Elsevier

Toxicology Letters

Volume 35, Issue 1, January 1987, Pages 157-162
Toxicology Letters

Lung cancer and passive smoking: Association an artefact due to misclassification of smoking habits?

https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-4274(87)90102-0Get rights and content

Abstract

1775 subjects were asked about their current use of tobacco products or nicotine chewing gum. 1537 provided a sample of saliva for cotinine analysis. Of 808 who claimed not to be users of such products, 20 (2.5%) had cotinine values above 30 ngml, suggesting their self-reports were false. In another study, 540 subjects were interviewed on two occasions. 10% of subjects claiming on one occasion never to have smoked made inconsistent statements on the other occasion. A third study showed a strong tendency for smokers to marry smokers.

Bias caused by misclassification of smoking habits coupled with between-spouse smoking habit concordance can completely explain reported apparent excesses in lung cancer risk in non-smokers married to smokers.

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There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

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Presented at the International Experimental Toxicology Symposium on Passive Smoking, October 23–25, 1986, Essen (F.R.G.).

Any views expressed in this paper are those of the author and not of the organisation board of the symposium.

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