ABSTRACT
While most of the discussion of the health effects of passive smoking on non-
smokers has concentrated on lung cancer (1), heart disease is amuchmore important
endpoint (2-4). Whereas passive smoking-induced lung cancer accounts for about
3000 deaths a year, passive smoking-induced heart disease accounts for up to
62,000 deaths annually (3), with about an equal number of nonfatal events (5-8).
Epidemiological studies of the effects of passive smoking on both fatal and
nonfatal endpoints associated with heart disease reveal about a 30% increase in
risk (9), and the American Heart Association has formally concluded that passive
smoking is an important risk factor for heart disease in both adults (10) and
children (11).
