Dangers of Secondhand Smoke Confirmed

Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25-30% and lung cancer by 20-30%, according to a comprehensive report issued by the U.S. Surgeon General.

The finding is of major public health concern due to the fact that nearly half of all nonsmoking Americans are still regularly exposed to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke, known as a human carcinogen, contains more than 50 cancer-causing chemicals. Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke inhale many of the same toxins as smokers, and even brief exposure to secondhand smoke has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and increases the risk for heart disease and lung cancer.

In addition, the report noted that because the bodies of infants and children are still developing, they are especially vulnerable to the poisons in secondhand smoke, leading perhaps to problems such as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), respiratory problems, ear infections, and asthma attacks. The report said the only way to protect nonsmokers from the dangerous chemicals in secondhand smoke is to eliminate smoking indoors altogether, since even the most sophisticated ventilation systems cannot completely eliminate secondhand smoke exposure.

"The health effects of secondhand smoke exposure are more pervasive than we previously thought,” said U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, vice admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service (Rockville, MD, USA). "The scientific evidence is now indisputable: secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance. It is a serious health hazard that can lead to disease and premature death in children and nonsmoking adults.” Copies of the report are available on the Surgeon General's website.

The progress over the past 20 years in clearing the air of tobacco smoke is a major public health success story, said Surgeon General Carmona, who noted that levels of cotinine--a biologic marker for secondhand smoke exposure--measured in nonsmokers have fallen by 70% since the late 1980s, and the proportion of nonsmokers with detectable cotinine levels has been halved, from 88% in 1988-91 to 43% in 2001-02.



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U.S. Surgeon General