Press Release- 58 million nonsmokers in US are still exposed to secondhand smoke

Press Release- 58 million nonsmokers in US are still exposed to secondhand smoke

Press Release

58 million nonsmokers in US are still exposed to secondhand smoke

Although secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure in the United States dropped by half between 1999 to 2000 and 2011 to 2012, one in four nonsmokers -- 58 million people -- are still exposed to SHS, according to a newVital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) show that declines in exposure to SHS have been slower and exposure remains higher among children, blacks, those who live in poverty, and those who live in rental housing. The report finds two in every five children aged three to 11 years are still exposed to SHS. The study assessed exposure using cotinine, a marker of SHS found in the blood.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES