BMJ  2003;326:1048-1049 (17 May), doi:10.1136/bmj.326.7398.1048

Editorial

Effect of passive smoking on health

More information is available, but the controversy still persists

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

In 1928 Schönherr proposed that lung cancers among non-smoking women could be caused by inhalation of their husbands' smoke.¹ Since then a substantial body of research has appeared, but the impact of environmental tobacco smoke on health remains under dispute.² The paper by Enstrom and Kabat in this week's BMJ will add to this debate.³

Given the small health risks associated with exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and thus the large study sizes required, meta-analysis has played an important part in establishing the apparent adverse health effects. A controversial issue in this regard relates to an analysis of the American Cancer Society's first cancer prevention study, funded by the tobacco industry.⁴ This has not generally been included in meta-analyses, although it would contribute the largest number of events to such an analysis. The main argument advanced for not including it in meta-analyses is that the published analysis of the study . . . [Full text of this article]

Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 2PR

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Kawachi, I. (2005). More evidence on the risks of passive smoking. BMJ 330: 265-266 [Full text]  
• Zhang, X., Shu, X. O., Yang, G., Li, H. L., Xiang, Y. B., Gao, Y.-T., Li, Q., Zheng, W. (2005). Association of Passive Smoking by Husbands with Prevalence of Stroke among Chinese Women Nonsmokers. Am J Epidemiol 161: 213-218 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Ungar, S., Bray, D. (2005). Silencing science: partisanship and the career of a publication disputing the dangers of secondhand smoke. Public Understanding of Science 14: 5-23 [Abstract]  
• Mamun, A. A., Peeters, A., Barendregt, J., Willekens, F., Nusselder, W., Bonneux, L., for NEDCOM, The Netherlands Epidermiology and Demo, (2004). Smoking decreases the duration of life lived with and without cardiovascular disease: a life course analysis of the Framingham Heart Study. Eur Heart J 25: 409-415 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Tonks, A. (2003). Passive smoking: Summary of rapid responses. BMJ 327: 505-505 [Full text]  
• (2003). Secondhand Smoke: Have We Been Overestimating the Risks?. Journal Watch Cardiology 2003: 7-7 [Full text]  
• (2003). Secondhand Smoke: Have We Been Overestimating the Risks?. JWatch General 2003: 8-8 [Full text]  

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

“Single Patient Based Medicine” versus EBM.

Sergio Stagnaro
bmj.com, 16 May 2003 [Full text]

Tobacco Smoke Pollution

Georgina Lovell
bmj.com, 17 May 2003 [Full text]

what controversy?

JOnathan P. Krueger
bmj.com, 22 May 2003 [Full text]

George Davey Smith declaration of no competing interests

Norbert Hirschhorn
bmj.com, 27 May 2003 [Full text]

Response to myself, Re: George Davey Smith

Norbert Hirschhorn
bmj.com, 29 May 2003 [Full text]

A Retraction

Norbert Hirschhorn
bmj.com, 30 May 2003 [Full text]

Earlier longer version of this editorial

Rajendra Kale
bmj.com, 6 Jun 2003 [Full text]