THE Oxford scientist who first linked smoking to cancer has attacked the tobacco industry for claiming that passive smoking is harmless.

Prof Sir Richard Doll, of the Radcliffe Infirmary, spoke out after one firm said inhaling other people's smoke did not increase the risk of lung cancer.

The war of words between the health and tobacco lobbies has been intensifying in the run-up to No Smoking Day today.

The claims were made after a ten-year World Health Organisation (WHO) report failed to find a clear link between passive smoking and cancer.

Dr Chris Proctor, head of science at British American Tobacco, said the report showed the risk was so small that it was non- existent.

"If this study cannot find any statistically valid increase of risk, you have to ask whether there can be any risk at all," he said.

Sir Richard accused BAT of twisting the report to suit its own propaganda.

"It is absolute nonsense," he said. "The conclusions they draw are ridiculous - they have massaged the figures very seriously."

He said previous studies showed passive smoking increased the lung cancer risk by about 23 per cent, while the WHO report suggested 16 per cent.

But the small number of case studies meant there was a statistically wide margin of error.

Sir Richard, a consultant at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund's cancer studies unit at the Radcliffe Infirmary, made the link between smoking and cancer in the 1950s. A shrewd move IN THE business world, Virgin boss Richard Branson, of Kidlington, is well known for his determination and shrewd tactics.

And when it comes to health matters, the multi-millionaire entrepreneur has developed some unorthodox methods - like the persuasion he used to help his father, Ted Branson, give up smoking after 44 years.

"Richard offered a bribe to me and to his two sisters if we gave up. An added incentive was that we were honour-bound to pay back the money if we ever started smoking again," said former barrister Ted, who turns 80 this month. While Ted cannot remember the amount of money involved, he has never had to pay it back.

And as thousands of people try to give up tobacco today, he said: "I found it so much easier than I thought it would be, and I got a great sense of triumph."

His tycoon son never smoked in front of his father, but Ted says he had heard stories that during tense meetings at Virgin, Richard would ask a colleague if he could have a puff of their cigarette, then hand it back.

Ted Branson concludes: "If I hadn't given up smoking, I don't think I would be alive today."

For further information and help, contact England Quitline 0800 002200.

Previous news story

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.