We have undertaken an autopsy-based study to evaluate the etiologic importance of active and passive smoking, as well as socio-demographic variables, in the development of pathologic precursors of lung cancer. Lung specimens were taken at autopsy from 531 persons who had died within four hours from a cause other than respiratory or cancer in Athens (Greece) or the surrounding area. Specimens were examined blindly for basal cell hyperplasia, squamous cell metaplasia, cell atypia and mucous cell metaplasia, i.e., pathological entities considered as epithelial, possibly precancerous, lesions (EPPL). Interviews were conducted with next of kin of the deceased. Suitable autopsy specimens as well as completed interviews were eventually available for 275 subjects. EPPL score was regressed on the available independent variables. EPPL score was higher among active smokers than among nonsmokers, while ex-smokers occupied an intermediate position. Conditional on smoking habits, EPPL score was higher among women than among men and higher among manual than among non-manual workers, in agreement with the corresponding patterns with respect to lung cancer. Nonsmoking women married to ever smokers had significantly higher EPPL score than those married to never smokers. The overall findings of this study suggest that EPPL is a valuable indicator of lung cancer risk and that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke is associated with higher EPPL levels and therefore with higher lung cancer risk.