I think it is sad that a 'baby boomer' with lung cancer is thought to be from smoking or second hand smoke or asbestos exposure somehow. THE most probable cause is exposure to 2-butoxyethanol and many have parents who were poisoned by this chemical either in war eras or in manufacturing ... or from things everyone uses: paint, cleaning products. I am sad to hear of a fine man passing of any cancer, but especially one such as this which has a public, inaccurate stigma attached to it. Senator Arlen Spector with his brain tumor/s and Hodgkin's lymphoma is another example of getting a late to show up birth defect ... most probably from a poisoning of a parent (His dad served in WWI). I think you will note from now on that the life expectancy in the USA is about 65. Researchers are very concerned about the rising rates of soft tissue sarcomas (such as all the lung cancers), diabetes, Autism, birth defects, and etc. You are dealing with the AUTOIMMUNE causing chemical exposure. Looks like 'the flu' Causes CFIDS, CFS, FM

Cancer rates are falling in the US, as they have for the last several years.

And according to the CDC:

How likely is 2-butoxyethanol and 2-butoxyethanol acetate to cause cancer?

The Department of Health and Human Services, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and Environmental Protection Agency have not classified 2-butoxyethanol and 2-butoxyethanol acetate as to their human carcinogenicity.

No carcinogenicity studies on 2-butoxyethanol and 2-butoxyethanol acetate are available in people or animals.

This literature review from Environmental Health Perspectives in September 2005 says basically the same thing.

So you might be right, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of peer reviewed clinical evidence to support your theory.

regards,

The life expectancy for males in the US has not dropped below 70 in the last decade. It is certainly not 65. I don't know about the rest of it, but you get all sorts of chemicals everywhere you turn nowadays.

The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics says (click the link for the 2003 table):

Both males and females in each race group experienced increases in life expectancy between 2002 and 2003. The greatest increase was experienced by black females with an increase of 0.5 years (from 75.6 to 76.1). Life expectancy increased by 0.2 years for black males (from 68.8 to 69.0), white males (from 75.1 to 75.3), and for white females (from 80.3 to 80.5).

2003 mortality figures are the most recent available.

The nice thing about the internet is that good information is so easily available. But you do have to go find it.

regards,