Surgeon General's Report

The latest Surgeon General's Report (SGR), The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, considered by many to be the most significant SGR since the landmark 1964 report, concludes there is no safe level of secondhand smoke for nonsmokers.

The six major conclusions about secondhand smoke in the report are

• Many millions of Americans, both children and adults, are still exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes and workplaces despite substantial progress in tobacco control.



• Secondhand smoke causes premature death and disease in children and in adults who do not smoke.



• Children exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome, acute respiratory infections, ear problems, and more severe asthma. Smoking by parents causes respiratory symptoms and slows lung growth in their children.



• Exposure of adults to secondhand smoke has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and causes coronary heart disease and lung cancer.



• The scientific evidence indicates there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.



• Eliminating smoking in indoor places fully protects nonsmokers from exposure to secondhand smoke. Separating smokers from nonsmokers, cleaning the air, and ventilating buildings cannot eliminate exposures of nonsmokers to secondhand smoke.

3,000 Lung Cancer Deaths a Year in Nonsmokers

Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25 to 30 percent and lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent. The finding is of major public health concern because nearly half of all nonsmoking Americans still are exposed to secondhand smoke regularly.

Secondhand smoke exposure can cause heart disease and lung cancer in nonsmoking adults and is a known cause of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), respiratory problems, ear infections, and asthma attacks in infants and children, the report finds.

"We see about 3,000 lung cancer deaths in nonsmoking people a year. But the cardiovascular effects are about 15 times larger. We estimate at a minimum 35,000 to as high as 50,000 to 60,000 people die each year from heart attacks and strokes after being exposed to secondhand smoke. These are people with diseased arteries. Those disease spots are vulnerable to the effects of the toxins in smoke," says Terry Pechacek, PhD, Associate Director for Science in CDC's Office on Smoking and Health.

To read highlights of the 2006 SGR, watch the press conference Webcast, or access additional resources, visit 2006 Surgeon General's Report—The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke.