What do the findings from various AIDS scientific studies have to do with the immediate outlawing of nitrite inhalants? Everything. These are no ordinary AIDS pharmaceutical or clinical studies and nitrite inhalants, or "poppers", as they're commonly known, are no ordinary drug. If the AIDS-cancer, Kaposi's Sarcoma can be shown to be caused by nitrite inhalants, everything known about AIDS will grind to a halt. Why? From as early as 1978 doctors have wondered if the gay men who inhaled nitrite inhalants were in danger of developing cancer.

Before AIDS was so titled, the disease was known as "Gay Cancer", referring to Kaposi's Sarcoma, with the first governmental agency worldwide to investigate the disease being KSOI, the USA agency set up to examine the appearance of Kaposi's Sarcoma.

We are grateful to US investigative journalist Raphael Hall for the information supplied and reproduced below with minimal editing.

1) November 18, 1988 - just 28 days after publication of a major medical study showed there was no HIV in any Kaposi's Sarcoma tissues, Public Law 100-690 was passed in the USA banning the sale of butyl nitrite inhalants. Sallahuddin et al., "Angiogenic Properties of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Derived Cells After Long-Term Culture in Vitro", SCIENCE 242 Oct. 21, 1988 pp. 430-433. UNITED STATES STATUTES AT LARGE, 100th Congress, 2D Session, 1988, Vol. 102, Part 5, p.4231. Public Law 100-690, section 2402, Nov. 18, 1988.

2) October 1978 - doctors writing for the AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY documented their concerns about: 1) The increased use of Nitrite Inhalants among gay men and heterosexuals, and 2) The possibility of an increased cancer risk among the users of the drug. Note: By the late 1970's, nitrite inhalants were a $50 million dollar business. Sigell et al., "Popping and Snorting Volatile Nitrites: A Current fad for Getting High", Am. J. of Psy. October 1978, pp 1216- 1218.

3) December 21, 1981 - TIME documented the explosion of a new cancer among gay men. (More than 85 percent of the patients in a CDC study admitted to histories of inhaling nitrite vapors) "Opportunistic Diseases- A puzzling New Syndrome Afflicts Homosexual Men", TIME, Dec. 21, 1981, p.68. CDC study: Centers For Disease Control et al., "Special Report- Epidemiologic Aspects Of The Current Outbreak Of Kaposi's Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections", New England Journal Of Medicine vol. 306, January 28, 1982, p.248-250.

4) In 1983 The CDC performed short term, low dose tests of nitrite inhalants on mice and decided nitrite inhalants did not cause AIDS. (They never considered long term effects at dosages comparable to those of recreational users.) "What Gay and Bisexual Men Should Know About AIDS", CDC Brochure, 1983. "AIDS and Poppers" by Tom Bethell, available here.

4a) In 1984 Dr. Robert Gallo swore under oath that HIV could be mass produced for the HIV test within indefinitely growing, "immortal" T-cells. UNITED STATES PATENT #4,520,113 (Patent for the HIV antibody test- April 23, 1984)

4b) HTLV III (Original name of HIV) was announced to be sexually transmitted, kill T-cells and cause all AIDS diseases, including AIDS Kaposi's Sarcoma in a series of 4 papers published in SCIENCE, May 4, 1984, pp 497-506. Paper 1: M. Popovic et al., (w/ Robert Gallo major-writer), "Detection, Isolation and Continuous Production of Cytopathic Retrovirus (HTLV III) from Patients with AIDS and Pre-AIDS". Paper 2: R. Gallo et al., (w/ S. Salahuddin and M. Popovic major writers) "Frequent Detection and Isolation of Cytopathic Retroviruses from (HTLV III) from Patients With AIDS and At Risk For AIDS". Paper 3: J. Schupbach et al., (w/ M. Popovic, and R. Gallo major writers) "Serological Analysis of a subgroup of Human T Lymphotropic Retroviruses (HTLV III) Associated with AIDS". Paper 4: M.G. Sarngadharan et al., (w/ M. Popovic and R. Gallo major-writers) "Antibodies Reactive with Human T-Lymphotropic Retroviruses (HTLV III) in the Serum of Patients with AIDS".

4c) Approximately one month prior to HIV being announced as the cause of AIDS, a study showed the T-cell abnormalities showing up in hemophiliacs were not sexually transmissible to their spouses. However, wives in the study had had numerous unprotected sexual encounters with their husbands for years, prior to the discovery of HIV, and the husbands failed to infect the wives. J.K. Kreiss, "Non-transmission of T-cell Subset Abnormalities From Hemophiliacs to Their Spouses", JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MED. ASSOC. vol. 251, March 16, 1984, pp. 1450-1454.

