The International
Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization
concluded in 2002 that:
There is sufficient evidence that involuntary smoking (exposure
to secondhand or 'environmental' tobacco smoke) causes lung
cancer in humans. ... Involuntary smoking (exposure to
secondhand or 'environmental' tobacco smoke) is carcinogenic to
humans (Group 1.
Most experts believe that moderate, occasional exposure to
secondhand smoke presents a small but measurable cancer risk to
nonsmokers. The overall risk depends on the effective dose
received over time. The risk is more significant if non-smokers
spend many hours in an environment where cigarette smoke is
prevalent, such as a business where many employees or patrons
are smoking throughout the day, or a residential care facility
where residents smoke freely.
In May 2006, the United States Centers for Disease Control
issued its first new study on secondhand smoke in 20 years.
Surgeon General Richard Carmona summarized:
The health effects of secondhand smoke exposure are more
pervasive than we previously thought. The scientific evidence is
now indisputable: secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance. It
is a serious health hazard that can lead to disease and
premature death in children and nonsmoking adults.
The study estimated that living or working in a place where
smoking is permitted increases the non-smokers' risk of
developing heart disease by 25–30% and lung cancer by 20–30%.
The report also found that passive smoke causes sudden infant
death syndrome (SIDS), respiratory problems, ear infections, and
asthma attacks in children.
Current state of scientific opinion >>
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Second Hand Smoke Passive smoking
Long-term
effects
Short-term
effects
Causal
mechanisms
Epidemiological studies of passive smoking
1. Studies of passive smoking in animals
2.
Risk level of passive smoking
Current state of scientific opinion
1. Public
opinion
Controversy over harms of passive smoking
1. Critique of individual studies and epidemiology
2. World Health Organization controversy
3. EPA lawsuit
4. Tobacco-industry funding of research
Tobacco industry response
1. Position of major tobacco companies
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