For a long time, I thought the risks of smoking were personal choices, a burden carried only by those who held the cigarette. But the more I’ve immersed myself in cancer advocacy, the more I’ve realized that the air we share is a communal responsibility.

Secondhand smoke isn’t just a nuisance or a lingering smell in our clothes. It is a direct, involuntary carcinogen. When I talk to families affected by lung cancer—especially those who have never smoked a day in their lives, including myself, the reality hits hard.

Consider this: According to the Surgeon General, there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.