The Lancet: Secondhand Smoke Causes Approximately 1.7 Million Deaths Annually

The international medical journal The Lancet published a research report on Tuesday (September 8) stating that over 2.71 billion people globally are exposed to the hazards of secondhand smoke, of whom 767 million are children aged 14 and below. In 2023, this resulted in nearly 1.66 million premature deaths and caused substantial disease burden and loss of healthy life years, with ischemic heart disease accounting for the highest number of deaths. Additionally, in 2023, there were as many as 5.2 million cases of respiratory infections among children attributable to secondhand smoke exposure.

The report stated that tobacco remains one of the leading causes of disease globally. In 2023, approximately 8 million people died from smoking-related diseases worldwide, many of whom were non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke. Many people believe that if the amount of secondhand smoke inhaled is not significant, it does not pose a serious health hazard. However, the report notes that "secondhand smoke is a recognized global health risk, and there is no safe level of exposure."

The researchers involved in this study estimated secondhand smoke exposure across 204 countries and regions from 1990 to 2023, based on research and population survey data from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) biomedical database PubMed, and quantified the resulting disease burden.

The report pointed out that although global smoking rates have declined significantly since 1990, due to population growth and increasing numbers of people exposed to secondhand smoke in Africa and the Middle East, the overall number of people affected by secondhand smoke has not decreased. Women and children have been particularly severely impacted.

Secondhand smoke is a mixture of sidestream smoke produced by the incomplete combustion of tobacco and mainstream smoke exhaled by smokers. Due to the lower combustion temperature, sidestream smoke accumulates higher concentrations of toxic substances. Among them, carbon monoxide concentration is five times that of mainstream smoke, nicotine is three times higher, and the potent carcinogen nitrosamines is up to 50 times higher.

Secondhand smoke should be classified as a public hazard that seriously affects population health. Laws and regulations should be improved worldwide to strictly prohibit smoking in public places. At the same time, public health departments in all countries should vigorously publicize the hazards of secondhand smoke and urge smokers, when smoking at home, to stay away from children, women, and the elderly in the household.

Smokers should also quit smoking whenever possible. If they cannot quit, they should at least refrain from smoking in public places or in spaces shared with family members. Secondhand smoke can linger on sofas, clothing, furniture, and walls in homes, causing long-term harm to family members' health. Therefore, smokers are not only harming their own health but also undermining the happiness of their families.

Each of us must bravely stand up and say no to secondhand smoke. We must break the illusion that "smoking is merely a personal habit" and recognize secondhand smoke as a serious public health hazard and source of disease.