Actuarial analysis of costs of second-hand smoke in US

The effects of second-hand smoke on non-smokers in the United States cost nearly US$6bn in medical and economic costs in 2004 according to an actuarial study. Following a recent report by the Surgeon General that confirmed second-hand smoke causes lung cancer and heart disease, Cori Uccello, senior health fellow of the American Academy of Actuaries, analysed the implications of a study that estimated costs related to diseases caused by secondhand smoke.