Introduction
Much is known about the harmful effects of tobacco on health: overall about half of all persisting regular cigarette smokers are killed by tobacco. Even so many people continue to smoke and in 1996 in England 28% of adults were regular cigarette smokers1 and still about 30% of all deaths in middle age are caused by the habit. To ensure progress in the area of tobacco control and to inform future action, there is a need to keep under review up to date medical, scientific and behavioural information in this area, and therefore, in 1994, the Department of Health (DH) established the Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health (SCOTH). SCOTH, assisted by the Technical Advisory Group (TAG), embarked on a programme of scientific review and appraisal of a range of important issues related to tobacco and health. This Report to the Chief Medical Officer describes the matters considered by the Committee. The topics addressed were diverse and wide ranging, and they consequently vary in their implications for public health.
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