Issues and answers concerning passive smoking in the workplace: rebutting tobacco industry arguments

Mr Repace, a physicist and an expert on indoor pollution, was a 1989 recipient of the US Surgeon General's Medallion for his work on passive smoking. Dr Lowrey is a research chemist ed Abstract In response to increased demands for smoke-free workplaces, the multi national tobacco industry has mounted a worldwide public relations campaign to create the appearance of scientific con troversy over the health effects and con trol of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). We rebut allegations by the tobacco industry and its apologists con cerning ETS. We present arguments that show that ETS does cause disease; that ETS is significant relative to other indoor pollutants ; that current atmospheric and biological markers for ETS are appro priate; that non-smokers are exposed to sufficient amounts of ETS in workplaces to cause disease; that non-smokers' ex posures to ETS have been properly assessed in epidemiological studies; that there is indeed a scientific consensus about the health effects of ETS ; and that ventilation or other measures short of eliminating non-smokers' exposures are inadequate controls for ETS.