FORCES - Evidence by topic - Back to: Proving the lies of the anti-tobacco cartel: The Evidence
Bibliography on studies - The untold evidence
CHILDHOOD ETS DOES NOT CAUSE LUNG CANCER
The EPA has no justification for pretending that childhood exposure to ETS causes lung cancer later. The overall relative risk from 11 studies worldwide is 0.96 (0.85-1.09) (Lee PN. [Letter]. JNCI 1993;85(9):748), which is unequivocally no risk. 75% of US subjects were in studies with risks of LESS THAN one. But instead of revealing these statistics to the public, the anti-smoking demagogues cherry-pick the highest risk and misrepresent it as the weight of the evidence, and the media collude with their deceit.
The Fontham study added 294 cases to its previous 359, and still showed no risk. Their much-touted claim of risk from adult exposure to those with prior childhood exposure is a subgroup analysis, based on comparison to a reference group with only 8 cases and 44 controls. This is very small and therefore unreliable.
These are the results of the US studies of childhood ETS, since EPA itself used only US studies (of spouses) for its estimate.
 Correa P, Pickle LW et al. Passive smoking and lung cancer. Lancet 1983;2:595-597. 10 male, 25 female non-smokers = 35 cases. "No significant increases were found in non-smokers but small numbers preclude adequate analysis (there was only one non-smoking lung cancer patient whose mother was a smoker)."
Kabat GC, Wynder EL. Lung cancer in nonsmokers. Cancer 1984;53:1214-1221. Childhood exposure data in this study are found only in an abstract supplied to the EPA, and reprinted in the EPA report. 41 male, 69 female nonsmokers. "In males, there was no difference between cases and controls in reported exposure to ETS (yes/no) in childhood, in nonsignificant association with exposure in childhood (OR = 1.6, 95% C.I. = 0.9, 2.8)....". No results for females.
Garfinkel L, Auerbach O, Joubert L. Involuntary smoking and lung cancer: A case-control study. JNCI 1985;75(3):463-469. 134 nonsmokers cases. "One of the questions in the interview was with regard to exposure to smoke in childhood. Those women who replied that they had been exposed in childhood had an RR of 0.91 (CL: 0.74, 1.12)."
Janerich DT, Thompson WD et al. Lung cancer and exposure to tobacco smoke in the household. NEJM 1990;323:632-636. 191 cases. "Household exposure to 25 or more smoker-years during childhood and adolescence doubled the risk of lung cancer (odds ratio, 2.07; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.16 to 3.68. ...Household exposure of less than 25 smoker-years during childhood and adolescence did not increase the risk of lung cancer." EPA notes: "Curiously, however, although the authors report that odds ratios `frequently differed according to type of interview,' they do not specify how the odds ratios differed for exposure other than spousal smoking." 1-24 smoker-years 1.09 (0.68-1.73); 25+ s-y 2.07 (1.16-3.68).
Stockwell HG, Goldman AL et al. Environmental tobacco smoke and lung cancer risk in nonsmoking women. JNCI 1992;84(18):1417-1422. 210 cases. <18 smoker-yrs 1.6 (0.7-3.6); 18-21 s-y 1.1 (0.5-2.6); 22+ s-y 2.4 (1.1-5.4). From the authors' abstract provided to the EPA: "Having a parent who had smoked during the respondent's childhood did not increase the risk of lung cancer. However, among those respondents with high levels of exposure to parental smoking, an excess risk, although not statistically significant, was observed." 25+ smoker-years OR = 1.7, 95% C.I. 0.8, 3.6.
Brownson RC, Alavanja MCR et al. Passive smoking and lung cancer in nonsmoking women. AJPH 1992;82(11):1525-1530. 431 lifetime non-smoker cases. "No increased risk of lung cancer was associated with childhood passive smoke exposure." Exposure to all household members >0-15 pack-yrs 0.7 (0.4-1.1); >15-25 0.6 (0.4-1.0); >25 0.7 (0.4-1.2); ever/never 0.7 (0.5-0.9).
Fontham ETH, Correa P et al. Environmental tobacco smoke and lung cancer in nonsmoking women. A multicenter study. JAMA 1994;271(22):1752-1759. 653 cases. "No increased risk was associated with increased duration of smoke exposure during childhood." They note that their study had a higher proportion of self-respondents with first hand knowledge of their own childhood exposure than other studies. Exposed to: mother 0.86 (0.62-1.18); other household members 1.03 (0.80-1.32); father 0.83 (0.67-1.02); any household member 0.89 (0.72-1.10).
Courtesy of Carol Thompson 08/23/93
Smokers' Rights Action Group
P.O. Box 259575
Madison, WI 53725-9575
Phone: 608-249-4568
|