
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, August 20, 1993                   TAG: 9308200003
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ATLANTA                                LENGTH: Short

RESEARCH FINDS SMOKING RAISES RISK OF LEUKEMIA

Smokers have a 50 percent greater risk of contracting a deadly form of adult leukemia, according to government research that presents the strongest link yet between cigarettes and leukemia.

Tobacco smoke causes 22 percent of all cases of myeloid leukemia, making it the leading known cause of the disease, the study by a national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientist found.

"A lot of people are worried about exposure to radiation and electromagnetic fields, which are linked to leukemia," the scientist, Dr. Michael Siegel, said Thursday. "But it's clear that smoking is much more deadly."

"It's yet another cancer related to a known carcinogen, which is tobacco smoke," said Dr. Clark Heath of the American Cancer Society.

Leukemia is a cancer of the blood cells.

by CNB