4d) In the following medical studies, HIV failed to mutate and kill T-cells. Study 1: Gallo's findings that HIV infected T-cells in vitro are undying, or "immortal" were confirmed by this 1985 study. J.A. Hoxie, "Persistent Noncytopathic Infection of Normal Human T Lymphocytes with AIDS-Assiciated Retrovirus", SCIENCE, vol. 229, September 27, 1985, p. 1400- 1402. Study 2: The T-cell counts of HIV-positive, IV drug users who continued injecting were documented as dropping by 35 percent in comparison to those who stopped. D.C. DesJarlais, "Development of AIDS, HIV Seroconversion and Potential Co-factors for T-4 Cell Loss In A Cohort of Intravenous Drug Users.", AIDS, vol. 1, (1987): pp. 105-111. Study 3: HIV positive hemophiliacs who were treated with purified Factor VIII (clotting agent) saw no changes in their T-cells, while those treated with inexpensive, regular Factor VIII saw decreases in their cell counts. Di Biasi et al., "The Impact of A Very High Purity of Factor VIII Concentrate On The Immune System of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Hemophiliacs: A Randomized, Prospective, Two-Year Comparison With An Intermediate Purity Concentrate", BLOOD, vol. 78, (1991): 1919-1922. Study 4: The T-cell counts of twenty-nine percent of 1,020 HIV positive gay men increased over a 2 year period, without any AIDS medication. (These men were in the control arms of the AZT trials and did not receive medication) M.D. Hughes, "Within -Subject Variation in CD4 lymphocyte Count in Asymptomatic Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection: Implications For Patient Monitoring", JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, Vol. 169, (1994): 28-36. Study 5: African AIDS patients with tuberculosis were documented as seeing increases in their T-cells with improved nutrition, and standard anti-TB medication. D.J. Martin, "CD4 Lymphocyte Count in African Patients Co-infected With HIV and Tuberculosis", JOURNAL OF ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROMES AND HUMAN RETROVIROLOGY, vol. 8, (1995): 386-391.

5a) Burroughs Wellcome: after Nitroglycerine tablets replaced Amyl Nitrite as the standard treatment for angina attacks, Amyl Nitrite manufacturer Burroughs Wellcome allegedly discovered new revenue in marketing Amyl Nitrites to gay men. Reference: Ian Young, "The Poppers Story - The Rise And Fall And Rise of the Gay Drug", pp. 2-4; John Lauritsen, "Queer Advertising- From Poppers to Protease Inhibitors"; 1983 Burroughs Wellcome advertisement: "The Real Thing... Amyl Nitrite"

5b) Burroughs Wellcome, as the producer of AZT, the first drug approved to treat AIDS, inherited many of their former Amyl Nitrite customers. (Ian Young, "The Poppers Story- The Rise And Fall And Rise Of the Gay Drug"; John Lauritsen, "Queer Advertising- From Poppers To protease Inhibitors", p. 2.)

6) Reasons for the popularity of Nitrite Inhalants among sexually promiscuous gay men: A) They lower inhibitions, B) They ease the pain of anal sex, C) They increase the intensity of orgasms, D) They create a euphoric high, and E) They're highly addictive. (John Lauritsen, "NIDA Meeting Calls For Research Onto The Poppers-Kaposi's Sarcoma Connection", NEW YORK NATIVE, June 13, 1994); Dr. Harry W. Haverkos, Dr. Andrea Kopstein, Hank Wilson and Dr. Peter Drotman, "Nitrite Inhalants: History, Epidemiology, and Possible Links to AIDS"; ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES, October 10, 1994, pp. 858- 861; Tom Bethell, "AIDS and Poppers".

7) In 1988 Dr Harry Haverkos of the National Institute of Drug Abuse assembled a collection of little known laboratory experiments studying the long-term effects of high dosages of nitrite inhalants on the immune systems of rats. (Dosages similar to those of recreational users) All high dose experiments showed destructive effects to the immune systems after a few months. HEALTH HAZARDS OF NITRITE INHALANTS. Available at www.nida.nih.gov

8) Between 1986 and Jan. 20, 1990 the existence of HIV free Kaposi's Sarcoma in gay men was documented in four medical studies published in major American medical journals. (N.B. HIV-free men cannot have an HIV gene) Afrasiabi et al., "Characterization Of A Distinct Subgroup Of High-Risk Persons With Kaposi's Sarcoma and Good Prognosis Who Present With Normal T4 Cell Number and T4:T8 ratio and Negative HTLV III/LAV Serologic Results", AM. J. MED. vol. 81, (1986): 969-973. Archer et al., "Kaposi's Sarcoma in a Homosexual -10 Years On", CLIN. EXP. DERM. vol. 14, (1989): 233- 236. Ho et al., "Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 In A Seronegative Patient With Visceral Kaposi's Sarcoma and Hypogammaglobulinemia", AM. J. Med. vol. 86, (1989): 349-351. Friedman Kien et al., "Kaposi's Sarcoma in HIV Negative Homosexual Men", LANCET vol. 335, Jan. 20, 1990: 168, 169.

