Categories
· Health/Science
· Secondhand Smoke
· Lung Cancer
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- Consults Blog -
Jump to full article: New York Times Blogs, 2009-06-22
Author: Derek Raghavan, M.D., Ph.D
Intro:
Why do people who never smoke get lung cancer?
. . .
Probably the most important issue is that many people who claim not to smoke actually do. But they don't smoke actively, with a cigarette stuck between their lips. Rather, they are passive smokers. This means that they breathe in the cigarette smoke that is exhaled by others.
Dana Reeve, wife of "Superman" actor Christopher Reeve, is one of many nonsmokers who have died from lung cancer.
. . .
There's also the issue of “third-hand smoke,” in which particles and chemicals exhaled can settle on surfaces like chairs and desks and pose a further health hazard.
Another piece of the puzzle is that cigarette smoke is not the only known cause of lung cancer.
It is well documented that in some parts of the country, people are exposed to radon gas
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