Philip Morris
Health Effects of Passive Smoking: Assessment of Lung Cancer in Adults and Respiratory Disorders in Children
Fields
- Author
- Bayard, S.P.
- Area
- HAN,VICTOR/SEC'Y FILES
- Type
- SCRT, REPORT, SCIENTIFIC
- Attachment
- 2046458056/2046458185
- Named Organization
- Liu
- Natl Research Council
- Office of Atmospheric + Indoor
- Office of Research + Development
- Ohea
- US Center for Disease Control
- US Public Health Service
- Epa, Environmental Protection Agency
- Natl Research Council
- Named Person
- Surgeon General
- Wuwilliams
- Recipient (Organization)
- Epa, Environmental Protection Agency
- Request
- Stmn/R1-048
- Litigation
- Stmn/Produced
- Author (Organization)
- Epa, Environmental Protection Agency
- Master ID
- 2046458005/8185
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FIGURES
3-1 Cumulative frequency distributions of RS concentrations from central
site ambient and personal monitoring of smoke-exposed and
nonsmoke-exgosed individuals ..............................................
3-2 Mean, standard deviation, maximum and minimum nicotine values measured
in different indoor environments with smoking occupancy .................
3-3 Week-long RSP and vapor-phase nicotine measurements in 96 residences
with a mixture of sources. Numbers 1-9 refer to the number of
' observations at the same concentration ...............................
3-4 Mean, standard deviation, maximum and minimum of resprable suspended ~
particle levels for different indoor environments for smoking and
. nonsmoking occupancy. Also shown are outdoor concxntrations ..................
3.5 Cumulative frequency distribution and arithmetic means of respirable
suspended particle mass levels by vapor-phase nicotine levels, measured
over a 1-week period in the main living area in residences in
Onondaga and Suffolk Counties in New York State between Yanuary and
Apri1,1986 .................................................
3-6 Monthly mean RSP concentrations in six U.S. cities ...............
3-7 Average cotinine to by age groups ............................
3-8 Distribution of individual concentration of urinary cotinine by
degree of self-reported exposure to ETS. Horizontal bars indicate
median values ..............................................
3-9 Urinary cotinine concentrations by number of reported exposures to
tobacco smoke in the past 4 days among 663 nonsmokers, Buffalo,
New York,1986 .............................................
3-10 Average cotiaine/creatinine levels (ng/rng) for subgroups of non-
smoking women defined either by sampling categories of exposure
or by se3freporting exposure to ETS from different sources
during the 4 days preceding collection of the urine sample ...........
3-11 Diagram for calculating the RPS mass from ETS emitted into any
~ occupied space as a function of the smoking rage and removal rate (N) ........ . ....
3-12 Diagram to calculate the ETS RSP concentration in a space as a ~
function of total mass of ETS RSP emitted (determined from Figure 11) c
and the volume of a space (diagonal lines) ...................................
'~
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J
4-1
4-2
4-3
5-1
5-a
5-3
5-4
5-5
Age-adjusted cancer death tates for selected sites, males,
United States, 1930-1986 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
Age-adjusted cancer death rates for selected sites, females,
United States, 1930-1986 .................................................
Relative risks of lung cancar in ex-smokers, by number of years
quit,women ...........................................................
Test statistics for hypothesis RR - 1. all countries .............................
Test statistics for hypothesis RR 1, USA only ...............................
Test statistics for hypothesis RR = 1, by country ...............................
Test statistics for hypothesis RR = 1, China without WUWI & LStJ ................
90% Confidence Intervals, by country ........................................
5-6 90% Confidence Intervals, China without WUWI dt LIU ........................
z

AL
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1. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
.
In 1986, the National Research Council (NRC) and the U.S. Surgeon General (U.S. SG)
assessed the health effects of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Both of the 1986
reports conclude that ETS exposure is causally associated with lung cancer and that children of
parents who smoke have increased frequency of respiratory symptoms and acute respiratory illnesses
and evidence of reduced lung function. The two reports were developed and edited by different
processes, which strengthens the validity of the conclusions common to both reports. The NRC repor:
is the product of a committee of experts; the U.S. SO report is a composite of contributions from
individual experts that was edited, based on the review of other knowledgeable individuals, and
ther,
cleared through the U.S. Public Health Service.
