodium nitrilotriacetate, formaldehyde, coal tars, phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA)
1960's – used in laundry detergents, fragrances, hair dyes, nail polish, lip stick, personal care products, children's toys and baby bottles
1970's – Found to cause cancer and problems with developing male fetus.
2000's – Europe considering a ban
Today – US and Canada slowly considering a ban
Delay time 40 years plus

Your Health and Mine