November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month: Understanding the risk of secondhand smoke for seniors
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, a time to increase understanding about lung cancer, its causes and ways to reduce risk. While smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, many people—especially seniors—may not realize that secondhand smoke can also be dangerous. Even people who have never smoked can develop lung cancer after long-term exposure.
Secondhand smoke includes smoke exhaled by a smoker and smoke released from the burning end of a cigarette, cigar or pipe. It contains thousands of chemicals, including many that are toxic and at least 70 known to cause cancer. Seniors may be particularly vulnerable because aging lungs can be less resilient, while many older adults already live with conditions such as heart disease, asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
