Written question asked by Lord Monson (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour) on Monday, 14 May 2007.

Health: Second-hand Smoke

Question: asked Her Majesty's Government:How many individuals in the United Kingdom are estimated to (a) die prematurely, or (b) suffer serious ill health annually as a result of inhaling secondhand smoke or fumes from (i) tobacco products; (ii) herbal cigarettes containing no tobacco; (iii) incinerators and bonfires; (iv) industrial processes; (v) motor vehicles; and (vi) all other airborne pollutants.

Answer: The Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health (SCOTH) published a report in 2004, Secondhand Smoke: Review of Evidence since 1998—Update of evidence on health effects of secondhand smoke, which found that exposure to secondhand smoke led to a 24 per cent increased risk of lung cancer and a 25 per cent increased risk of coronary disease. A report published by Professor Konrad Jamrozik in the British Medical Journal in April 2005 (330:812), Estimate of deaths attributable to passive smoking among adults: database analysis, estimated that 10,700 people die in the United Kingdom annually due to illnesses caused by exposure to secondhand smoke. The evidence that secondhand smoke damages health is well documented. SCOTH concluded that exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk of heart disease and lung cancer in non-smokers, can trigger respiratory asthma attacks, and is a cause of sudden infant death syndrome. In addition, children exposed to secondhand smoke are at higher risk of developing pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma and middle ear disease. The department is not aware of research that specifically estimates the number of deaths and/or cases of serious ill health related to smoking herbal cigarettes in the UK. A copy of these reports is in the Library.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 3576; 692 c8-9WA
Session: 2006-07
Related items: Health: Second-hand Smoke
Thursday, 26 July 2007
Written questions
House of Lords
Subjects: Death Air pollution Health hazards Passive smoking Smoking
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk