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Lung cancer and exposure to tobacco smoke in the household
of.5zf-qResearch Vol. 22. pp. 117-120.1991 0 1991 Natimal Safety Council and Pergamon Press plc
00224375/91 $3.00 + .OO Printed in the USA
Journal
Abstracts Highway Safety Different Speed Limits for Cars and ‘lI-ucks: Do They Affect Vehicle Speeds? J. R. Esterlitz, H. M. Baum, P. L. Zador, M. Penny, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, April 1990.
During 1987 and 1988, 40 states opted to take advantage of the 1987 federal law allowing them to raise the speed limit on rural interstates from 55 mph to 65 mph. The majority of these states raised the limit to 65 mph for all vehicles; however, 10 states chose a lower speed limit for trucks than for cars. Vehicle speeds were measured on rural interstates in California and Illinois, which have a differential speed limit, and in Arizona and Iowa, which have a uniform speed limit. A posted differential speed limit on rural interstates was shown to reduce high truck speeds on the faster roads. Trucks are a smaller percentage of the high speed traffic in states with differential speed limits than in states with uniform speed limits when average car speeds exceed 63.4 mph. Specifically, each mile per hour increase in mean car speeds over 63.4 mph on rural interstates, the odds of a truck traveling above 70 mph relative to cars decreases by 20% in the states with differential speed limits compared to states with uniform speed limits. Analysis of the mean speeds revealed trucks are travelling 1.4 mph slower in states with differential speed limits than in those without. This difference increases to 3.0 mph for the fastest 5% of trucks.
Legal sanctions, whether administered by the courts or by state licensing agencies, are central to deterrence-based policies for reducing alcohol-impaired driving. They are the punishments threatened in support of the law’s mandate. Examples are fines, license actions such as suspension and revocation, jail sentences and community service. Deterrence theory posits that sanctions will be effective in modifying behavior to the extent that they are perceived as being certain, swiftly applied and severe. This review of the literature on legal sanctions for drunk drivers finds that policies based on increasing the certainty and swiftness of punishment have more frequently been shown to have deterrent impact than policies based on increasing the severity of punishment. Policies based on severity also appear to entail greater costs in their implementation. Furthermore, the review finds that among the types of sanctions typically used for driving while intoxicated (DWI), license actions such as suspension and revocation, which are based primarily on increasing the swiftness and certainty of punishment, appear to be most effective. The evidence leads to the recommendation that deterrence-based drunk-driving countermeasures should focus on increasing the risk of detection and punishment for violators rather than increasing the severity of punishment, and that primary emphasis among the types of sanctions to be applied to drunk drivers should be given to license actions.
Public Safety
The Effectiveness of Legal Sanctions in Dealing with Drinking Drivers. J. L.
Lung Cancer and Exposure to Tobacco Smoke in the Household. D. T. Janerich,
Nichols, H. L. Ross, Alcohol, Driving, 6(2), 33-60.
W. D. Thompson, L. R. Varela, P. Greenwald, S. Chorost, C. Tucci, M. B. Zaman, M. R.
Summer 1991/Volume 22INumber 2
Drugs
and
117
Melamed, M. Kiely, and M. F. McKneally, The New England Journal of Medicine, 323(10), 632-636.
Background. The relationship between passive smoking and lung cancer is of great public health importance. Some previous studies have suggested that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in the household can cause lung cancer, but others have found no effect. Smoking by the spouse has been the most commonly used measure of this exposure. Methods. In order to determine whether lung cancer is associated with exposure to tobacco smoke within the household, we conducted a population-based case - control study of 191 patients with historically confirmed primary lung cancer who had never smoked and an equal number of persons without lung cancer who had never smoked. Lifetime residential histories including information on exposure to environmental tobacco smoke were compiled and analyzed. Exposure was measured in terms of “smoker-years,” determined by multiplying the number of years in each residence by the number of smokers in the household. Results. Household exposure to 25 or more smoker-years during childhood and adolescence doubled the risk of lung cancer (odds ratio, 2.07; 95% confidence interval, 1.16 to 3.68). Approximately 15% of the control subjects who had never smoked reported this level of exposure. Household exposure of less than 25 smoker-years during childhood and adolescence did not increase the risk of lung cancer. Exposure to a spouse’s smoking, which constituted less than one third of total household exposure on average, was not associated with an increase in risk. Conclusions. The possibility of recall bias and other methodologic problems may influence the results of case-control studies of environmental tobacco smoke. Nonetheless, our findings regarding exposure during early life suggest that approximately 17% of lung cancers among nonsmokers can be attributed to high levels of exposure to cigarette smoke during childhood and adolescence. 118
Hip Fracture Incidence Among the Old and Very Old: A Population-Based Study of 745,435 Cases. S. J. Jacobsen, J. Goldberg, T. P. Miles, J. A. Brody, W. Stiers. and A. A. Rimm, American Journal of Public Health, 80(7). 871-878.
