European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 29, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes sunday june 29,1966 Koop testifies on passive smoke risk Washington up surgeon general c. Ever Ett Koop warned again Friday that people who do no smoke run a High risk of getting fatal lung cancer Tram breathing the smoke of others. Testifying at Hou a hearings the head of the Public health service said past studies and other studies Sooalo be published strongly link passive smoke expo sure with increased risk of lung cancer. But the findings were challenged by rep. Thomas Bliley Rva. Who questioned the Validity of such studies saying that the evidence is not  the tobacco state legislator also asked Koop whether he considered smoking to be a greater health risk than abortion 10 which Koop is opposed. I consider a dead Oclus to be a serious health mat Ter Koop replied. Bui he added i have slated Over and Over again that smoking is the greatest health a  the government doctor was the first witness As hear ing on the health effects of exposure to tobacco smoke were reopened by a health subcommittee headed by rep. Henry Waxman a Calif. While saying that helping smokers quit would be a App do big buttons a technician wearing Piedt heat resistant suit put u 80-Pobnd Barton of Gold us Silver Alloy m kale  clip t newly opened Pirzad Lepeak mine and Mill Complex new Gabbs Ner. The mate no sch product both Gold and Lluver has United reserves of More than  million ounces of told in 30 million ounce of Ihrer. Worthy goal Waxman said thai was not the intent of the hearing on Bills requiring the separation of took ing and non smoking areas in Federal buildings. Their intent he said was to protect the right of workers and visitors in Federal buildings not to be come involuntary smokers Koop said regulations along the lines of tie legislative proposals were already under consideration bythe general services administration inc government s chief housekeeping Agency. He said the existence of a link Between smoking and lung cancer had been borne out by More than 50,000 studies which he said led scientists to turn heir at Tention to the effect tobacco smoke might have on non smokers. He said further studies showed for example that non smoking wives of heavy smokers were twice As Likely to get Tung cancer As women whose husbands did not smoke. Another study he said indicated that passive smoke exposure May cause Between 500 and 5,000 cancer deaths a year among non smokers even if the lower figure is accepted he said sex Vitamin b-6 aids asthmatics scientists find Washington up1 researchers studying sickle cell anaemia stumbled onto a discovery that Vita min b-6 helps asthma patients. The agriculture department said Friday that a two year study at Columbia University showed Vitamin b 6 helped alleviate shortness of breath and other symptoms of bronchial asthma. The work was an unexpected offshoot of work showing that Vitamin b-6 relieves some symptoms of sickle Cella Nemia which affects about 50,000 Black americans. A researcher provided a 100-Milligram dose of the Vitamin to 15 asthma patients daily All of whom experienced fewer and less serious attacks. For the first time we have confirmed that the blood of adult asthma sufferers is Low in Vitamin b-6," said Robert Reynolds a chemist with the agriculture department who performed Laboratory analyses in the research. He cautioned that Vitamin b-6 is not a cure for asthma. The Normal intake is 1.5 milligrams to 2 Milli Grams a Day and indiscriminate use of higher doses could Lead to serious nerve damage. He said i 00-Milligram doses used in the study should be taken Only under a physician s care further research is being carried out at Scripps clinic at u Jolla Calif. Asthma attacks can Range from mild wheezing to life threatening shortness of breath. About 9 million americans suffer from the ailment. Asian Roach thriving in Florida it s a major pest experts say Gainesville . Up a state of the Art cockroach new to the Western hemisphere is spreading rapidly through Central Florida and in t afraid of humans insect experts said Friday. If you had to design a Roach to be a major pest the asian cockroach would be it said Richard Brenner an entomologist with the . Department of agriculture research service. Ii matures very quickly in sin to seven weeks compared to two 10 three months for the German  this could be the Roach that ruins the Back Yard Barbecue said Phil Koehlor Extension entomologist with the University of Florida s Institute of food and agricultural sciences. Brenner and Koehler presented their findings Friday at the Florida pest control association s annual meet ing in Orlando. At this Point said Koehler nearly every Pesti