Secondhand Smoke Exposure Among Nonsmoking Youth: United States, 2013-2016.

Abstract

Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure comes from the inhalation of smoke from burning cigarettes, cigars, and pipes (1). SHS can cause sudden infant death syndrome, respiratory and ear infections, and asthma attacks in youth (1,2). Decreases in tobacco smoking, awareness of SHS health risks, and smokefree policies may have contributed to a reduction in SHS exposure since the late 1980s (3,4). However, in recent years, the percentage of youth with SHS exposure has remained steady (5). This report describes the prevalence of SHS exposure among nonsmoking youth in 2013-2016, as defined by serum cotinine, a metabolite of nicotine.