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After a long career with DuPont, Dr. Wells retrained himself as an epidemiologist, his son Jack said, and published 12 papers in medical and scientific journals on the health effects of smoking, particularly secondhand smoke.
In a 1994 groundbreaking study, Dr. Wells concluded that secondhand cigarette smoke would cause 47,000 deaths and about 150,000 nonfatal heart attacks a year. For the article, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, he analyzed eight studies, including his own. "Practicing physicians would do well to warn their at-risk patients to avoid smoky rooms," he concluded.
Dr. Wells was a volunteer with the American Lung Association, a consultant to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, and vice chairman of the National Council for Clean Indoor Air. He testified about smoking before Congress, and his work with the EPA led to its classifying tobacco smoke as a Class A carcinogen.
He also studied the relationship between smoking and breast cancer and was concerned about the possibility that smoking could alter sperm and ultimately affect the gene pool.
A native of Highland Park, Ill., Dr. Wells earned a bachelor's degree and a doctorate in physical chemistry from Harvard University and remained an active alumnus.
He began his career with DuPont in 1941 and retired in 1989 as director of the industrial products division of the fabrics and finishes department. He was responsible for three patents.
Dr. Wells married Mary Gunn in 1937. She was a smoker, their son said, but quit with the help of acupuncture and support groups when her husband retired. "He was going to be home all day. She had to," their son said.
Dr. Wells and his wife lived in Wilmington, where he was active with organizations promoting integration. He was former cochairman of the New Castle Presbytery Work Group Against Racism. The couple moved to Kendal in 1989.
Mary Gunn Wells died in 1993. Dr. Wells married Nancy Edgar in 1994.
He enjoyed sailing in the Chesapeake Bay, New England, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, and Britain.
In addition to his wife and son, he is survived by another son, David; daughters Anne Harms, Harriet Shaw, Lucy Hausner and Jane; stepchildren Samuel, Michael and Kate Edgar; 11 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Church, 101 Old Kennett Rd., Wilmington.
Contact staff writer, Sally A. Downey at 215-854-2913 or sdowney@phillynews.com.
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