Smoke-Free Housing New Yorkers Deserve Smoke-Free Air
Why Smoke-Free Housing in NYC? • It’s good for health • It’s good for business • It’s popular among residents & owners
We Need to Protect Our Littlest New Yorkers • SHS causes more severe + frequent asthma attacks • Among children with asthma, 53.2% were exposed to SHS in 2005-2010 • The biggest source of SHS exposure among children is the home
Health Problems Caused by Secondhand Smoke (SHS) Source: 2014 Surgeon General Report on Tobacco. Red items are new associations in the 2014 report
Exposure to Secondhand Smoke is T oxic • Secondhand smoke causes an estimated 42,000 deaths annually in the United States • Since 1964, approximately 2,500,000 nonsmokers have died from health problems caused by exposure to SHS
Cigarette Smoke: How Does it travel? • AIR MOVEMENT IN APARTMENT BUILDINGS – Tests show air movement from one unit to another is significant, difficult to reduce and almost impossible to eliminate. – In some cases, up to 65% of air was shared between units. • HOW DOES AIR GET IN AND OUT? – Gaps in walls, floors, mechanical chases, and under doors. – Some are accessible. Others are too diffuse or inaccessible for sealing. Full report available at www.mnsmokefreehousning.org
Corroded Bathroom Fan Floor Baseboards Have Gaps Tracer gas released in one unit… Other Openings Are Hidden …seeps into another unit
It’s Good for Business: Costs of Rehabilitating a Residential Unit Non-Smoking Light Smoking Heavy Smoking General Cleaning $240 $500 $720 Paint $170 $225 $480 Flooring $50 $950 $1,425 Appliances $60 $75 $490 Bathroom $40 $60 $400 T otal $560 $1,810 $3,515 Data reflects surveys from housing authorities and subsidized housing facilities in New England. Collected and reported by Smoke-Free Housing New England, 2009.
Property Damage! Cigarette Burns on Carpet Residue on Electrical Outlet A/C Filter With Smoke Damage Residue on Walls
Protects Property and Saves Lives • Smoking is the leading cause of residential fire deaths in the U.S. • In 2011 alone more than 500 people died by fires in their homes caused by cigarettes or other smoking materials • In 2011, smoking-material fires in homes caused $621 million in direct property damage • 29% of accidental fires in 2014 were due to smoking in NYC
Is It Legal? • No federal law prohibits designation of an entire rental apartment building as smoke-free • Letters from Housing and Urban Development officials stating (and strongly encouraging) that smoke- free policies can be instituted • Americans with Disabilities Act, Rehabilitation Act and Fair Housing Act could be used by tenants with disabilities to reduce or eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke
Voluntary Smoke-Free Housing Policies
THANK YOU!
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