Study: Secondhand smoke kills 1.7 million globally

A study published in The Lancet journal found that over 2.7 billion people worldwide, including children, are exposed to passive smoking, leading to approximately 1.7 million deaths in 2023. Although global smoking rates have decreased since 1990, population growth and increased exposure in Africa and the Middle East have kept the total number of those exposed high. The study showed that exposure to secondhand smoke caused children to experience 5.2 million respiratory infections and resulted in about 1.66 million premature deaths, primarily from ischemic heart diseases. The findings emphasize that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke and call on governments to implement stricter measures to protect people from passive smoking in public places and homes.

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