Study: Second-hand smoke causes nearly 1.7m deaths

A study published in The Lancet reveals that second-hand smoke caused nearly 1.7 million premature deaths and severe illnesses globally in 2023, affecting more than 2.7 billion people, including 767 million children aged 14 or younger. The vast majority of these deaths were due to ischemic heart disease, with 5.2 million respiratory tract infections in children also attributed to exposure.

While tobacco remains a leading cause of disease worldwide, non-smokers accounted for a significant portion of the estimated eight million smoking-related deaths in 2023. Researchers analyzed data from 204 countries and territories between 1990 and 2023, finding that non-smokers breathing in both exhaled smoke and sidestream smoke from burning tobacco experienced dangerous levels of toxic and carcinogenic compounds.

Despite a decline in smoking rates since 1990, the number of people exposed to second-hand smoke remained stable due to population growth and rising exposure in Africa and the Middle East. Women, particularly in areas with low female smoking rates, bear a disproportionate burden of this health risk. The study urges governments to enforce stricter tobacco control measures in public places and homes to safeguard vulnerable groups, emphasizing that exposure to second-hand smoke is a globally recognized health risk with no safe level of inhalation.