Another study - of 24,296 California adults and 5,040 teens links the ad recognition with buying trends, says John Pierce, University of California, San Diego. Those surveyed mentioned Marlboro and Camel as the brands advertised most. Among teen cigarette buyers, those brands were purchased by about 80% of boys and 85% of girls. The brands' popularity declined with older smokers. Purchases tended ``to mirror the pattern of recall of advertising for that brand,'' Pierce says. He particularly criticizes Camel's campaign that uses the cool cartoon character ``Joe Camel.''

Camel's maker, RJR Nabisco, says the cartoon camel criticism is unfair. ``Just because young kids identify with the ad doesn't mean they're going to buy the product,'' says spokeswoman Maura Payne. In addition to supporting the Tobacco Institute's anti-smoking campaign for kids, RJR is starting one of its own, she says. In six city school systems by the end of next year, there will be posters and billboards such as one showing a boy sneaking a smoke in a bathroom stall, with the message: ``And You Think This Looks Cool?''

An American Heart Association report blames passive smoke for 53,000 deaths a year from heart disease and cancer. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is now gathering data ``to develop a standard on overall indoor air quality, or specifically on smoking,'' says OSHA's Susan Fleming. And the AMA voted Tuesday to call for additional warning labels on cigarettes, including one that says, ``Infants and children living with smokers have an increased risk of respiratory infections and cancer.''