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Calif. board links secondhand smoke to breast cancer

From USAToday

SACRAMENTO — California regulators ruled Thursday that secondhand smoke causes breast cancer in younger women, an unprecedented finding that could lead to tougher anti-smoking measures.

Secondhand smoke concentrations in vehicles with smokers is 10 times higher than in the homes of smokers, the report found. Its key new finding is that women under 50 exposed to secondhand smoke had a 68% to 120% greater risk of breast cancer than women who weren't exposed. Women past menopause were not at significantly higher risk.

Major cancer groups, including the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute, said evidence that secondhand smoke causes breast cancer is inconclusive. The disease kills 40,000 women a year in the USA.

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