Exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke and early death  

Second-hand tobacco smoke is present in virtually all public places where smoking is permitted, and there is no safe level of exposure.

In the European Union, 14% of non-smokers are exposed to other people's smoke at home, and a third of working adults are exposed at the workplace at least some of the time.

In the WHO European Region, much more 13-15 year olds are exposed at home to smoke than any other part of the world. Approximately 78% of these youth are exposed, making them 1.5 to 2 times more likely to start smoking than those not exposed.

Breathing second-hand tobacco smoke has serious and often fatal health consequences. Second-hand tobacco smoke is estimated to cause about 600,000 premature deaths per year worldwide.

Of all deaths due to second-hand tobacco smoke, 31% occur among children, and 64% occur among women. In the European Union, second-hand tobacco smoke exposure is estimated to cause about 7,600 deaths per year, with exposure at home causing an additional 72,100 deaths.

Other helpful material

• Fact file: 10 facts on second-hand smoke
• Protect people from tobacco smoke from WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2009