Can you get lung cancer from one of your famliy members that smokes and you dont?

lung cancer



My dad smokes since he was 18 years old. Can I get lung cancer from him even if i dont smoke?

35 Comments so far

  1. Barbara G on July 2nd, 2009

    yes. that’s called secondhand smoke

  2. jordan duude on July 4th, 2009

    second hand smoke is worse than actually smoking..
    or so i’ve heard

  3. Tiffany B on July 6th, 2009

    no the british have long know that secondhand smoke is annoying not deadly

  4. sk8ergirl0330 on July 6th, 2009

    i think only if it runs in your family

  5. ~woodgirl~ on July 8th, 2009

    Yes u could
    second hand smoke cancer

  6. Gigi on July 11th, 2009

    Yes, it’s called Secondhand smoke, and it’s just as dangerous as smoking yourself.

  7. Alex on July 13th, 2009

    Yes. From second hand smoke.

  8. i ? HIP-HOP DANCING on July 13th, 2009

    yes, like what the first person said

  9. Jasmine on July 15th, 2009

    if he smokes a lot yeah, its bad for you

  10. Kayleigh on July 17th, 2009

    Either directly from his genes if he has that predisposition or indirectly as in second hand smoke.

  11. Alex on July 20th, 2009

    yeah if you are always around them sencond hand smoke it’s it’s more dangerous for you then them that smoke

  12. RED hot DEVILS on July 22nd, 2009

    you can get lung cancer from passive smoking.

    by the way, lung cancer does not only occur in smokers. I know a friend…who is a health freak… being diagnosed with lung cancer.

  13. mildred p on July 24th, 2009

    you sure can second hand smoke is the worst you might as well be a smoker

  14. Diver_chick on July 26th, 2009

    second hand smoke is worse than actually smoking

  15. mommat on July 28th, 2009

    Yes, it is reported that second hand smoke is just as bad if not worse for your lungs

  16. Babies on July 30th, 2009

    possibly.. bc they have a filter in their ciggarette.. and the smoke that comes out of it that WE smell.. it’s not filtered.. and it hurts us more than them.. so yea, it’s possible.. unfortunately. =(

  17. runnerboy23 on July 30th, 2009

    yes, its called second hand smoke…it is worse than actually smoking yourself…(not saying that you should go out and start smoking b/c you live w/ somebody who smokes)…but instead try and get that person to stop

  18. concerned neighbor on August 1st, 2009

    Yes, passive smokers can contract cancer, even if they do not smoke. It has been shown that many people that were non smokers, but worked in smoke-filled environments like clubs and pubs, contracted cancer by inhaling the smoke from other people’s cigarettes.

  19. rcenigma on August 1st, 2009

    Definitely. Its second hand smoke and its deadly.

  20. hockeygirl23 on August 2nd, 2009

    yup thats the part that really sucks about smoking…..not only are you damaging your lungs but all the lungs around you too

  21. CHICKEN GOD!!!!! on August 5th, 2009

    If u are around his fumes often, yes u can get get it, take it from me, I just got through cancer treatments.

  22. kuffszz on August 6th, 2009

    ABSOLUTELY!!! …2nd hand smoke causes more lung cancer than smoking it yourself.
    I have several patients that have lung cancer, and its not a pretty thing! get him to quit or at least go outside….thats a terrible thing to do to your child!

  23. fishy.<3 on August 8th, 2009

    Yes, you can.
    If you’re constantly around people/areas that have lots of smoke in them, and you consistently breathe all the bad air in, the tar and chemicals in the smoke will give you something called second-hand smoking. This means that because of the people around you that were smoking so much, your lungs were badly damaged cause of it.
    If i were you, i’d encourage your dad to stop smoking..
    it’s really bad for him, but im sure you know that already..
    hope i helped :)

  24. spech911 on August 8th, 2009

    Well, if you hang around him alot when hes smoking and breathe in all that smoke, then yeah, it may affect you. Although im not really sure if it can give you lung cancer, secondhand smoke is very dangerous since your breathing in PURE smoke, when in the other hand the one thats actually smoking is not.

  25. Linda S on August 9th, 2009

    I lived at MD Anderson Cancer Hospital with my Mother for 3 months and every person that I met that had lung cancer never smoked and were not around smokers. I met two that got the cancer after they quit smoking and their family members did not have any lung problems. No. I don’t smoke. I did witness this first hand.
    This is government propaganda.
    Why do you think they want to fund children’s health care on cigarette tax? Do you really believe that they would fund health care on Americans ill health. If funded on a cigarette tax they are promoting smoking.

    Use the brain that God gave you, if a smoker breathes in the smoke then exhales it he/she is also breathing in second hand smoke, so if they have less chance (according to others on this site) of getting lung cancer than someone who doesn’t smoke, how does that promote lung cancer in non-smokers? that was made up by non-smokers who don’t like the smell.
    Always remember that someone out there in this world won’t like something that you do and will try to take it from you because they don’t like it, use it , or need it, but you might. And this applies to everything in life not just smoking.

  26. hentjie on August 10th, 2009

    non smokers have the greater possibility of getting lung cancers than smokers

  27. ProfessorC on August 11th, 2009

    40% of lung cancer occurs in non-smokers and former smokers.

  28. north s on August 13th, 2009

    yes its called passive smoking a few people here in england have died from passive smoking .altho they never smoked in their life

  29. sreenivasa m on August 15th, 2009

    Passive smoking is more dangerous and this is the reason for the govt. to ban smoking in the public.

  30. peacefrogzs on August 16th, 2009

    You can get lung cancer from second hand smoke, ut you can also get lun cancer regardless.
    My Uncle died from lung cancer, he never smoked and wasn’t around anyone that smoked….

  31. Bill on August 18th, 2009

    As many have stated already, this is populary known as second hand smoke. What makes it so deadly is that most people think they must be the smoker. Not true. If you are around smokers when they smoke or are in a smoky room you imbibe some of the nicotine and other junk into your lungs when you inhale. This is why many cities outlaw smoking in restraunts now.
    The best thing you can do is leave the room the minute someone lights up and demand to eat in the non-smoking sections of restraunts. Your dad can always go outside and smoke.
    Below in the sources section is a Washington Post site for a video report put out by the U.S. Surgeon General on second hand smoke.

  32. mum on August 18th, 2009

    Yes, unfortunately, Dana Reeve, Christopher Reevs wife recently died of lung cancer and never smoked a day of her life. Even though he’s your dad you can make the choice to not be around him when he smokes.

  33. Heather on August 20th, 2009

    Yes you can get cancer from that…but it doesn’t have to be from smoking. Anyone can get cancer and they may not ever have been exposed to second hand smoke or smoked a cigarette ever in their lives.

  34. njdocisin on August 24th, 2009

    Secondhand smoke can increase your risk for lung cancer, yes, but as long as you stay away from his cigarette smoke your risk will not be elevated.

  35. Shauna on August 24th, 2009

    Absolutely. Second hand smoke has taken many lives, unfortunately.

Leave a reply