Data were obtained from the Health Care Financing Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs (formerly called Veterans Administration) on all hospital discharges among the elderly population from 1984 through 1987 and combined with census estimates to calculate incidence rates of hip fracture for the elderly population of the United States. Rates for White women were the highest, reaching 35.4 per 1,000 per year among 96 year olds. Comparably, White men, Black women, and Black men experience similar age-related increases in risk, although of less magnitude and relatively less rate of change, respectively.
Industrial Safety Work-Related Illness in Offices: A Proposed Model of the ‘Sick Building Syndrome.’ A. Hedge, P. S. Burge, A. S. Robertson, S. Wilson, .I. Harris-Bass, Environment International, 15( l-6), 143-158.
A nationwide survey of 4,373 office workers at 47 office sites was conducted to assess the prevalence of the sick building syndrome and to investigate associated factors. The office buildings sampled included those ventilated by either natural, mechanical, or forced air, or by air conditioning or some form of comfort cooling, including fan-coil, induction, and constant or variable air volume systems. Results showed a higher prevalence of reports of work-related symptoms of dry eyes, dry throat, stuffy/congested nose, itchy/watery eyes, nose, lethargy/tiredness, and runny headache in air conditioned buildings than in unconditioned buildings. Symptom prevalence was higher in buildings ventilated with water-based cooling systems, e.g., fancoil or induction systems, than in buildings Journal of Safety Research
00224375/91 $3.00 + .OO Printed in the USA
Journal
Abstracts Highway Safety Different Speed Limits for Cars and ‘lI-ucks: Do They Affect Vehicle Speeds? J. R. Esterlitz, H. M. Baum, P. L. Zador, M. Penny, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, April 1990.
During 1987 and 1988, 40 states opted to take advantage of the 1987 federal law allowing them to raise the speed limit on rural interstates from 55 mph to 65 mph. The majority of these states raised the limit to 65 mph for all vehicles; however, 10 states chose a lower speed limit for trucks than for cars. Vehicle speeds were measured on rural interstates in California and Illinois, which have a differential speed limit, and in Arizona and Iowa, which have a uniform speed limit. A posted differential speed limit on rural interstates was shown to reduce high truck speeds on the faster roads. Trucks are a smaller percentage of the high speed traffic in states with differential speed limits than in states with uniform speed limits when average car speeds exceed 63.4 mph. Specifically, each mile per hour increase in mean car speeds over 63.4 mph on rural interstates, the odds of a truck traveling above 70 mph relative to cars decreases by 20% in the states with differential speed limits compared to states with uniform speed limits. Analysis of the mean speeds revealed trucks are travelling 1.4 mph slower in states with differential speed limits than in those without. This difference increases to 3.0 mph for the fastest 5% of trucks.
Legal sanctions, whether administered by the courts or by state licensing agencies, are central to deterrence-based policies for reducing alcohol-impaired driving. They are the punishments threatened in support of the law’s mandate. Examples are fines, license actions such as suspension and revocation, jail sentences and community service. Deterrence theory posits that sanctions will be effective in modifying behavior to the extent that they are perceived as being certain, swiftly applied and severe. This review of the literature on legal sanctions for drunk drivers finds that policies based on increasing the certainty and swiftness of punishment have more frequently been shown to have deterrent impact than policies based on increasing the severity of punishment. Policies based on severity also appear to entail greater costs in their implementation. Furthermore, the review finds that among the types of sanctions typically used for driving while intoxicated (DWI), license actions such as suspension and revocation, which are based primarily on increasing the swiftness and certainty of punishment, appear to be most effective. The evidence leads to the recommendation that deterrence-based drunk-driving countermeasures should focus on increasing the risk of detection and punishment for violators rather than increasing the severity of punishment, and that primary emphasis among the types of sanctions to be applied to drunk drivers should be given to license actions.
