NEW DELHI: Deaths linked to second-hand smoke in India have soared, surging almost 50% since 1990 and claiming 325,600 lives in 2023 alone. According to a study published in The Lancet Public Health Monday, India had the world’s second-highest number of people exposed to second-hand smoke in 2023, after China, with 444 million Indians affected.While India’s age-standardised exposure prevalence declined from 43.2% to 30.6% over the last three decades, the absolute number of people exposed rose from 375 million in 1990 to 444 million in 2023, an increase of 18.4%. The health toll also rose sharply, with deaths attributable to second-hand smoke climbing from 217,700 to 325,600 during the same period.Fatalities among women rose from 113,400 to 156,900, while deaths among men from 104,300 to 168,700 over the same period. Second-hand smoke also accounted for 9.28 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in India in 2023, representing healthy years lost to premature death, illness or disability.Dr G C Khilnani, chairperson of pulmonary, critical care at PSRI Hospital, said, “Second-hand smoke contributes not only to illness and disability but also to premature deaths and loss of healthy years. Kids and women are particularly vulnerable, with children’s developing lungs making them more susceptible to respiratory issues.
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Smoking should be done outdoors, and greater public awareness is needed.”The study links second-hand smoke to ischaemic heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, asthma and lower respiratory infections. Among children, lower respiratory infections were the leading contributor to the disease burden.Globally, 2.71 billion people were exposed to second-hand smoke in 2023, contributing to 1.66 million deaths and 44.8 million DALYs. China, India and Indonesia accounted for nearly half of world’s exposed population, with China recording 664 million exposed people.