Fewer Americans Are Smoking, But Secondhand Smoke Is Still Of Concern

Though America continues to struggle through the obesity epidemic, recent findings show some health improvements in other areas.

Findings presented in a federal study Thursday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report show that nearly twice as many U.S. households are smoke-free compared to 20 years ago, reflecting increasing awareness of the dangers of smoking.

However, health officials are still hoping to sway many smokers who live with non-smokers. It's predicted that 41,000 non-smokers are killed from second-hand smoke annually.

"We know there is no safe level of secondhand smoke," said lead study author Brian King of the CDC, via Reuters. "The ultimate goal it to not expose people to a known carcinogen."

As many public places have banned smoking, there is an increased rate of secondhand smoke for children and non-smokers in many private areas, such as the home. In fact, close to half of the United States now prevents smoking in public places.

These findings showed that smoke-free homes rose from 57 percent to 91 percent in families without an adult smoker, and from 9.6 percent to 46 percent in families with a smoker.

However, since 2006, the Surgeon General declared that there's no level of secondhand smoke that's safe. Homes are the main source of exposure for children, and for adults who don't smoke.

"Because 100 percent smoke-free indoor environments are the only effective way to fully eliminate secondhand smoke exposure, efforts are warranted to educate the public about the dangers of secondhand smoke and to promote the adoption of smoke-free home rules, particularly among subpopulations at greatest risk for exposure, such as those living in households with smokers, in states with lower prevalence of smoke-free home rules, and in multiunit housing," the CDC report concluded.