Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Exposure Science Digests
  • Published:

The smoking gun: working to eliminate tobacco smoke exposure

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 20, pages 397–398 (2010)Cite this article

Subjects

“The scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke” (US DHHS, 2006).

By the early 1980s, evidence of the health consequences of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure was mounting. The literature suffered, however, from limited data characterizing the extent of SHS exposure. The recent report of the Surgeon General on the health consequences of involuntary smoking (US DHHS, 2006) relied heavily on the growing body of literature describing exposure to PM, nicotine, nitrosamines, and other tobacco compounds associated with SHS exposure.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  • Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights. Percent of U.S. State Populations Covered by 100% Smokefree Air Laws (1 April 2010). http://www.no-smoke.org/pdf/percentstatepops.pdf.

  • Hyland A, Travers MJ, Dresler C, Higbee C, and Cummings KM. A 32-country comparison of tobacco smoke derived particle levels in indoor public places. Tob Control 2008: 17: 159–165.

  • Jiang RO, Cheng KI, Acevedo-Bolton V, Klepeis NE, Repace JL, Ott WR et al. Measurement of fine particles and smoking activity in a statewide survey of 36 California Indian casinos. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol; e-pub ahead of print 17 February 2010.

  • Mattson M.E ., Boyd G ., Byar D ., Brown C ., Callahan J.F ., Corle D . et al. Passive smoking on commercial airline flights. JAMA 1989: 261: 867–872.

  • Navas-Acien A ., Peruga A ., Breysse P ., Zavaleta A ., Blanco-Marquizo A ., Pitarque R . et al. Secondhand tobacco smoke in public places in Latin America, 2002–2003. JAMA 2004: 291: 2741–2745.

  • Pirkle J.L ., Bernert J.T ., Caudill S.P ., Sosnoff C.S ., and Pechacek T.F. Trends in the exposure of nonsmokers in the U.S. population to secondhand smoke: 1988–2002. Environ Health Perspect 2006: 114: 853–858.

  • Repace J.L ., and Lowery A.H. Smoking rates among gamblers at Nevada casinos mirror US smoking rate. Science 1980: 208: 464–472.

  • Spengler J.D ., Dockery D.W ., Turner W.A ., Wolfson J.M ., and Ferris B.G. Long-term measurements of the respirable sulfates and particles inside and outside homes. Atmos Environ 1981: 15: 23–30.

  • US DHEW . Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General (1972). DHEW publication no. (HSM) 72-7516. http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/NN/B/B/P/M.

  • US DHHS . Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General (2006). http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/index.html.

  • WHO. World Health Organization. WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2009: Implementing Smoke-Free Environments. http://www.who.int/tobacco/mpower/2009/gtcr_download/en/index.html.

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors are supported by research grants from the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

    Patrick N Breysse & Ana Navas-Acien

Authors
  1. Patrick N Breysse
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ana Navas-Acien
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Patrick N Breysse.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Breysse, P., Navas-Acien, A. The smoking gun: working to eliminate tobacco smoke exposure. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 20, 397–398 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2010.34

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2010.34

Search

Advanced search

Quick links