Secondhand smoke worse for women, long-timers
Secondhand smoke worse for women, long-timers
Studies show risk from passive smoke
The lung cancer risk for nonsmokers exposed for 30 years to secondhand smoke on the job jumped by 50% compared to people who are rarely exposed to smoke, according to a review of studies associating passive, or secondhand, smoke in the workplace with an increased risk of lung cancer. Another study indicates up to 20% of women with lung cancer have never smoked.
University of Illinois at Chicago epidemiologist Leslie Stayner, PhD, professor and director of epidemiology and biostatistics, and her research colleagues found 22 studies that appear to confirm a link between secondhand smoke in the workplace and a higher risk of cancer in nonsmokers. Stayner's research appears in the March 2007 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
High levels of secondhand smoke on the job can double nonsmokers' risk of developing lung cancer, and those who inhale it at work long-term face a 50% higher risk, according to Stayner. The review included statistical analysis of studies evaluating workplace smoking, and it evaluated workers' level and duration of exposure to passive smoke.
Overall, the analysts found a 24% increase in lung cancer risk among people exposed to passive smoke in the workplace. The risk to workers who were highly exposed was doubled (100% greater), and workers with a long history of exposure to passive smoke had a 50% increased risk.
"We believe this provides the strongest evidence to date of the relationship between workplace environmental tobacco smoke and lung cancer," Stayner states.
The study's authors note that while "great strides have been made in limiting smoking in the workplace," about 30% of all U.S. workplaces still permit indoor cigarette smoking. The research has important policy implications for cities and states that have not yet legislated smoking bans in bars and restaurants where there are high levels of environmental smoke, she adds.
Heather Wakelee, PhD, of Stanford University in California, and her colleagues surveyed 1 million people and indicate that there are fewer than 8% of male lung patients who did not smoke. Wakelee explains that the study does not make clear why women may be more likely to get cancer even if they have never smoked.
The lung cancer risk for nonsmokers exposed for 30 years to secondhand smoke on the job jumped by 50% compared to people who are rarely exposed to smoke, according to a review of studies associating passive, or secondhand, smoke in the workplace with an increased risk of lung cancer.Subscribe Now for Access
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