This report focuses on the evidence about the health consequences of smoking for women, and is intended to serve the public health and medical communities as a unified source of existing scientific research. The major issues about tobacco use and women's health are examined, including trends in consumption, biomedical evidence, and determinants of smoking initiation, maintenance, and cessation. The biomedical aspects of smoking are presented in terms of mortality, morbidity, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, pregnancy and infant health, peptic ulcer disease, drug reactions and interactions, food constituents, and responses to diagnostic tests. The psychosocial and behavioral aspects of smoking in women are discussed, along with the documented increases in the risk of contracting lung cancer, heart disease, or lung disease. The harmful effects of pregnant mothers' smoking behaviors are also documented. Additionally, recent data are enumerated to indicate a trend of decreasing tobacco usage among women in response to the warnings of the government, voluntary agencies, and physicians. (Author/NRB)