Doctor Devra Davis, who directs the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and is a professor of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Health, makes a case about cancer causes in the February 15th edition of Newsweek magazine that supports key findings in THE HUNDRED YEAR LIE.

(1) That a person's body burden of synthetic chemical exposures are a cause for concern. Says Dr. Davis: "We're beginning to realize that the sum total of a person's exposure to all the little amounts of cancerous agents in the environment may be just as harmful as big doses of a few well-known carcinogens. Our chances of getting cancer reflect the full gamut of carcinogens we're exposed to each day -- in air, water and food pollution and in cancerous ingredients or contaminants in household cleaners, clothing, furniture and the dozens of personal care products many of us use daily."

(2) That the synergistic and additive effects of synthetic chemicals acting together should be a growing cause for alarm. Says Dr. Davis: "There's plenty of solid human evidence that combined pollutants can cause more harm together than they do alone." She lists numerous examples, such as childhood cancers occurring in children with no inherited risk of the disease, and lung cancer in women occurring in women with no exposure to smoking.

(3) Manufacturers use trade secrecy laws to withhold necessary information about chemicals from the public. Says Dr. Davis: "The problem, from a scientific standpoint, is that resolving the effects of miniscule levels of chemicals we encounter throughout our lives is part of a complicated puzzle for which many pieces are missing. What scientists need is data-- lots of it. Manufacturers, however, tend to hold the precise formulations of products as trade secrets, and the law allows them to withhold much information about carcinogens even if they are known to be present."

(4) That medical science is constantly redefining what is normal in a way that warps our awareness of the dangers. Says Dr. Davis: "In light of the growing numbers of young girls with breasts, the certifying board for pediatric endocrinology in 1999 changed the recommendation of what is natural. We believe this is a dangerous move. If we say that it's now normal for young girls to develop breasts at ages 6 and 7, we will fail to pick up serious diseases that could account for this. We will also lose the chance to learn whether widely used agents in the environment, like those found in personal care products today or others that may enter the food supply, lay behind some of these patterns."

(5) We are all guinea pigs in a vast chemical experiment. Says Dr. Davis: "There's a problem with the way the United States and other countries look at toxicity in commercial agents. Regulators nowadays often won't take action until enough people have already complained of harm. This makes little sense....People have a right to know whether products they use on themselves and their children contain compounds that increase their risk of disease. They also have a right to expect that government will prevent companies from selling products that are harmful to children. To do otherwise is to treat our children like lab rats in a vast uncontrollable experiment."