New research suggests that secondhand smoke could be detrimental to the health of nonsmokers.

Researchers found that secondhand smoke increases the risk of stroke by about 30 percent for nonsmokers.

"Our findings suggest the possibility for adverse health outcomes such as stroke among nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke and add to the body of evidence supporting stricter smoking regulations," Angela Malek, lead author of the study, said in a statement.

For the study, researchers collected and analyzed data from nearly 22,000 people with 23 percent of them reporting secondhand smoke exposure in the past year. During the period of April 2003 to March 2012, 428 strokes were reported.

The literature concerning adverse health effects of SHS is becoming clearer, although not all studies have replicated the association between SHS exposure and stroke.

"Previous studies suffer from limitations in that few were prospective, adjustment for potential confounders has varied, stroke and secondhand smoke exposure have not been consistently defined, measurement and sources of secondhand smoke exposure have differed, stroke subtypes have not always been assessed, and some studies have been underpowered due to small sample size," Malek said.

The findings suggests the possibility for adverse health outcomes such as stroke among nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke and add to the body of evidence supporting stricter smoking regulations.

"Future research will need to investigate the role of cardiovascular disease risk factors in the association and explore potential exposure to additional environmental variables, such as ambient air pollutants, in relation to stroke." Malek said.

The findings are detailed in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.