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Excerpts from Secondhand Smoke Ups Nonsmokers' Cancer Risk

(Reuters)[10/06/98]

Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or in the workplace run a slightly increased risk of developing lung cancer, according to one of the largest and most exhaustive studies of passive smoking and lung cancer risk.

But this risk appears to decline after exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) ends. Nonsmokers who have not been exposed to secondhand smoke -- at home or in the workplace -- for 15 or more years appear no more likely to develop lung cancer than those who are never exposed to ETS, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) study. The report is published in the October 7th issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

These findings agree with those from a number of large US studies, Boffetta and colleagues report, although their risk estimates are slightly lower than those calculated by scientists who conducted other European studies. But this could be due to the fact that many of the volunteers included in the IARC study had not been exposed to ETS for several years, and risk appeared to decline each year after exposure ended.

"Thus, the reduction in risk of lung cancer following cessation of exposure to ETS in the IARC study is a hopeful sign and suggests that measures aimed at the reduction of smoking may benefit not only smokers but also persons with whom they live and work," they conclude.

SOURCE: Journal of the National Cancer Institute 1998;90:1416-1417, 1440-1450.

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