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Fact Sheet

Trends in Secondhand Smoke Exposure Among U.S. Nonsmokers: Progress and Gaps

(October 2006)

• Secondhand smoke exposure among U.S. nonsmokers has declined substantially since the publication of the 1986 Surgeon General's Report on The Health Consequences of Involuntary Smoking.¹
  • Levels of a chemical called cotinine, a biomarker of secondhand smoke exposure, fell by 70% from 1988–1991 to 2001–2002.²
  • The proportion of nonsmokers with detectable cotinine levels has been halved from 88% to 43%.²
• However, more than 126 million nonsmoking Americans, including both children and adults, are still exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes and workplaces.¹
• Homes and workplaces are the primary locations where nonsmokers are exposed to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke exposure also continues to occur in public places such as restaurants and bars and in private vehicles.¹
• Children are more heavily exposed to secondhand smoke than adults.³ Almost 60% of U.S. children aged 3–11 years—or almost 22 million children—are exposed to secondhand smoke.¹ About 25% of children in this age group live with at least one smoker, as compared to only about 7% of nonsmoking adults.¹
• While declines in cotinine levels have occurred in all racial and ethnic groups, cotinine levels have consistently been found to be higher in African Americans than in whites and Mexican Americans.²
• Disparities in secondhand smoke exposure among ethnic and racial groups vary by the location where the exposure is taking place. For example, some evidence suggests that Hispanics are less likely than other ethnic/racial groups to be covered by smoke-free workplace policies, but are more likely to have smoke-free home rules in place.¹
• Secondhand smoke exposure tends to be higher for persons with lower incomes.¹
• Eliminating smoking in indoor spaces is the only way to fully protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke exposure. Separating smokers from nonsmokers, cleaning the air, and ventilating buildings cannot eliminate secondhand smoke exposure.¹

References

1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006 [cited 2006 Oct 23]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/sgr_2006/index.htm.
2. Pirkle JL, Bernert JT, Caudill SP, Sosnoff CS, Pechacek TF. Trends in the Exposure of Nonsmokers in the U.S. Population to Secondhand Smoke: 1988–2002. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2006;114(6):853–858 [cited 2006 Oct 23].
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Third National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Environmental Health, 2005 [cited 2006 Oct 23]. NCEH Publication No. 05-0570.

For Further Information

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Office on Smoking and Health
E-mail: tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov
Phone: 1-800-CDC-INFO

Media Inquiries: Contact CDC's Office on Smoking and Health press line at 770-488-5493.

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