Stats reveal secondhand smoke dangers

Thailand ranks fifth in the world for having the highest number of female victims of secondhand smoke, whose risk of developing breast cancer is 1.24 times higher than those living in tobacco-free environments, according to a health expert.
Dr Roengrudee Patanavanish, from Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine, said Tuesday the situation with secondhand smokers in Thailand is alarming as 70% of the country’s 34 million non-smoking people are reportedly affected by secondhand smoking.
Speaking at a seminar about the dangers of secondhand smoke, she cited a survey on Thai people’s health conducted in 2019 by the Burden of Disease Research Program Thailand and the International Health Policy Program, which showed an average of 20,688 Thai people died from diseases related to secondhand smoke per year.
Dr Roengrudee said Thai females aged 15-49 years, compared to those in 57 other countries, are the 5th highest in the world to be exposed to secondhand smoke. She said 68% of them experienced harmful pollution at home.
The situation is concerning, she added, because, according to the British Journal of Cancer 2024 publication, secondhand smokers could have a 1.24 times higher chance of developing breast cancer than people living in a tobacco-free environment.
She said breast cancer has claimed over Thai women 4,800 lives per year, or 13 women a day. It is the country’s number one cancer among women, with 18,000 new cases yearly.
Dr Suwanna Ruangkanchasetr, from the Tobacco Control Research and Knowledge Management Centre, said children are also at risk from passive smoking at home. A survey showed that 55% of Thai children aged 1-5 years live in a smoking environment. Their risk of developing a lower-respiratory disease is four times higher than those who live in a smoke-free environment, Dr Suwanna said.