9) November 29, 1990: Nearly seven months after AIDS researchers announced HIV as the alleged cause of Kaposi's Sarcom., Public Law 101-647 was passed outlawing the sale of isopropyl and other nitrite inhalants. UNITED STATES STATUTES AT LARGE, 101st. Congress, 1990, Public Law 101-647, section 3202.

10) Between 1981 and 1991 the rate of the incidence of AIDS K.aposi's Sarcoma. had fallen by 40 percent, from 50% of all AIDS cases in 1981 to 10% percent by 1991. A similar drop in the use of nitrite inhalants was observed in gay men. L.M. Krieger, "Kaposi's Sarcoma, AIDS Link Questioned", San Francisco Examiner, June 5, 1992, A-1, A-17. Centers For Disease Control et al., "Epidemiologic Aspects of the Current Outbreak of Kaposi's Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections", NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE., vol. 306, (1982): 248-252. Ostrow et al., "Recreational Drug Use and Sexual Behavior Change In A Cohort of Homosexual Men", AIDS, vol. 4, (1990): 759 765. H. Haverkos, A. Kopstein, H. Wilson., "Nitrite Inhalants: History, Epidemiology, and Possible Links to AIDS", ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES, vol. 102, October 1994, pp. 858-861.)

11) In June 13, 1994, the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) sponsored a high-level meeting, "Technical Review: Nitrite Inhalants" on May 23, and 24 to discuss the connection between nitrite inhalants and AIDS KAPOSI'S SARCOMA. Important findings from this meeting were: a) Dr. Robert Gallo: "No longer is HIV believed to cause KAPOSI'S SARCOMA. by itself; at most it may aggravate KS after it has been caused by something else" and "No longer is HIV believed to kill T-cells: whatever damage it allegedly does, it does indirectly". b) John Lauritsen, the USA AIDS journalist, historian and researcher who was instrumental in the USA banof poppers, stated "Historically, the use of nitrite inhalants for recreational purposes has been limited almost entirely to gay men", and in referring to places frequented by gay men just prior to AIDS in the seventies, Lauritsen said, "The miasma of nitrite fumes was taken for granted at gay gathering places: bars, baths, leather clubs". This shows gay men who developed AIDS Kaposi's Sarcoma and admitted to never using nitrite inhalants could have had regular exposures to second hand nitrite vapors at places frequented by gay men. c) Dr. Harry Haverkos stated: "We do not see the expected donor-recipient connection - there is not a single reported case of Kaposi's Sarcoma among blood recipients where the donor had KAPOSI'S SARCOMA." John Lauritsen., "NIDA Meeting Calls For Research Into The Popper-Kaposi's Sarcoma Connection", New York Native, June 13, 1994.

12) August 12, 1994: Bio/Technology published an article where doctors from the National Institutes on Health were reconsidering the link between nitrite inhalants to AIDS KAPOSI'S SARCOMA. and agreed recommendations for the proposal of a long-term study on the health of laboratory animals exposed to nitrite inhalants made by Dr. Harry Haverkos, Acting Director of Clinical Research at NIDA and Daniel Koshland, Editor of SCIENCE. John Lauritsen, "NIH Reconsiders Nitrites' Link To AIDS", BIO/TECHNOLOGY, vol. 12, Aug. 1994, pp.762, 763.

13) Between 1993 and 1995 NIDA rejected ten requests to study the long-term effects of nitrite inhalants on the health of laboratory animals by National Academy of Sciences award-winner Dr. Peter Duesberg and inhalation toxicologist Professor Otto Raabe. "NIH Reconsiders Nitrites Link To AIDS" BIO/TECHNOLOGY, Aug. 1994. Peter Duesberg, INVENTING THE AIDS VIRUS, Regnery Publishing: Washington DC, (1996): 412, 413.

14) Dr. Duesberg's Nitrite Proposal: "Since nitrites are some of the best known mutagens and carcinogens and AIDS KS typically occurs on the skin and in the lungs, the primary site of nitrite inhalant expoure, I propose to solve the "mystery": Expose 100 mice, or cats, or monkeys to nitrite inhalants at doses comparable with human recreational use and for time periods approximating the so-called 10 year latent period between infection by HIV and the onset of AIDS-possibly a euphemism for the time of drug use necessary for AIDS to develop. (It takes 10 to 20 years of smoking for emphysema or lung cancer to develop.) I would predict this result: immunodeficiency, pneumonia, and pulmonary KS in animals". Peter Duesberg, "The Duesberg Phenomenom": Duesberg And Other Voices", SCIENCE, vol. 267, (1995): p. 313, 314. Peter Duesberg, INVENTING THE AIDS VIRUS, Renery Publishing, (1996), p. 652.

