Unknown exposure to second-hand smoke may cause early death

[Suarez™]

US researchers have identified a new biomarker which revealed that known and unknown exposure to second-hand smoke may lead to an increased risk of mortality in non-smokers.
Serum cotinine — a metabolite of nicotine — when used as a biological marker of exposure to second-hand smoke was found to have associations to overall and cause-specific mortality in non-smokers. Increased levels of serum cotinine in blood were significantly also associated with all types of cancers, and heart disease, the researchers said.
“The study found that non-smokers are exposed to second-hand smoke without even realising it,” said Raja Flores, Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, US. Non-smoking individuals’ cotinine blood levels accurately determined their exposure and subsequent risk of lung cancer and other smoking-related disease, Flores said.
“Using cotinine level to measure exposure to second-hand smoke has important public health implications, because increasing the scope of smoke-free environments would likely decrease cotinine levels in the general po[CENSORED]tion and ultimately death,” added Emanuela Taioli, Director at Mount Sinai. Further, exposure to second-hand smoke is unequally distributed in the po[CENSORED]tion, the researchers said, adding that children, people living in poverty, and those who rent their housing are disproportionately affected and most vulnerable