An international team led by the Autonomous University of Madrid has found that the reduction of passive smoking occurred during the last decades in the USA is related to a decrease in cancer mortality.
Passive smoking is the involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke. Some of the more than 6,000 chemical compounds that are part it can cause cancer; these are called carcinogens.
In recent decades, both passive smoking and cancer mortality have declined drastically in the United States. A recent work, published in Environment International, has shown that the decrease in exposure to tobacco smoke is associated with a reduction in cancer mortality.
Between 1988-1994 and 1999-2004, the non-smoking adult population in the US experienced an approximately 36% reduction in cancer mortality.
The study, which includes the collaboration of Esther García, a researcher at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), consisted of following-up more than 11,800 American people over 40 years of age.
“In our work, we observed that between 1988-1994 and 1999-2004 the non-smoking adult population in the United States experienced an approximate 36% reduction in cancer mortality,” said García
“On the other hand, we estimate that around 46% of the cases of mortality avoided were due to the decrease in exposure to passive smoking in public places such as bars, restaurants, leisure centers, etc.; and around 18%, to the decrease in exposure to passive smoking in the workplace.”
The power of public policies
For the authors, these results reflect the important contribution that public policies on tobacco control have been able to make in reducing cancer mortality.
The work involves researchers from the UAM, the INCLIVA Health Research Institute of Valencia, the National Epidemiology Center (Carlos III Health Institute), the CIBERESP and the Johns Hopkins (Baltimore) and Columbia (New York) Universities.
Source: SINC
