Inhaling Smoke From Others a Peril, U.S. Says

Healthy people who do not smoke can develop lung cancer and other diseases simply by inhaling smoke from others, the surgeon general concluded for the first time today.

Surgeon General C. Everett Koop also found that children with parents who smoke suffer more respiratory problems than others and that separating smokers and nonsmokers into different sections of the same area is not enough to eliminate the problem of “passive smoke.”

The findings, which were included in an 18th annual report to Congress released today, were the surgeon general’s strongest statements ever on the dangers of smoke inhaled by nonsmokers.

Not Limited to Smoker

“It is now clear that disease risk due to the inhalation of tobacco smoke is not limited to the individual who is smoking, but can extend to those who inhale tobacco smoke emitted into the air,” the report noted.

“Involuntary smoking is a cause of disease, including lung cancer, in healthy nonsmokers,” it said.

The report noted it was the first study by the surgeon general “that identifies a chronic disease risk resulting from exposure to tobacco smoke for individuals other than smokers.”