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I couldn’t get your link to load. But the numbers you presented suggest a total lack of probable causation. Perhaps this is partly why none in my family, whether smoker or not have ever gotten lung cancer. That includes none of the children who happened to be exposed to the smoke of the smokers.

If this “scientific theory” based on the alleged correlations of smokers and those who they expose to cancer with their secondhand smoke, were based on my family history, it would have no standing whatsoever. Heck, we don’t even make the one percenters. We sit squarely at zero percent.

This is not to suggest everyone go smoke or smoke in front of their children. My experience is an islolated one within my own family experience. Today I will not smoke anywhere near my grandson. So yea, they got to me. Even though I have been exposed to it all my life without any ill fate, I find myself surrendering to the current cause celeb submitting to their fears bogus or not. Since if later in life my grandson developed asthma, who do you think would get the blame if I smoked in front of him?

I don't know what happened when you tried that link but it just now worked for me. Probably a temporary system error. But you are right there is very little to establish a probable causation. The numbers I would like to get are the lifetime probabilities/percentages of getting lung cancer for smokers and for non-smokers. The article at the link suggests what those numbers are (and are very low) but doesn't directly quote them. So far I have not been able to find those statistics but they ought to be the most basic epidemiological stats of all. Without them I don't think any of the other statistical extrapolations could be made with any validity at all. Yet they remain elusive.

I understand your reluctance to become the scapegoat for any potential respiratory problems your grandchild might develop. That's human nature. Neurotic human nature anyway. It would certainly be easier to blame the occasional waft of evil tobacco smoke than too much dairy, too much wheat or soy or too much junk food with artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. Or just simply that 'stuff happens.'

A previous post on this thread made an interesting observation about that very subject. How is it that smoking is in a significant decline and childhood asthma is on the rise? Not only is the percentage of smokers in the population declining the places where people can smoke has been drastically restricted. Could it be that raising kids in a bubble has made them less resistant to irritants when they encounter them? Nahhhhhhhh.