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Bloomberg.com: Science: "Secondhand Smoke Detected in Almost Half of U.S. Nonsmokers

By Tom Randall

Secondhand Smoke Detected in Almost Half of U.S. Nonsmokers

By Tom Randall

July 10 (Bloomberg) -- Signs of secondhand smoke were detected in almost half of nonsmoking Americans, highlighting the need to reduce exposure, especially for children, U.S. health officials said.

Exposure fell 70 percent from the late 1980s through 2002 as smoking was banned in some public places and indoor work spaces, according to a study released today by the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. That wasn't enough to eliminate traces of cotinine, a byproduct of nicotine, from the blood of nonsmokers, particularly children ages 4 to 11.

Secondhand smoke can increase the risk of heart disease and lung cancer in adults, and of sudden infant death syndrome, acute respiratory infections and asthma in children, the CDC said. Cotinine levels, used to test for tobacco-smoke exposure, dropped to 46 percent in the study from 1999 to 2004, from 84 percent in an earlier finding through 1994.

``No level of exposure to secondhand smoke is safe,'' researchers said in today's report from the Atlanta-based CDC. ``The U.S. Surgeon General has concluded that protecting nonsmokers from secondhand smoke exposure can only be accomplished by completely eliminating smoking in indoor places.''

Children had the most exposure to smoke, with 61 percent of the 4- to 11-year-olds, the youngest studied, having detectable levels of cotinine, according to the report. That compared with 55 percent for ages 12 to 19, and 42 percent for adults 20 or older. Most of the children's exposure to secondhand smoke was in the home, the CDC said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tom Randall in New York at trandall6@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: July 10, 2008 12:29 EDT