ASSOCIATED UNIVERSITIES, ING.
SUITE 603
1717 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE, N. W.
WasHINGTON, D. G. 20036
202/462-4475

 

March 20, 1980

Dr. Joshua Lederberg
President

The Rockefeller University
66 York Avenue

New York, NY

Dear Josh:

I just read in the New York Times that you are Chairman of the
Cancer Advisory Committee and I thought you might be interested
in the problem on which I am working.

I have been concerned for some time that we haven't any 'measuring
stick' in regard to chemical mutagens. You remember, something
similar was developed in regard to radiation as we first deter-
mined man's unavoidable exposure to ionizing radiation from

cosmic rays, potassium in the body and necessary medical X-rays.
This served as the hasis by which effects were recognized at

low dosages. You know this story, of course, very well.

Now, I am trying to do something of a similar nature with regard
to chemicals. The National Cancer Institute has given me a small
amount of money (which is handled by the Brookhaven National
Laboratory) to develop this idea. We held two workshops in 1979
out of which came the attached list of chemicals to which man

is unavoidably exposed. Of course, there are many additional
chemicals, but these, we decided, are the most significant to
serve as a preliminary guideline for future measurements. Based
on a committee set up as the Task Force #4 of the International
Commission for Protection against Environmental Mutagens and
Carcinogens (ICPEMC), our organizing committee consists of Drs.
Takashi Sugimura, Verne Ray. Lorenzo Tomatis and myself, as
chairman,

accepu: fj

pod. regret: [et
AAT Cn fA ee tiot, ah
Dr. Joshua Lederberg page 2 March 20, 1980

The third conference is scheduled for March 26 and 27 and the So
program for this is attached. Might you be able to attend to
help us to develop this idea further?

The first day, we will try to determine the validity of the
data which has thusfar been collected on these four chemical
groups and we will try to make a more definite statement of
estimated exposure. On the second day, we will deal more with
planning and where we should go from here to determine the
genetic potency of these chemicals or possibly the utilization
of another approach which may be more promising to look at
chemicals from a somewhat different point of view. In any case,
the 27th will deal entirely with planning and we will consider
the unavoidable exposure to carcinogens and those which are pro-
duced in the body.

If you are able to join us, we would appreciate your background

and feel that your participation would be most useful at this
meeting. We will begin at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, March 26 a
and at 9:00 A.M. on Thursday at Building 31, C-Wing, Conference
Room 8 at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda.

Cordia >

A der Hollaender

AH/cmw .
enclosures