Lesson13 The Dangers of Secondhand Smoke
Most people know that cigarette smoking is harmful to their health．Scientific research shows that it causes many kinds of diseases．In fact，many people who smoke get lung cancer．
However， Edward Gilson has lung cancer， and he has never smoked cigarettes． He lives with his wife， Evelyn， who has smoked about a pack of cigarettes a day throughout their marriage． The Gilsons have been married for 35 years． No one knows for sure why Mr． Gilson has lung cancer．
Nevertheless， doctors believe that secondhand smoke may cause lung cancer in people who do not smoke because nonsmokers often breathe in the smoke from other people's cigarettes． This smoke is called secondhand smoke． Edward Gilson has been breathing this type of smoke for 35 years． Now he is dying of lung cancer．
However， he is not alone． The U．S． Environmental Protection Agency reports that about 53，000 people die in the United States each year as a result of exposure to secondhand smoke． We call this passive smoking．
