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🇵🇦 Panama /Health & Science

Secondhand smoke linked to nearly 1.7 million deaths worldwide, study says

From TVN Panamá · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Documents & data Context piece
  • More than 2.7 billion people, including 767 million children, were exposed to secondhand smoke worldwide in 2023, a Lancet study estimated.
  • The exposure contributed to about 1.66 million premature deaths and 5.2 million respiratory infections among children.
  • The study urged governments to strengthen tobacco controls in public places and homes, saying population growth and rising tobacco use in Africa and the Middle East have kept exposure levels high.

More than 2.7 billion people were exposed to secondhand smoke in 2023, including 767 million children aged 0 to 14, according to a study published in The Lancet. The researchers estimated that this exposure contributed to nearly 1.7 million deaths worldwide.

The study placed secondhand smoke within the wider global burden of tobacco-related disease. Of the estimated 8 million people who died from tobacco-related illnesses in 2023, many were “non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke.” The exposure caused an estimated 1.66 million premature deaths, along with early disease and disability.

Ischaemic heart disease, caused by an inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart muscle, led the illnesses linked to the exposure. Among children, secondhand smoke caused an estimated 5.2 million respiratory infections in 2023.

Exposure to secondhand smoke is a globally recognised health risk, with no safe level of inhalation.

· The studyThe study’s central finding about the health risks of secondhand smoke.

The researchers said people near smokers inhale both smoke from the burning tobacco product and smoke exhaled by the smoker. They noted that the side-stream smoke that predominates in the air breathed by non-smokers is unfiltered and contains higher concentrations per unit of toxic and carcinogenic compounds than the smoke inhaled by the smoker.

The report analysed scientific papers in PubMed, the US National Institutes of Health repository, as well as population surveys. It assessed exposure and disease burden across 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2023. Despite a significant decline in smoking prevalence since 1990, the absolute number of people exposed has remained stable because of population growth and increased tobacco consumption in Africa and the Middle East. The study called for stricter controls in public places and homes, particularly to protect women and children.

The side-stream smoke, which predominates in the air breathed by non-smokers, is unfiltered and contains higher concentrations per unit of toxic and carcinogenic compounds.

· The studyThe researchers explained why secondhand smoke poses a risk to people near smokers.
About this summary

Originally published by TVN Panamá in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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