15) In December 16, 1994 and February 1, 1995 a new virus, Human Herpes Virus VIII became the third announced-cause of Kaposi's Sarcoma since 1983. USA AIDS journalist L.K. Altman queried that if a new virus was the cause of Kaposi's Sarcoma, why did it appear at the same time as HIV and why two new viruses at the same time? L. K. Altman, "Going Off The Beaten Path to Track Down Clues About AIDS", NEW YORK TIMES, Dec. 16, 1995, p.1. L.K. Altman, "AIDS Cancer Said To Have Viral Source", NEW YORK TIMES, Feb 1, 1995, p. A-22. Tom Bethell, "AIDS and Poppers".

16) October 25, 2001: warnings to the San Francisco Department of Health are issued over the revival in the use of nitrite inhalants by gay men in bathhouses and sex clubs. C. Heredia, "Poppers' Link to HIV Prompts Call For Warnings in San Francisco: Supervisors hear pleas for new action.", San Francisco Chronicle. (Available at www.sfgate.com)

17) March 2002- UK Music Magazine MINISTRY invites club-going teens and young adults around the world to try nitrite inhalants in their article, "It'll Be Alright On The Nitrite". MINISTRY quoted an un-named, non-existent American medical study that concluded nitrite inhalants caused no harm to health. American experts Dr. Harry Haverkos, Dr. Peter Duesberg, Dr. Alvin Friedman-Kien, and John Lauritsen, were sent copies of the article. None of these leading medical experts have heard of any such study. MINISTRY has not responded to repeated e-mails or letters in this connection. MINISTRY rated their top-5 brands of nitrite inhalants, and their music editor was pictured before, during, and after use.

18) April 2002: an e-mail sent to USA investigative journalist Raphael Hall by Dr. Harry Haverkos (between Dr. Harry Haverkos and CDC employee Dr. Michael J. Cannon) reveals some doctors believe HHV-8, (the third announced cause of AIDS KAPOSI'S SARCOMA.), now needs the help of nitrite inhalants to cause KAPOSI'S SARCOMA.

Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2002 14:59:06 -0400

-----Original Message----- From: Cannon, Michael J. [mailto:mrc7@cdc.gov]

Sent: Friday, March 29, 2002 3:04 PM
To: Haverkos, Harry W. (FDA)
Cc: Pellett, Philip E.
Subject: KS and poppers

Dear Harry,

Since yesterday I've been thinking about our phone discussion on KS and poppers. Without doing a complete review of the literature, it seems to me that this is a problem best addressed by looking at a cohort of HIV seropositive, HHV-8 seropositive men, some of whom went on to develop KS. Then poppers use could be compared in those with and without KS. This would remove the potential for confounding by HHV-8 serostatus, the major problem with the studies of KS and poppers that preceded the discovery of HHV-8. Unfortunately, we don't have access to this type of cohort. There may be others at CDC who do (Harold Jaffe might be a good contact person), but then HHV-8 testing would still need to be done. Groups that have already measured HHV-8 seroprevalence and KS outcomes in their large HIV cohorts are MACS, the SF group (Martin, Osmond, etc.), the Amsterdam cohort (Renwick, Goudsmit, Coutinho, etc.), the Danish cohort (Melbye, M., etc.), and an Italian cohort (Rezza, G., etc.). Except for Melbye et al. (1998), none of these groups presented data on poppers use in their HHV-8 studies, but I suspect that information on poppers was collected in most cases (although I'm not familiar with the quality of that information). My feeling is that other ways of attempting to resolve this issue, such as ecologic studies that compare trends in KS with trends in poppers use, are going to be unsatisfying to many people. I think the best bet would be to discuss the above study design with one of these groups. They could probably all address the question using data currently in hand. Let me know what you think.

Best wishes, Mike

Michael J. Cannon,
Ph.D. Research Epidemiologist
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road,
Mailstop A-15 Atlanta,
GA 30333
(404)639-4832
(404)639-2779 (fax)

19) Between 1978 and 2002: doctors have believed gay men who inhaled nitrite inhalants were at risk for developing cancer. Dr. Harry Haverkos believes nitrite inhalants combined with Human Herpes Virus VIII causes the disease.

We would like to invite you to have your say in this debate, please e-mail us with your comments and thoughts.

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