This document extends the analyses of those reports to include more recent extensive evidence
on the potential associations between ETS and ()) lung cancer in nonsmoking adults and (d)
respiratory disease and pulmonary effects, mainly in children. It also develops the evidence alor.g
the
lines suggested by EPA's 1986 Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment. Inclusion of these recent
studies more than doubles the size of the database available for analysis from that of the 1986
reports.
This report concludes that:
1. Passive smoking is causally associated with lung cancer in adults and that ETS by
the weight-of-evidence belongs in the category of compounds classified by EPA as
Group A (known human) carcinogens. It also estimates that approximately 3,000 lung
cancer deaths per year among nonsmokers (never-smokers and former smokers) of
both sexes are attributable to ETS in the United States.
2. Exposure to ETS from parental smoking causes in children:
a. increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms of irritation (cough,
sputum and wheeze),
b. increased prevalence or middle ear effusions (a sign of middle ear
disease), and
c. a small but significant reduction in lung function.
3. ETS exposure of young children and particularly infants from parental (and
especially mother's) smoking is causally associated with lower respiratory tract
infections (bronchitis and pneumonia). This report estimates that this exposure to
parental smoking causes more than 210,000 lower respiratory tract infections in
infants and children less than eighteen months, resulting in more than 10,000

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hosp'stalizations annually. These effects continue at a decreasing rate for children up
until about age three.
4. Exposure to ETS is causally associated with increased incidence, prevalence, and
severity of asthma. Data suggest that levels of exposure required to induce asthma in
children are high. This report estimates that exposure of children to ETS from heavily
smoking mothers resuits in approximately 13,000 to 25,000 additionat cases of asthma
annually.
5. Infants whose mothers smoke are at an increased risk of dying from sudden infant
death syndrome (SIDS). This relationship is consistent across studies and is
independent of all other known risk factors for SIDS, including low birth-weight and
low gestational age (both associated with active smoking during pregnancy). However,
since the cause of SIDS is still unknown, this report does not conclude that the
association is causal.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that over 700 SIDS deaths annually are
attributable to smoking parents. This report concurs with those estimates. While the
EPA cannot determine whether and to what extent the risk can be attributed to ETS
exposure vs. in utero or lactational exposure to tobacco smoke products, prudent
public health policy should consider ETS exposure as a risk factor for SIDS.
6. Passive smoking has subtle but significant effects on the respiratory health of non-
smoking adults including coughing, phlegm, chest discomfort, and reduced lung
function.
F
No conclusions are drawn regarding an association of parentalsmokina with either upper-respiratory-
tract infections (colds and sore throats) or acute middle ear infections in children.
1.1 ETS AND LUNG CANCER
The U.S. SG (1989) estimates that smoking is responsible for more than one of every six deaths
in the United States and that it accounted for about 90% of the lung cancer deaths in males and
79°h
in females in 1985. Smokers, however, are not the only ones exposed to tobacco smoke. The
sidestrearn smoke (SS) emitted from a smoldering cigarette between puffs (the main component of
ETS) has been documented to contain many of the same carcinogenic compounds (known and
suspected human and animal carcinogens ) that have been identified in the mainstream smoke (MS)
inhaled by smokers. Exposure concentrations of these carcinogens to passive smokers are variable but
much lower than for active smokers. An excess cancer risk from passive smoking, however, is still
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biologically plausible, (U.S. EPA guidelines [Fed. Reg., 1986] assume that unless there is evidence
to the contrary, any level of exposure to a carcinogen carries a potential risk of cancer, )
Based on the firmly established causal association of lung cancer with active smoking with a
dose-response relationship down to low doses (chapter 4), passive smoking is considered likely to
affect the lung similarly. The ubiquity of ETS and its absorption by nonsmokers in the general
population have been well documented by air sampling and by bioassays for nicotine and cotinine
(chapter 3). This raises the question of whether any direct evidence exists for the relationship
between ETS exposure and lung cancer in the general population and what its implications may be
for public health. This report addresses that question by reviewing and analyzing the cumulative
evidence from thirty epidemiologic studies (chapter 5). These studies compare individuals with
higher ETS exposures to those with lower exposures. Typically the study subjects compared are
married women who have never smoked but are married to a smoker (higher exposure) and those
married to a nonsmoker (lower exposure). Following the nomenclature of the literature, the more and
less exposed persons are referred to as "exposed" and "unexposed.' Of course there is exposure to
ETS
from sources other than spousal smoking, collectively designated as "background" exposure, which
applies to the so-called unexposed as well as the exposed. Background exposure is taken into account
in the characterization of population risks (chapter 6),'but adjustment for other sources of ETS
exposure is not required for the statistical assessment ofthe evidence of excess lung cancer risks
from
i
exposure to spousal smoking (chapter 5).
