Smoke-Free Monterey County Health Department Phone: (831) 755-4607 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Smoke-Free Multi-Unit Housing

Michelle House Health Program Coordinator Monterey County Health Department Phone: (831) 755-4607 housem@co.monterey.ca.us

The CDC’s 2015 Vital Signs report found more than 1 in 3 nonsmokers who live in rental housing are exposed to secondhand smoke.

• More than 200,000 people in Monterey

County live in renter occupied units.

Did You Know?

Secondhand smoke can travel into an apartment from other apartments and common areas through doorways, cracks in walls, electrical lines, ventilation systems and plumbing. Opening windows and using fans does not completely remove secondhand smoke. Heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems cannot eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke. In fact, these systems can distribute secondhand smoke throughout a building.

What is secondhand smoke?

It is the combination of smoke from cigarettes, cannabis, and vaping devices breathed out by a smoker. When a person smokes or vapes near you, you can be exposed to secondhand smoke.

Monterey County: United States:

Approximately 33% (1in 3) residents have experienced secondhand smoke drift into their unit in the last year (2014). 93% of residents know that secondhand smoke is harmful to people who inhale it. 64% of residents are concerned about the health effects of secondhand smoke drifting into their rental unit.

Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke are at increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome , acute respiratory infections , middle ear disease , more severe asthma , respiratory symptoms, and slowed lung growth .

Infants and Secondhand Smoke:

United States: Monterey County:

60% of residents favor a rule prohibiting smoking inside apartment units. About 3 in 4 residents favor a rule prohibiting smoking in the outdoor common areas of apartments. 42% of residents already live in a building with rules limiting smoking in either inside or outside the building.

It is our responsibility to ensure residents living in multi-unit housing have the same opportunity to clean air quality and a healthier well-being, as those living in single-family homes. To ensure equitable clean air quality for those living in multi-unit housing an adoption of a smoke-free ordinance is necessary.

The Solution: