2006 Surgeon General's Report | Smoking & Tobacco Use

Complete Report [PDF – 19.8 MB]

Errata Notice

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006. In the Message from Michael O. Leavitt, the fourth sentence of the last paragraph should read: “As of the year 2000, more than 94 million residents of the United States aged 3 or older still are estimated to be exposed to secondhand smoke.”

Message from Michael O. Leavitt

In the Message from Michael O. Leavitt, the fourth sentence of the last paragraph should read: “As of the year 2000, more than 94 million residents of the United States aged 3 or older still are estimated to be exposed to secondhand smoke.”

Page iii, 2nd sentence, last paragraph

On page iii (Preface), the second sentence of the last paragraph should read: “Almost half of nonsmokers in the United States have biologic evidence of exposure to secondhand smoke.”

Page iii, 5th sentence, last paragraph

On page iii (Preface), the fifth sentence of the last paragraph should read: “However, more than 94 million nonsmokers are still exposed.”

Page 135

On page 136, Table 4.2 should read as follows:

Secondhand Smoke: What It Means to You

A short, easy-to-read booklet explaining what scientists have learned about the dangers of secondhand smoke.
Also available from the CDC Publications Catalog.

Errata Notice

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Children and Secondhand Smoke Exposure. Excerpts from The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2007.

Page i (Foreword), 4th sentence, 4th paragraph

On page i (Foreword), the fourth sentence of the fourth paragraph should read: “Almost one in four children aged 3 to 11 years lives in a household with at least one smoker, compared to only about one in sixteen nonsmoking adults.”

Page iv (Preface), 2nd sentence, last paragraph

On page iv (Preface), the second sentence of the last paragraph should read: “Of the more than 94 million U.S. nonsmokers who are still exposed, 36 million are children aged 3 to 19 years.”

Page 15, last sentence, 1st paragraph

On page 15, the last sentence of the first paragraph in the left column should read: “Overall, based upon serum coti¬nine measures, approximately 22 million children aged 3 through 11 years, 14 million nonsmoking youth aged 12 through 19 years, and 60 million nonsmoking adults aged 20 or more years in the United States were exposed to secondhand smoke in 2000 (Table 4.2).”

Page 21, last two sentences, 1st paragraph

On page 21, the last two sentences of the first paragraph in the right column should read: “Table 4.2 notes estimates for 2000; approximately 94 million children and nonsmoking adults were exposed to secondhand smoke. This estimated total includes almost 22 million children aged 3 through 11 years, and 14 million nonsmoking youth aged 12 through 19 years.”

Page 15, Table 4.2

On page 15, Table 4.2 should read as follows:

Table 4.2 Serum cotinine levels among nonsmokers aged 3 years and older, NHANES* 1999–2002
Age Group	Median cotinine level (SE†) (95% CI‡)	% with levels ≥0.05 ng/mL§ (SE)(95% CI)	% with at least 1 smoker in the home (SE) (95% CI)	Total population (2000)	Estimated number of nonsmokers (in millions) with serum cotinine levels ≥0.05 ng/mL
≥3 years	<LODΔ (<LOD–0.04)	46.3 (2.0) (42.5–50.2)	11.0 (0.5) (10.1–11.9)	270,005,230	94.5
3–19 years	0.08 (0.01) (0.05–0.10)	57.3 (2.8) (51.9–62.7)	22.6 (1.4) (19.9–25.3)	69,056,589	35.9
3–11 years	0.09 (0.02) (0.06–0.12)	59.6 (2.9) (53.9–65.3)	24.9 (1.8) (21.4–28.4)	36,697,776	21.8
12–19 years	0.06 (0.01) (0.04–0.09)	54.6 (3.2) (48.3–60.8)	19.7 (1.3) (17.1–22.3)	32,358,813	14.4
≥20 years	<LOD (<LOD–<LOD)	42.1 (1.9) (38.3–45.8)	6.4 (0.3) (5.7–7.1)	200,948,641	59.9
20–39 years	0.04 (0.01) (<LOD–0.05)	48.5 (2.9) (42.7–54.2)	6.7 (0.8) (5.2–8.3)	81,562,389	25.4
40–59 years	<LOD (<LOD–<LOD)	40.6 (2.3) (36.1–45.2)	7.2 (0.9) (5.5–8.8)	73,589,052	21.0
≥60 years	<LOD (<LOD–<LOD)	35.7 (1.7) (32.2–39.1)	5.0 (0.6) (3.9–6.1)	45,797,200	13.7

* NHANES = National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
† SE = Standard error.
‡ CI = Conﬁdence interval.
§ ng/mL = Nanograms per milliliter.
Δ LOD = Limit of detection (0.05 ng/mL).

Sources: U.S. Bureau of the Census 2005; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, unpublished data.

Secondhand Smoke: Triumphs and Tragedies

A 10-minute video that puts a human face on the issue by telling the stories of six individuals whose health was affected by secondhand smoke and/or who led local efforts to make workplaces and public places smoke free. The video also tells the stories of three communities that successfully implemented smoke-free policies. The video won the Gold Aurora and Silver Telly awards.

Selected soundbite transcript from Surgeon General interview (originally provided to radio stations), Vice Admiral Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S., U.S. Surgeon General

Protect Yourself from Secondhand Smoke [PDF – 197 KB]

This brightly colored poster features information on how secondhand smoke exposure affects nonsmokers’ health. Exposure to secondhand smoke causes heart disease, lung cancer, and breathing problems for adults, and weaker lungs and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in infants.
Also available from the CDC Publications Catalog.

There’s No Such Thing as a No Smoking Section [PDF – 130 KB]

This poster communicates that no amount of secondhand smoke exposure is safe and lists ways in which people may be exposed to secondhand smoke and not realize it. Eliminating exposure indoors is the only way to adequately protect yourself. Ventilation and filtration will not protect you—neither will simply sitting in a no-smoking section.
Also available from the CDC Publications Catalog.

Secondhand Smoke Is Dangerous to Children [PDF – 168 KB]

This poster communicates that no amount of secondhand smoke exposure is safe and lists ways in which people may be exposed to secondhand smoke and not realize it. Eliminating exposure indoors is the only way to adequately protect yourself. Ventilation and filtration will not protect you—neither will simply sitting in a no-smoking section.
Also available from the CDC Publications Catalog.

Secondhand Smoke Is Toxic [PDF – 384 KB]

This poster features information on the health effects of some of the more than 4,000 chemicals contained in secondhand smoke, including cancer-causing chemicals like formaldehyde and benzene, toxic metals like arsenic and cadmium, and poisonous gases like carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide.
Also available from the CDC Publications Catalog.

2006 Surgeon General’s Report