Public Safety
The Effectiveness of Legal Sanctions in Dealing with Drinking Drivers. J. L.
Lung Cancer and Exposure to Tobacco Smoke in the Household. D. T. Janerich,
Nichols, H. L. Ross, Alcohol, Driving, 6(2), 33-60.
W. D. Thompson, L. R. Varela, P. Greenwald, S. Chorost, C. Tucci, M. B. Zaman, M. R.
Summer 1991/Volume 22INumber 2
Drugs
and
117
Melamed, M. Kiely, and M. F. McKneally, The New England Journal of Medicine, 323(10), 632-636.
Background. The relationship between passive smoking and lung cancer is of great public health importance. Some previous studies have suggested that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in the household can cause lung cancer, but others have found no effect. Smoking by the spouse has been the most commonly used measure of this exposure. Methods. In order to determine whether lung cancer is associated with exposure to tobacco smoke within the household, we conducted a population-based case - control study of 191 patients with historically confirmed primary lung cancer who had never smoked and an equal number of persons without lung cancer who had never smoked. Lifetime residential histories including information on exposure to environmental tobacco smoke were compiled and analyzed. Exposure was measured in terms of “smoker-years,” determined by multiplying the number of years in each residence by the number of smokers in the household. Results. Household exposure to 25 or more smoker-years during childhood and adolescence doubled the risk of lung cancer (odds ratio, 2.07; 95% confidence interval, 1.16 to 3.68). Approximately 15% of the control subjects who had never smoked reported this level of exposure. Household exposure of less than 25 smoker-years during childhood and adolescence did not increase the risk of lung cancer. Exposure to a spouse’s smoking, which constituted less than one third of total household exposure on average, was not associated with an increase in risk. Conclusions. The possibility of recall bias and other methodologic problems may influence the results of case-control studies of environmental tobacco smoke. Nonetheless, our findings regarding exposure during early life suggest that approximately 17% of lung cancers among nonsmokers can be attributed to high levels of exposure to cigarette smoke during childhood and adolescence. 118
Hip Fracture Incidence Among the Old and Very Old: A Population-Based Study of 745,435 Cases. S. J. Jacobsen, J. Goldberg, T. P. Miles, J. A. Brody, W. Stiers. and A. A. Rimm, American Journal of Public Health, 80(7). 871-878.
Data were obtained from the Health Care Financing Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs (formerly called Veterans Administration) on all hospital discharges among the elderly population from 1984 through 1987 and combined with census estimates to calculate incidence rates of hip fracture for the elderly population of the United States. Rates for White women were the highest, reaching 35.4 per 1,000 per year among 96 year olds. Comparably, White men, Black women, and Black men experience similar age-related increases in risk, although of less magnitude and relatively less rate of change, respectively.
Industrial Safety Work-Related Illness in Offices: A Proposed Model of the ‘Sick Building Syndrome.’ A. Hedge, P. S. Burge, A. S. Robertson, S. Wilson, .I. Harris-Bass, Environment International, 15( l-6), 143-158.
A nationwide survey of 4,373 office workers at 47 office sites was conducted to assess the prevalence of the sick building syndrome and to investigate associated factors. The office buildings sampled included those ventilated by either natural, mechanical, or forced air, or by air conditioning or some form of comfort cooling, including fan-coil, induction, and constant or variable air volume systems. Results showed a higher prevalence of reports of work-related symptoms of dry eyes, dry throat, stuffy/congested nose, itchy/watery eyes, nose, lethargy/tiredness, and runny headache in air conditioned buildings than in unconditioned buildings. Symptom prevalence was higher in buildings ventilated with water-based cooling systems, e.g., fancoil or induction systems, than in buildings Journal of Safety Research