Deaths from secondhand smoke

Secondhand smoke causes death and disease in adults and children who do not smoke. The deaths are manifested in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, lung cancer, other lung ailments, and severe asthma attacks.

According the Surgeon General, the American Lung Association and the Centers for Disease Control, there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke contains at least 250 toxic chemicals with 50 of those being cancer causing as well as just generally toxic.

"Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their Heart disease risk by 25%-30% and their lung cancer risk by 20%-30%." It also causes 150,000 to 300,000 cases of bronchitis and pneumonia in children every year.

The Kansas Health Foundation is currently running an advertising campaign that contains the line, "This year, it's highly unlikely many Kansans will die from a poisonous snake bite. But 250 victims of the arsenic, hydrogen cyanide and benzene in secondhand smoke inhalation won't be so lucky."

The number of people killed is an estimate, and it varies wildly depending on who is doing the math. Some estimate 65,000 Americans a year. Others estimate 53,800 a year. The 53,800 deaths number is "based on the midpoint numbers for heart disease deaths (48,500), lung cancer deaths (3,000), and SIDS deaths (2,300) as calculated in the 1997 California EPA Report on Secondhand Smoke." The American Lung Association says that 3,400 nonsmokers die from lung cancer caused by secondhand smoke and says "46,000 (ranging from 22,700 to 69,600) deaths per year from heart disease in adult nonsmokers."

For perspective, in 2006 there were 42,642 people killed in all motor vehicle deaths, including alcohol-related motor vehicle deaths (13,470).