The direct epidemiologic evidence of a lung cancer hazard is statistically assessed by methods
of meta-analysis to obtain overall results. The data and study results included apply to female
married never-smokers, but the conclusions are generalizable to all nonsmokers. Several studies
include male subjects, but the percentage of male never-smokers is relatively small and the data are
~
scant by comparison. In a few instances long-term former smokers are included with never-smokers.
IZ
All the ETS exposures are considered to be at true environmental levels. O
~
In order to use data from the thirty epidemiology studies from eight different countries, the G:
studies were first considered separately and then pooled by country. Also, the studies were
evaluated C.R
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individually for their quality of design and conduct, and their likely ability to provide
information
about the carcinogenicity of ETS, and for some analyses placed into one of four tiers (tier one
being
for studies of the highest utility). Results compared both within and between countries showed
significant associations for Greece, Hong Konz, Japan and the U.S., and in that order of strength of
relative risk. Pooled results of the four Western European studies (3 countries) actually showed
associations that were slightly stronger than those of the U.S. but were not statistically
significant.
Three of the four Chinese studies, which were designed mainly to determine the lung cancer effects
of other indoor air pollutants, were evaluated to be in the lowest utility tier, and the Chinese
studies
as a whole provided very little additional data, for the weight-of-evidence evaluation of ETS
carcinogenicity. Two of these Chinese studies, however, provide very strong evidence on the lung
carcinogenicity of other indoor air pollutants indigenous to the areas. These pollutants contain
many
1~4
GG ~.
~
~e, ~,~. of the same components as ETSy ~l~ N; n. n ~4-'
The relative risks for Greece and Japan of 2.00 and 1.44, respectively, are probably the best
estimates, since female smoking prevalence and non-tobacco related lung cancer risks, which tend
to dilute the ETS effects estimates, are both low in these two countries. Also, for the time period
for
which ETS exposure was of interest, spousal smoking is considered to be a better surrogate for F-TS
exposure in these societies than in Western countries, where other sources of ETS exposures (work,
public places, and social settings) are generally higher.
Based on these analyses and following the U.S. EPA guidelines for carcinogen risk assessment
(Fed. Reg., 1986), EPA concludes that environmental tobacco smoke is a Group A (known human)
carcinogen. This conclusion is based on a total weight-of-evidence, principally:
' Biological plausibility. ETS is taken up by the lungs and distributed throughout the body.
The similarity of carcinogens identified in SS and MS, along with the established causal
relationship between lung cancer and active smoking with the dose-response relationships
; down to low doses, make it reasonable to conclude that ETS is also a lung carcinogen.
Supporting evidence from animal bioassays and genotoxicity experiments. The ~
carcinogenicity of tobacco smoke has been established in lifetime inhaiation studies in the p
hamster, intripulmonary implantations in the rat, and skin painting in the mouse, There are ,~
no lifetime animal inhalation studies of ETS; however, the carcinogenicity of ETS condensates O;
has been demonstrated in intrapuimonary implantuions and skin painting experiments. Wa
Positive results of genotoxicity tr;sting for both MS and ETS provide corrobQrative evidence C3?
1-4 ~
~
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for their carcinogenic potential.
* Consistency of response. The four cohort studies and twenty of the 26 case-control studies
observed a higher risk of lung cancer among the female never-smokers classified as exposed
to ETS. Of the seventeen studies judged of higher utility, based on study design, execution
and analysis (Appendices A and C), fifteen observed higher risks and six of these increases
were statistically significant, despite most having low statistical power. Evaluation of the total
study evidence from several perspectives leads to the conclusion that the observed association
between ETS exposure and increased lung cancer occurrence is not attributable to chance.
