Deaths in India due to second hand smoke increased nearly 50% in 2023, compared to 1990, even as death rates improved by about 30%, according to a global analysis published in The Lancet Public Health journal.
“The numbers mean that despite a fall in the adjusted rates, the absolute number of people exposed to passive smoking is still increasing. “Second-hand smoke exposure is associated with an increased risk of several diseases, including cardiovascular and respiratory conditions. An international team of researchers forming the ‘Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 Second-hand smoke Collaborators’ estimated prevalence of exposure to passive smoking and the disease burden it contributes to across 204 countries and territories. Children were found to account for more than 12% of the world’s health burden from second hand smoke, with lower respiratory infections causing the greatest burden, according to the study.
This can have long-lasting effects across multiple organ systems, not just the respiratory system,” Neetu Jain, pulmonologist and senior consultant at Pushpawati Singhania Hospital and Research Institute, New Delhi, told PTI. The effects of passive smoking can also be particularly concerning in people with conditions such as coronary artery disease,” she said.
