Biomaterial Database

Environmental tobacco smoke. 1992

A Rodgman

In 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a "draft" assessment of ETS and lung cancer in adults and respiratory disorders in children. Relying on weak and inconclusive epidemiological data, the supposed similarity between ETS and MS, the presence of "known or suspected carcinogens" in MS and by extrapolation in ETS, and the "biological plausibility" of an adverse relationship between ETS and health, the EPA recommended that ETS be classified as a "Group A (known human) carcinogen." Fundamental physical and quantitative chemical differences among ETS, MS, and SS and human exposure to each smoke were disregarded: The three are not equivalent nor is ETS exposure a quantitative variant of cigarette smoking. A substantial difference in retention percentage overlays the huge dosimetric difference between exposures. As a result, the "dosage" of ETS retained is miniscule relative to MS. Also, conclusions reached by the EPA and the use of tenuous relationships as bases for Group A classification are unwarranted because of failure to consider the data upon which the "tumorigenicity" of the ETS components was based, questions on the presence and/or levels of these components in MS, and data indicating that a 25- to 30-fold decrease of a high-level dose of MS or MS condensate diminished the effects observed in bioassays from pronounced to zero, i.e., a threshold was demonstrated. Finally, EPA overlooked the more than 100 tobacco smoke components known to inhibit the tumorigenic action of many of the listed "tumorigens."

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008175	Lung Neoplasms	Tumors or cancer of the LUNG.	Cancer of Lung,Lung Cancer,Pulmonary Cancer,Pulmonary Neoplasms,Cancer of the Lung,Neoplasms, Lung,Neoplasms, Pulmonary,Cancer, Lung,Cancer, Pulmonary,Cancers, Lung,Cancers, Pulmonary,Lung Cancers,Lung Neoplasm,Neoplasm, Lung,Neoplasm, Pulmonary,Pulmonary Cancers,Pulmonary Neoplasm
D002273	Carcinogens	Substances that increase the risk of NEOPLASMS in humans or animals. Both genotoxic chemicals, which affect DNA directly, and nongenotoxic chemicals, which induce neoplasms by other mechanism, are included.	Carcinogen,Oncogen,Oncogens,Tumor Initiator,Tumor Initiators,Tumor Promoter,Tumor Promoters,Initiator, Tumor,Initiators, Tumor,Promoter, Tumor,Promoters, Tumor
D004781	Environmental Exposure	The exposure to potentially harmful chemical, physical, or biological agents in the environment or to environmental factors that may include ionizing radiation, pathogenic organisms, or toxic chemicals.	Exposure, Environmental,Environmental Exposures,Exposures, Environmental
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D014028	Tobacco Smoke Pollution	Contamination of the air by tobacco smoke.	Air Pollution, Tobacco Smoke,Environmental Pollution, Tobacco Smoke,Passive Smoking,Smoking, Passive,Environmental Smoke Pollution, Tobacco,Environmental Tobacco Smoke Pollution,Involuntary Smoking,Second Hand Smoke,Secondhand Smoke,Secondhand Smoking,Hand Smoke, Second,Hand Smokes, Second,Involuntary Smokings,Passive Smokings,Pollution, Tobacco Smoke,Pollutions, Tobacco Smoke,Second Hand Smokes,Secondhand Smokes,Secondhand Smokings,Smoke Pollution, Tobacco,Smoke Pollutions, Tobacco,Smoke, Second Hand,Smoke, Secondhand,Smokes, Second Hand,Smokes, Secondhand,Smoking, Involuntary,Smoking, Secondhand,Smokings, Involuntary,Smokings, Passive,Smokings, Secondhand,Tobacco Smoke Pollutions