According to NewsTarget, an estimated 126 million U.S. non-smokers are at risk with secondhand smoke at home or work. This susceptibility gives a 20 to 30 percent higher risk for heart disease and lung cancer.
Carmona's report determines that on average, 50,000 people die each year because of secondhand smoke exposure, including 430 infants who die from sudden infant death syndrome.
This report could revolutionize indoor smoking policies and could be a reason for total prohibition.
Stanton Glantz, director of UCSF's Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, told NewsTarget that since even slight exposure to secondhand smoke causes negative effects in non-smokers, the use of air filtration systems to "clean" indoor air is not effective. "The toxicity in smoke is so high, even if you get rid of 90 percent of the smoke, you still have more than would be considered acceptable," Glantz explained.
The convenience of air filtration has been the smoking's solution to address secondhand smoke.
Carmona's proclamation marks the 20 years after the surgeon general first ruled that secondhand smoke was the cause of lung cancer and health problems in non-smokers.