Broad-based evidence. These 26 case-control and four prospective studies provide data
from eight different countries, employ a wide variety of study designs and protocols and are
conducted by many different research teams. No alternative explanatory variables for the
observed association between ETS and iung cancer have been indicated that would be broadly
applicable across studies.
* Upward trend in dose-response. Both the largest of the cohort studies, the Japanese study
of Hirayama - 200 lung cancer cases, and the largest of the case-control studies, the U.S.
study by Fontham et al. - 420 lung cancer cues and two sets of controls, demonstrate a strong
dose-related statistical association between passive smoking and lung cancer. This upward
trend is well supported by the preponderance of evidence in the 13 case-control studies that
classified data by exposure level,
' Detectable association at environmental exposure levels. Within the population of women
who are lifelong nonsmokers, the excess lung cancer risk of those married to a smoker is iarge
enough to be observed, Carcinogenic responses are usually detectable only in high exposure
circumstances, such as occupational settings, or in experimental animals receiving very high
doses.
e Effects remain after adjustment for potential bias. Current and ex-smokers may be
misreported as never-smokers, thus inflating the apparent cancer risk for ETS exposure. The
evidence remains statistically significant and conclusive, however, after adjustments for
smoker misclassification. For the U.S. the summary estimate of relative risk from nine casc-
control plus two cohort studies is 1.19 (90% C.I. 1.04-1.35) after adjustment for
misclassification (p < 0.05). For Greece 2.00 (1.42, 2.E3), Hong Kong 1.61 (1.25, 2.06) and
Japan 1,44 (1.13, 1.a5), the estimated relative risks are higher than those of the U.S. and more
highly significant after adjusting for the potential bias.
The individual risk of lung cancer from exposure to ETS does not have to be very large to
translate into a significant health hazard to the U.S. population because of the large number of
smokers and the ubiquity of ETS. Current smokers comprise approximately 30% of the adult U.S.
population and consume over one-half trillion cigarettes annually (1.5 packs per day, on average),
causing nearly universal exposure to ETS. Cotinine, a metabolite of the tobacco-specific compound
nicotine, is detectable in the blood, saliva, and urine of persons recently ezposetd to tobacco
smoke.
Cotinine has typicaily been detected in 50% to 75% of reported nonsmokers tested (50% equates to
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63 million U.S. nonsmokers of age I E or above).
The estimate of 3,0001ung cancer deaths per year in nonsmokers attributable to ETS is based
on data from eleven U.S. epidemiologic studies at actual environmental exposure levels. Use of
actual
U.S. studies should increase the confidence in these estimates. Some mathematical modeling is
required to adjust for expected bias from self-reported misclassification of smoking status and to
account for ETS exposure from sources other than spousal smoking. The approach, however, does
not rely on a mathematical model of dose response for low dose extrapolation of observations
obtained
at extraordinarily high exposure levels.
The components of the 3,000 figure include approximately 1500 female never-smokers, 500
male never-smokers, and 1050 former smokers of both sexes. Additional breakdowns can be given
for home exposure to spousal smoke - approximately 850 nonsmokers of both sexes - and for a:1 other
sources of ETS exposure (eg. work and social settings) - 2,200 nonsmokers of both sexes. More
females are estimated to be affected because there are more female than male never- and non-
smokers.
Other estimates of annual U.S. nonsmoker lung cancer deaths attributable to ETS developed
in this document give a range of 2,400 to 3,300. These other estimates use both mortality and
cotinine
exposure data from the largest U.S. study (Fontham et al., 1991). Relatively small differences in
cotinine ratios, as measures of exposure from spousal smoking, can result in substantial variability
in
population risk estimates. The range suggested above provides estimation of the uncertainty in these
estimates. Overall, however, considering the multitude, consistency, and quality of all these
studies,
the weiEht-of-evidence conclusion that ETS is a known human lung carcinogen, the limited amount
of extrapolation necessary, and the small range of estimates provided by several quantitative
procedures, the confidence in the estimate of approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths is medium to
high.
