Passive smoking link to cancer found

For the first time, the United States government has officially recognised that passive smoking can cause cancer.

Until now the its health authorities had only suspected a link.

Now an American institute says it's found enough evidence to conclude that prolonged exposure to environmental tobacco smoke can increase the risk of lung cancer by about twenty percent.

The research compared the levels of tobacco smoke in places like bars, restaurants and aeroplanes with the amount found in smokers' homes. One reports showed that bars contain around four and a half times more smoke than the average smoker's home. The World Health Organisation, which has for many years warned of the link, has welcomed the findings, saying it expects the news to lead to a flood of court cases worldwide and to add weight to campaigns for smoke-free workplaces.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service