Secondhand smoke kills 1.7 million people annually

A study published yesterday in The Lancet medical journal revealed that more than 2.7 billion people worldwide were exposed to secondhand smoke in 2023, resulting in approximately 1.7 million deaths, as tobacco continues to be a leading cause of disease and premature mortality globally. The study relied on a review of studies in the American PubMed database, alongside population surveys. It noted that among the 2.7 billion people exposed to secondhand smoke in 2023, 767 million were children aged 0 to 14 years. Estimates indicate that this exposure led to 1.66 million premature deaths, as well as early disability and ill health, with ischemic heart disease caused by inadequate oxygen supply to the heart muscle topping the list. Secondhand smoke also caused 5.2 million cases of respiratory infections in children during the same year. The study pointed out that people near a smoker are exposed to sidestream smoke emitted from the burning tobacco product and exhaled smoke from the smoker. Unfiltered sidestream smoke contains higher concentrations of toxic and carcinogenic compounds compared to the smoke inhaled by the smoker.