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The risk of coronary heart disease in non‐smokers exposed to environmental tobacco smoke: a rejoinder to Gross
Author(s) -
Brown K. Stephen
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
environmetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.68
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1099-095X
pISSN - 1180-4009
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-095x(199803/04)9:2<213::aid-env298>3.0.co;2-#
Subject(s) - tobacco smoke , coronary heart disease , environmental health , medicine , smoke , geography , meteorology
This article addresses the claim by Gross in this issue that estimates of coronary heart disease deaths due to environmental tobacco smoke are indefensible. Gross's interpretation of his data is questioned on statistical inference grounds. The three new studies which he introduces are discussed and the data are reanalysed based on a model which is more consistent with what is known about smoking and coronary heart disease. This analysis reveals that there is a statistically significant association between exposure to ETS and CHD, and that almost regardless of the assumed values for some parameters, the number of CHD deaths due to ETS represents a very significant public health concern. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.