Background Exposure to second-hand smoke is common in many countries but the magnitude of the problem
worldwide is poorly described. We aimed to estimate the worldwide exposure to second-hand smoke and its burden
of disease in children and adult non-smokers in 2004.
Methods The burden of disease from second-hand smoke was estimated as deaths and disability-adjusted life-years
(DALYs) for children and adult non-smokers. The calculations were based on disease-specific relative risk estimates
and area-specific estimates of the proportion of people exposed to second-hand smoke, by comparative risk assessment
methods, with data from 192 countries during 2004.