Tobacco 'worse than diesel fumes'

Cigarette smoke produces 10 times more air pollution than diesel car fumes, according to research published today.

The study, in the magazine Tobacco Control - published by the British Medical Journal - also showed air-pollution levels from cigarettes in a confined space were 15 times more than those recorded outside.

Scientists who carried out the research said the results gave "cause for concern" because they showed that such exposure to cigarette smoke could account for frequent bouts of short-term respiratory damage in non-smokers.

? People aged under 40 are five times more likely to have a heart attack if they smoke, according to a World Health Organisation study published today.