Global health research links secondhand smoke to 1.7 million deaths

New research published in The Lancet Public Health as part of the Global Burden of Diseases study indicates that secondhand smoke exposure contributed to approximately 1.7 million deaths worldwide in 2023. An international team reviewed data from 204 countries, estimating that 2.71 billion people, including 767 million children under age 15, were exposed to passive smoke. While age-adjusted global exposure fell by 22% between 1990 and 2023, population growth has kept the total number of exposed individuals relatively stable.

The study identified ischemic heart disease as the primary contributor to mortality, while lower respiratory infections were the leading cause of disability in children. Additionally, the research noted that secondhand smoke accounted for over 3% of overall disability-adjusted life-years, with asthma contributing to 6% of disability among children.

Concurrently, the global landscape of nicotine consumption is shifting. While conventional cigarette use is declining in many developed markets due to regulation and the rise of reduced-risk nicotine products (RRP) like vaping and heated tobacco, combustible cigarettes maintain high global demand. Experts suggest that rather than disappearing, traditional cigarettes are entering an era of coexistence with alternative nicotine products.