Secondhand smoke will cause nearly 1.7 million deaths in 2023

Secondhand smoke was responsible for nearly 1.7 million premature deaths worldwide in 2023 alone. This was reported by scientists whose work was published in The Lancet Public Health.

The researchers analyzed scientific papers and population-based survey data from 204 countries from 1990 to 2023. They estimate that in 2023, more than 2.7 billion people regularly breathed environmental tobacco smoke. Among them were about 767 million children under the age of 14 years.

Researchers have linked exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke to an estimated 1.66 million premature deaths. The largest contribution came from coronary heart disease. Children were especially vulnerable: Scientists estimate that second-hand smoke caused about 5.2 million cases of respiratory tract infections among children in one year.

Although smoking prevalence has decreased since 1990, the total number of people exposed to tobacco smoke has not decreased. The authors emphasize that there is no safe level of secondhand smoke, and it remains a particularly serious problem for women and children.