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Breathing can kill—even without smoking.
3 juin 2025
#Nicotine #SecondhandSmoke #LungCancer
#Prevention
Lung cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, accounting for over one in five cancer deaths. While active smoking is the dominant risk factor, an increasing proportion of cases are being observed among non-smokers, challenging the assumption that only tobacco users are at high risk.
Among other suspected sources, secondhand smoke is an avoidable yet still underestimated risk factor. It exposes non-smokers to toxic and carcinogenic substances similar to those directly inhaled by smokers. Despite growing awareness and the adoption of anti-smoking laws in public spaces, exposure to secondhand smoke continues in private settings, where protective policies are limited or entirely absent.
Lung cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, accounting for over one in five cancer deaths. While active smoking is the dominant risk factor, an increasing proportion of cases are being observed among non-smokers, challenging the assumption that only tobacco users are at high risk.
Among other suspected sources, secondhand smoke is an avoidable yet still underestimated risk factor. It exposes non-smokers to toxic and carcinogenic substances similar to those directly inhaled by smokers. Despite growing awareness and the adoption of anti-smoking laws in public spaces, exposure to secondhand smoke continues in private settings, where protective policies are limited or entirely absent.
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Scientific reference
Elkefi, S., et al. (2025). Second-Hand Smoke Exposure and Risk of Lung Cancer Among Nonsmokers in the United States: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International journal of environmental research and public health, 22(4), 595
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