Study links 1.7 million deaths in 2023 to second-hand smoke exposure

More than 2.7 billion people worldwide, including 767 million children, were exposed to second‑hand smoke in 2023, according to a new study published in *The Lancet* on Tuesday. The research links that exposure to nearly 1.7 million deaths, underscoring the continued magnitude of the health burden posed by involuntary inhalation of tobacco smoke.

The authors of the study emphasize that second‑hand smoke remains a major global health risk with no safe level of exposure, reinforcing existing public‑health warnings and the need for stronger tobacco‑control policies. By quantifying both the breadth of exposure and its lethal outcomes, the findings provide updated evidence for governments and health agencies to intensify measures aimed at reducing ambient tobacco smoke in public and private settings.