Retraction
Eisner MD, Yelin EH, Henke J, Shiboski SC, Blanc PD. Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Asthma Health Outcomes: The Impact of Changing Exposure Status on Health Outcomes. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1998;158:170-175

Mark D. Eisner, Stephen C. Shiboski, Edward H. Yelin, and Paul D. Blanc

School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco

Dorothy F. Bainton

Academic Vice Chancellor, Official Institutional Officer, University of California, SanFrancisco

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In a previous publication in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, we reported the association between environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure and adverse health outcomes among adults with asthma. After publication of this study, our research team became aware of a potential quality compromise of some data collected by a survey interviewer. This problem became apparent as we began to reinterview subjects during the planned follow-up of this cohort study. Based on these concerns, we initiated a formal review of all previous data involving this survey interviewer. This formal review process was carried out under the auspices of the University of California, San Francisco, following both internal university and external National Institutes of Health policies.

The review confirmed that the interviewer had created some records which were duplicated or inconsistent in ways constituting clear misconduct in 75 of 1,710 interviews. In addition, 449 interviews had fragmentary documentation and could have been compromised. We have extensively reanalyzed the data in question, excluding all compromised and potentially compromised records. Although the reanalysis was limited by lower statistical power, these results are in accord with our original conclusion that ETS exposure negatively affects adult asthma status. Despite the similar study conclusions, we wish to retract the original publication in order to correct the scientific record.