Room £17-113 Tel. 617/253-6401

February 27, 1979

To the Editor

The New York Times

229 West 43rd Street
New York, New York 10036

Dear Sir:

According to an AP report, Mr. William Blakey, Deputy Assistant
Secretary of HEW, has stated to a Congressional subcommittee that
“yemoving potential hazardous asbestos from... schools should be the
responsibility of state and local governments" and that "federal money
would not be available for the task."

This astonishing attitude is presumably shared by Mr. Blakey's
superiors, including Secretary Califano and, ultimately, President
Jimmy Carter.

Asbestos is one of the best understood and most dangerous environmental
carcinogens. It causes primarily cancers in the lung, but also in other
organs. And it is a carcinogen that we have the power to eliminate.

The American people through their Congress spend a billion dollars a
year for research on cancer. But the Administration uses a technicality
to deny a few million dollars to protect our school children from a well
established hazard. This is the same Administration that actually wants
to increase by several billions (well beyond the cost of livéng raise)
the appropriations for defense.

One sometimes wonders whether the struggle against cancer is worth
pursuing in the face of the callous inversion of priorities shown by
those who run our Government.

Sincerely yours,

sel/na S. E. Luria, M.D.

Director
Institute Professor