Page 4--Saturday, May 31, 1980-The Michigan Dail",
A recovery for
Vernon Jordan
AMERICANS nationwide are praying for Ver-
non Jordan's full recovery. People from all
walks of life can be thankful for this courageous
man's record of support for human justice and
dignity for all.
From the days of theearly sixties when Jordan
took his first full-time job as a civil rights activist
to his present post as president of the National Ur-
ban League, Jordan has proved to be one of the
country's most influential black leaders. Though he
now associates with the rich and powerful, Jordan
has never lost his warm sense of humor that makes
him comfortable with both rich and poor, black and
white.
Though noted for his tact, Jordan is outspoken
and forceful when he has to be. A close personal
friend of President Carter, Jordan nevertheless
sharply criticized the president for not living up to
his campaign promises to blacks.
Jordan first became prominent in 1961 when he
helped usher a young black woman through a
crowd of angry whites on her way to the first day of
classes at the all-white University of Georgia. In
later years he led a boycott of Augusta merchants
who refused to hire blacks. He also worked for the
NAACP, directed the Southern Regional Council's
Voter Education Project, and headed the United
Negro College Fund.
A strong leader, Jordan has been praised for his
ability to articulate the needs of black Americans.
He is adept at crossing racial barriers and getting
one side to see the other's point of view. Warm
wishes from all sectors of the community-black,
Hispanic and Jewish groups and political and
business leaders-have flooded his hospital room.
If this shooting, like the assassinations of too
many other black leaders, was motivated by racial
prejudice, then our sense of outrage will equal our
sense of sadness that such an occurrence could
temporarily slow one of America's most vital
leaders.
Q: Is it harmful to cook over
charcoal?
A:,According to the National
Cancer Institute, two cancer-
causing substances-one similar
to the tar from nicotine cigarettes
and the other resulting from the
breakdown of amino acids-are
found in the protein-rich food that
is broiled in the oven or grilled
over charcoal.
However, scientists do not
know to what extent, if any,
eating broiled or charcoaled
meats and fish increases a per-
sons's chances of developing
cancer.
There has been no study under-
taken that shows higher cancer
rates among those who eat a lot of
broiled foods, but an association
has been found between eating
smoked fish and developing
stomach cancer. Because broiled
foods contain the same car-
cinogenic substances-polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons-as
smoked meat and fish, many
scientists believe that people who
broil their food may be subjected
to similar risks.
In addition to the association
with stomach cancer, other
associations with disease have
been found. For example, one
particular polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbon called benzopyrene
causes- cancer of the gastroin-
testinal tract, lung, and breast as
well as leukemia when fed to
laboratory animals.
The cancer-causing substances
develop during the broiling
process when rising smoke is
deposited on the food and when
other interactions, such as the
breakdown of protein, occurs.
Because of this, the National
Cancer Institute advises that it is
safer to boil or poach your food.
* * *
Q: What are some of the risks
that a woman who smokes takes?
A: Women who smoke are ap-
proximately doubling their risk
of heart disease; use of oral con-
Co'oking
with,
charcoalham
traceptives in combination with
smoking multiples the risk even
further.
Mortality rates for women
smokers are about 1.3 times those
of nonsmokers, while the risk for
those who smoke two packs or
women accounted for one in six
fatal cases of cancer. Today it is
one in four. If this trends con-
tinues, lung cancer may soon
overtake breast cancer as the
leading cause of cancer deaths
among women.
Smoking causes harmful effec-
ts during pregnancy as well.
Women who smoke during
pregnancy have, more spon-
taneous abortions, greater in-
cidences of bleeding, premature
rupture of amniotic membranes,
and more fetal and newborn
deaths. These women have
babies that are an average 200
grams lighter than babies born to
non-smoking women.
The encouraging news in the
report was that women do seem
to be successfully kicking the
habit. A preliminary estimate
was that the percentage of
women who smoke dropped from
33 per cent in 1976 to 28 per cent
today, largely due to women
giving up smoking.
If you would like to help lower
the smoking rates for either
women or men, you may be in-
terested in the June 5th no-
obligation information meeting of
the U-M Smoking Withdrawal
Program. For more information
on this cold-turkey clinic spon-
sored by the U-M Faculty and
Staff Assistance Program and
University Health Service, call
763-1320.
Health Service Handbook will
answer a variety of health-
related questions each Satur-
day on this page. Questions
should be addressed to Gail
Ryan, University Health Serv-
ice, 2O7FletcherAve.
Health Service
Handbook
more per day jumps to 1.63
greater than for nonsmoking
women.
These were some of the star-
tling figures revealed in the "1980
Surgeon General's Report on
Smoking" which highlighted the
trend of increased lung cancer
among women.
Thirty years ago, only one in
twelve lung cancer deaths oc-
curred in a woman. In 1968,
Unsigned editorials appearing on the
left side of this page represent a majority
opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board.
LETTERS TO THE DAILY:
Registration unnecessary,
unfa irunconstitutional
needed in the armed forces is Defense Information)
To the Dai tressed by the not borne oit by the facts. We December 1979, indicates
President'sirequest for have a standing army of 2.1 the greatest need for Mid
peacetime registration and million persons, the number oil comes from the mili
believe it should be opposed set by the Pentagon, which which is the largest si
because it is unfair, un- has been kept up to strength' consumer of energy in the
necessary, unconstitutional within a few percentage points Seventy per cent of the en
under the tun amendment by the All Volunteer Force. In used by the military cu
and contrary to American fact, enlistments for the first from petroleum, the ar
tradition, part of this year are con- reports, as opposed to 46
It is glaringly apparent that siderably higher than for the cent used by the nation
18-to-20-year-old men, one of same period last year. whole.
the least powerful groups in Finally, the President's One observer has comp
the leastypowefulrequest for rapid deployment ted that "ironically, if
our society, have been singled forces to protect our "national United States should un
out and are being used s interest" in the Middle East take a heavy military
political pawns to solve the oil fields runs the gamut from volvement in the Middle I
problems the Admiistration disturbing to immoral. I am or elsewhere, the amoun
haslargely crested. embarrassed by the presum- energy used by the mili
Pre ident is asking o y th ptionthat our country thinks it would increase by a fact
registration and not the draft has the right to take three or more. Conceiv.
is fallacious, for we have another country's resources at then, in a Middle East ac
never had registration without the point of a gun. the military could const
n eveha regisratin wihout Arecent article, "The Oil more oil than it we
an eventual draft, and seldom Crisis: Is There a Military Op- acquire."
a draft without a war. tion?", published in the -Edith Hefi
. To. ay more manpower is M (Cntr, Mow 97
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