PASSIVE SMOKE IN WORKPLACE INCREASES LUNG CANCER RISK: STUDY
An analysis of nearly two dozen studies confirms the association
between passive smoke in the workplace and an increased risk of
lung cancer, according to a report in the American Journal of
Public Health.
The research, led by University of Illinois at Chicago
epidemiologist Leslie Stayner, is posted online and will appear
in the March print issue of the journal.
Stayner and colleagues conducted a statistical analysis
combining data from 22 studies evaluating workplace smoking
exposure and lung cancer risk. They also analyzed workers' level
and duration of exposure to passive smoke and their risk of lung
cancer.
The researchers found a 24 percent increase in lung cancer risk
among people exposed to passive smoke in the workplace. Workers
who were highly exposed had a 100 percent increased (or doubled)
risk of lung cancer, and workers with a long history, or
duration, of exposure to passive smoke had a 50 percent
increased risk.
"We believe this provides the strongest evidence to date of the
relationship between workplace environmental tobacco smoke and
lung cancer," said Stayner, professor and director of
epidemiology and biostatistics at the UIC School of Public
Health, and lead author of the study.
Source:
http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=1735&frommain=1
