BMJ  2004;328:1379 (5 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7452.1379-b

Letter

Effect of public smoking ban in Helena, Montana

When results look too good to be true, they probably are

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

EDITOR—As a cancer researcher who has published extensively on the harmful effects of smoking, I am in favor of vigorous smoking bans. However, the study by Sargent et al, claiming that the six month smoking ban in Helena, Montana, was associated with an immediate 40% drop in heart attacks must be viewed with scepticism.¹

View larger version (27K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Admissions for acute myocardial infarction during six month periods June-November before, during (2002), and after smoke-free3 ordinance was implemented in Helena alone on 5 June 2002

 

Firstly, the researchers had no information on whether exposure to second hand smoke changed as a result of the ban. They also did not present any information on whether smoking habits were affected by the ban. If the study was concerned to isolate an effect of second hand tobacco smoke, it should have been restricted to the 33% of the study population who were never smokers.

Secondly, the . . . [Full text of this article]

16 Bon Air Avenue, New Rochelle, NY 10804, USA gck1@optonline.net

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