1.2 ETS AND NON-CANCER RESPIRATORY DISORDERS
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Exposure to ETS from parental smoking has been previously linked with increased respiratory
disorders in children, particularly in infants, Several studies have confirmed the exposure and
uptake
of ETS in children by assaying saliva, serum, or urine for cotinine. Cotinine concentrations were
highly correlated with smoking (especially by the mother) in the child's presence. Nine to twelve
million American children under five years of age may be exposed to cigarette smoke in the home
(American Academy of Pediatrics, 1986).
With regard to the non-cancer respiratory effects of passive smoking, this report focuses on
epidemiologic evidence appearing since the two major reports of 1986 (NRC and U.S. SO) that bears
on the potential association of parental smoking with detrimental health effects in their children.
These include symptoms of respiratory irritation (cough, sputum, or wheeze); acute diseases of the
lower respiratory tract (pneumonia, bronchitis and bronchiolitis); indications of chronic middle ear
infections (predominantly middle ear effusion); reduced lung function (from forced expirator.
volume and flow-rate measurements); incidence and prevalence of asthma, and exacerbation cf
symptoms in asthmatics; and acute upper-respiratory-tract infections (colds and sore throats) Tr.r
fifty or so recently published studies reviewed here essentially corroborate the previous
conclus;or.s
of the NRC and U.S. SG regarding respiratory symptoms, respiratory iilnesses, and pulmonar)
function; and strengthen support for those conclusions by the additional weight-of-evidence. For
example, new data on middle ear effusion strengthen previous evidence to warrant the stronger
conclusion in this report of a causal association with parental smoking. Furthermore, recent studies
establish associations between parental smoking and increased incidence of both childhood asthma and
SIDS. Additional research also supports the hypotheses that in utero exposure to mother's smoke and
postnatal exposure to ETS alter lung function and structure, increase bronchial responsiveness, and
enhance the process of allergic sensitization, changes that are known to predispose children to
early
7
respiratory illness. Early respiratory illness can often lead to long-term pulmonary effects
(reduced
lung function and increased risk of chronic obstructive lung disease).
The NRC and U.S. SO reports conclude that both the prevalence of respiratory symptoms of
irritation and the incidence of respiratory tract infections are higher in the children of smoking
1-7

EPA ECAO CIN FAX NO. E;?5ez_-_
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the eighteen studies of respiratory symptoms subsequent to the two reports, increased
,cough, phlegm and wheezing) were observed in a range of ages from birth to mid-teens,
ty in infants and preschool children, In addition to the studies on symptoms of respiratory
, nine new studies have addressed the topic of parental smoking and acute lower respiratory
a children, and eight have reported statistically significant associations. The cumulative
;e indicates strongly that parental, tspecially the mother's, smoking causes an increased
nce of respiratory illnesses in the first eighteen months to three years of life, particularly for
:hitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia. Overall, the cumulative evidence confirms the previous
Iusions of the NRC and U.S. SG. Recent studies also solidify the evidence of a link between
ental smoking and increased middle ear effusion in young children,
At the time of the U.S. SO report on passive smoking, there were only sufficient data to
onclude that maternal smoking may influence the severity of asthma in children. The recent studies
Iviewed here confirm these results. In addition, the new evidence clearly indicates that ETS
exposure causes asthma in many children, although the results are statistically significant mostly
with
children whose mothers smoke 10 cigarettes per day or more.
si:17
This document also summarizes the evidence for an association between ETS exposure and
SIDS, which was not addressed in the NRC or SG reports. SIDS is the most common cause of death
in infants aged one month to one year. The cause(s) of SIDS is unknown; however, it is widely
7
believed that some form of respiratory failure is generally involved. The eurr nt evidence
=N
of~~
demonstrates unequivocally that infants whose mothers smoke are at an increased risk of dying
.= ~.~. ~
SIDS, independent of other known risk factors for SIDS.
Regarding the effects of passive smoking and lung function in children, the U.S. SG and NRC
reports both conclude that children of parents who smoke have small decreases in tests of pulmonary
output function of both the larger and smaller air passages when compared with the children of
nonsmokers. As noted in the NRC report, if ETS exposure is the cause of the observed decrease in
lung function, the effect could be due to the direct action of agents in ETS or an indirect
consequence
-=Trence of acute respiratory illness related to ETS. ~
~
C~
1-9
