Environmental tobacco smoke: Exposure-response relationships in epidemiologic studies

Journal Article · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1990 · Risk Analysis; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6924.1990.tb01018.x· OSTI ID:5814641

Wu-Williams, A H ^[1]; Samet, J M ^[2]

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1. California Dept. of Health Services, Berkeley (United States)
2. Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque (United States)

Demonstration of a dose-response relationship for environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is an important indication of causality. Central to the analysis and interpretation of dose-response relations as described in epidemiological studies is the relationship between dose and exposure. It must be recognized that in studies of ETS the authors have only surrogate measures of dose, and these surrogate measures (based on exposure) are imperfect. The question-based measures of ETS exposure generally have not been standardized, may have limited validity and reliability, and cannot comprehensively describe total ETS exposure, exposure to individual ETS components, nor doses of biologically relevant agents at target sites. Nevertheless, useful data have been yielded in epidemiologic studies linking ETS exposure to increased respiratory infection and symptoms, reduced lung growth in children, and increased lung cancer in nonsmoking adults. The more consistent exposure-response data for studies on acute health in children may reflect the greater difficulty in measuring exposure in studies of chronic health in adults.

• OSTI ID: 5814641
• Journal Information: Risk Analysis; (United States), Journal Name: Risk Analysis; (United States) Vol. 10:1; ISSN RIAND; ISSN 0272-4332
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AEROSOLS
AIR POLLUTION
ANIMALS
COLLOIDS
DISEASES
DISPERSIONS
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
EPIDEMIOLOGY
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
MAMMALS
MAN
POLLUTION
PRIMATES
RESIDUES
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DISEASES
RISK ASSESSMENT
SENSITIVITY
SMOKES
SOLS
SYMPTOMS
TOBACCO SMOKES
VERTEBRATES