cide we tested kills 99 to 100 percent of them. However they can interbreed with the German Roach which is resistant to almost every known pesticide and the offspring might inherit that  Brenner who is researching the Roach with the us a s Richard Patterson said the asian cockroach seems to have no fear of humans normally a characteristic of cockroaches. During the Early evening hours the cockroaches move toward the House Fly to the porch Light and even enter the Home said Patterson. An area resident said that when he lifted his door mat several Hundred of the Roaches flew out. Inside the House the cockroaches Fly about the room Fly at the television screen and land on Light coloured Walls. Unlike other cockroaches the asian Roach does t hide from residents or their guest the asian cockroach has not previously been identified in the Western hemisphere. Brenner s research showed there Are about 15,000 asian Roaches per acre in the Tampa area and they Are spreading through Central Florida. In terms of Public health cockroaches Are known to cause allergies and spread disease such As food Poison ing. The researchers also fear that the asian Roach might Cany into Homes other pathogens associated with animal droppings Carcas ifs or soil contaminant. Posture to ambient tobacco smoke would represent More cancer deaths annually than any other agents currently regulated by the environmental Protection Agency. I personally believe that sufficient evidence exists to indicate that non smoker exposure to ambient to Bacco smoke is hazardous to their health that such exposure can cause lung cancer and probably other diseases and that we should not delay Public health measures to reduce or eliminate exposure to an agent proven to represent a substantial health threat be Sard. Witnesses against the Bills included Thomas Burch chairman of the National Vietnam veterans coalition who opposed any ban on smoking in veterans administration hospitals. Burch said the legislation would disproportionately Impact on Vietnam veterans in a hospitals saying 67 percent Are heavy smokers. Trauma and hardship associated with Vietnam service linger today and in Many cases As Small t Comfort As smoking helps these veterans Cope he said. Stateside motorists squawk when chickens cause traffic Jam new York a police and sanitation workers weren t playing Chicken on the new England thruway Friday. They were rounding up some 100 Birds that dropped off a truck causing a traffic Jam that angered motorists. About 10 crates fell from a tractor trailer forcing police to close two of the three South bound lanes of the interstate for two hours Dur ing the morning Rush hour until All the chickens were recaptured and the Road cleared. Cancellation of Centaur forces firm to fire 60 san Diego up sixty employees of general dynamics space systems division have been Laid off because of Nasa s decision to cancel the space shuttle Centaur rocket program a company spokesman said. The employees fired Friday Are the first to be affected by Nasa june 19 decision to abandon plans to use the general dynamics rocket to launch satellites from the space shuttle s cargo Bay. The decision effectively terminated a s600million contract with general dynamics. Company spokesman Jack Isabel said the jobs of 1,050 general dynamics employees in Sandiego and 150 in Cape canaveral fa., Are in jeopardy As a result of the decision. The shuttle Centaur accounted for about tic third of the employment in general dynamics space systems division. Nasa s decision to scrap the project apparently was prompted in part by pressure from congressional leaders who raised flight safety concerns about the Centaur program after theban. 28 Challenge disaster. Tortoise halts air traffic by toddling onto Tarmac Btu Bank Calif. Up a Tortoise named runway who May have been looking for a mat wandered onto an Airfield and slopped traffic briefly on the busiest runway at a commuter Airport. Runway a 9-by-l 2-Inch female Tortoise was safely removed from the runway Friday and was adopted by a Burbank Airport employee a flight to Sacramento was Able to Lake off after five minute delay. Alan Hyde manager of Airport operations nod maintenance said it was t the first time a Tor Toise has toddled onto the strip of Concrete where jets Are used to rumbling at a faster rate of Speed. He recalled a similar incident in 1973. Beach Rogers a reporter for local news radio station Knox and a Tortoise Buff said los an Geles is a popular resort for desert tortoises and Early summer is the time of year when they wan Der around looking for a companion. This is the time of year when they Lay eggs he  offered to advise Airport courier Linda Coteman who adopted runway on the care and feeding of tortoises