For the sake of argument, say a family member living with you smokes cigarettes, and has done so for years. Of course, that person is putting themselves at a very high risk of developing a cancer of the lung or bronchus through repeated tobacco use. That in and of itself would normally be enough for you to try and convince the family member to quit smoking, simply out of concern for the person’s long term wellbeing. However, it’s also vital to your own health that the family member quits smoking, because exposure to second-hand smoke has been proven to greatly increase one’s likelihood of developing lung and bronchus cancers.

According to the Surgeon General’s report from 2006 on the effects of second-hand smoke, people who don’t smoke themselves but are repeatedly exposed to second-hand smoke at home or work increase their chances of developing lung and bronchus cancers by 20 to 30 percent. Second-hand smoke is actually a combination of two things: the smoke burned off from the end of tobacco products and the smoke that is exhaled by the tobacco user.

Some important trends and facts concerning second-hand smoke as a risk factor for lung cancer are:

• 88 percent of people over the age of 4 were exposed to second-hand smoke in 1991
• Nearly 126 million people were exposed to second-hand smoke regularly in the U.S. by 2000
• By 2002, only 43 percent of people over the age of 4 were regularly exposed to second-hand smoke as efforts to educate the public about the dangers of second-hand smoke began to make progress

As if the cancer-related problems weren’t bad enough, second-hand smoke exposure has also been linked to increased likelihood of contracting coronary heart disease, as well as respiratory problems in children.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with lung cancer in Georgia and feel it was detected too late or originally missed by your doctor or medical professional, please request a copy of our free book, I Have Cancer…Should It Have Been Caught Earlier?, or contact a knowledgeable Atlanta medical malpractice attorney at the Dover Law Firm at 770-518-1133 for more information and to schedule a free consultation.