RAPID RESPONSES FROM BMJ.COM

doi:10.1136/bmjusa.03070003

BMJ, doi: 10.1136/bmjusa.03070003, (Published 30 July 2003)

As of June 15, 2003, this controversial study had generated130 Rapid Responses, which can be read in their entirety athttp://bmj.com/cgi/eletters/326/7398/1057. The responses addresseda variety of issues, although most focused on the proprietyof publishing research supported by the tobacco industry, onthe authors' ties to that industry, and on methodologic aspectsof the study (in particular, the methods used to define exposure, discussed in the editorial on page 352). Space does not permita fair and balanced sampling of the extensive colloquy containedin the Rapid Responses, but the following edited excerpts capturesome of the intensity:

Letter

RAPID RESPONSES FROM BMJ.COM

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

From BMJ USA 2003;July:373

Editor — The study compares 8-10 hours of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke among spouses of "never" smokerswith 12 hours of exposure among spouses of "ever" smokers.

Jayant S Vaidya, lecturer and specialist registrar

University College London, London, UK. j.vaidya@ucl.ac.uk

Editor — All this study proves is that secondhand smokeexposure in the home is no worse than secondhand smoke exposureanywhere else.

Sera Kirk

Vancouver, British Columbia. serakirk@hotmail.com

Editor — I think it's fair to say that housewives tendedto stay at home. The female working population tended to beyoung and single. Other than occasional trips to the grocerystore and the occasional night out, where would other exposureshave come from?

James W Austin, retired

austinj@access.net

Editor — I note in the data an apparent trend in the directionof reduced risk of female deaths from coronary heart diseasewith increasing spousal cigarette consumption.... It seems highly implausible that one should see a trend of diminishingrisk with apparent increasing exposure.... In the absenceof an . . . [Full text of this article]

Eugene Milne, deputy medical director

Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Strategic Health Authority, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. eugene.milne@ntwha.nhs.uk

Pascal A Diethelm, director

OxyGenèe, Geneva, Switzerland. diethelm@oxygeneve.ch

Stephen Novick

Shelton Hospital, Shrewsbury, UK. smn@clara.co.uk

Freda Lee Nason, director of facilities

University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, Massachusetts. lnason@umassd.edu

Michael J Martin, assistant clinical professor of epidemiology and biostatistics

University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco. mmartinmd@earthlink.net

Judith M Mackay, director

Asian Consultancy on Tobacco Control, Hong Kong, China. jmackay@pacific.net.hk