Creating a tobacco free environment for yourself and people around you is important for a healthy, tobacco-free lifestyle. Learn about why you should create a tobacco-free environment and how to do so. Secondhand smoke from even one tenant smoking indoors can drift into other units and cause health problems for other residents. Scientific studies show that smoke from a neighboring apartment can travel through ventilation systems, pipes, walls, open windows and doors, electrical sockets and even tiny cracks in plaster and drywall (1). Tobacco smoke is also absorbed into walls, floors, furniture, clothes, toys and other household surfaces within minutes to hours after it is exhaled (2). Chemicals in the smoke can then be recycled into the air for hours, days and even months (3). Separating the smoking from nonsmoking units within the same building does not always provide protection (4).  In addition, air filtration and other ventilation systems do not eliminate the health hazards caused by secondhand smoke.

The only way to completely prevent exposure to secondhand smoke is to not allow smoking in indoor spaces. Owners of apartment buildings have the right to make their buildings smoke-free. Smokefree policies in multi-unit housing are becoming more common because housing providers around the country recognize their many benefits: If you’re a tenant and are suffering from drifting secondhand smoke in your unit, there are steps you can take to work with your neighbors and landlord to adopt a smokefree policy for your building.air purifiers in hotels In addition, if you have a medical condition made worse by secondhand smoke drifting into your apartment, federal and state disability laws might help you address the problem. ac coil cleaner machineDepending on the nature of your disability, your landlord may be required to make changes to reduce your exposure.dvd lens cleaner blu ray

Center for Energy and Environment. Reduction of Environmental Tobacco Smoke Transfer in Minnesota Multifamily Buildings Using Air Sealing and Ventilation Treatments. American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation. Thirdhand Smoke in Apartment and Condos: Recommendations for Landlords and Property Managers. G E Matt, P J E Quintana, M F Hovell, J T Bernert, S Song, N Novianti, T Juarez, J Floro, C Gehrman, M Garcia, S Larson. Households Contaminated by Environmental Tobacco Smoke: Sources of Infant Exposures. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Secondhand Smoke What It Means to You. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006. Secondhand smoke in a car is so hazardous that breathing it is dangerous for anyone, but especially for children. In general, babies and children breathe in more air than adults because they have smaller lungs and breathe faster.

They also have little or no control over their environments and cannot leave if secondhand smoke is bothering them. As a result, children exposed to secondhand smoke run a greater risk of damaging health effects. Rolling the windows down will not get rid of secondhand smoke and neither will holding your cigarette out the window or using the car’s air conditioner. A survey released in July 2013 found that 82% of US adults favor prohibiting smoking in vehicles when children under age 13 are present. The survey found broad-based support for the policy, including support from a majority of current smokers (60%), former smokers (84%) and never smokers (87%). You can protect children from secondhand smoke U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Fact Sheet: “Respiratory Health Effects of Passive Smoking,” 1993. State of California Air Resources Board. Proposed Identification of Environmental Tobacco Smoke as a Toxic Air Contaminant. 12 C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, National Poll on Children’s Health, “Broad public support for banning smoking in vehicles with kids present,” July 22, 2013.

Secondhand smoke in a home moves from one room to another, even if doors are closed. Smoke can travel under doors, through windows and through cracks in walls.  Even if you open a window and use a fan to pull the smoke outside, there will still be some secondhand smoke in the air. Air purifiers and air fresheners will not remove the poisons found in secondhand smoke.  Smoke from just one cigarette can stay in the home for hours (1). The toxic chemicals in secondhand smoke cling to rugs, curtains, clothes and other materials. Mothers who smoke or breathe secondhand smoke while pregnant expose their unborn baby to all the chemicals found in tobacco smoke. Tobacco smoke damages the baby’s growing brain and lungs. Secondhand smoke exposure can lead to several pregnancy problems including: Children’s lungs continue to develop for years after birth.  Breathing secondhand smoke as a child can cause severe health problems. Children who breathe secondhand smoke are more likely to:

Children and adults with asthma are at an even greater risk when someone smokes around them.  Breathing secondhand smoke can trigger an asthma attack. Good reasons to keep your home smokefree U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:  A Report of the Surgeon General: The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006.Smoke is a complex mixture of chemicals and particles that can irritate your eyes and respiratory system, as well as cause long term health problems. Identify the sources and solutions to smoke in your home Cigarette Smoke contains more than 4,000 substances, several of which cause cancer Second-hand smoke alone causes up to 3,000 lung cancer deaths per year among non-smokers Nearly 15,000 children under 18 months are hospitalized annually for smoke exposure

Non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke have a 20-30% increased risk of cancer Secondhand smoke is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar, and the smoke exhaled by smokers. Exposure to secondhand smoke has been show to increase the risk of heart disease and pose serious health risks to children. Visible ash and smoke closer to the source is easy to identify and should be avoided, however, small particles not visible to the human eye drift upward and can be carried hundreds of miles away by air currents. Check air quality reports to know your potential exposure. Wood burning stoves can produce a large amount of soot that can spread through the home. If you are healthy, you are not usually at major risk. However, older adults and children, or those with heart or lung disease are more susceptible to than others. Despite the many different sources of smoke, one method has been particularly useful for obtaining relief: an air purifier.

Air purifiers are designed to filter microscopic particles out of the air with the use of a HEPA filter. Many units also include technologies to remove smoke odors and even the chemicals found in cigarette smoke. For more info, see our Tips for Reducing Smoke Exposure Page Various air purifiers may be used to address your concern depending on the source of smoke. If a family member is smoking in the home, then you are coming in direct contact with ash, odor and chemicals.   We recommend a unit that can effectively address all three. Chemicals are the hardest to remove and require a unit with a large amount of activated carbon. Popular brands include Airpura, Austin Air and AllerAir. We recommend the Air Pura T600 for cigarette smoke in the home. Wildfires mostly produce ash and soot.  An air purifier with a HEPA filter will be quite effective. Activated carbon can help, but is not essential. We recommend the Alen BreatheSmart air purifier. Are the neighbors smoking in their apartment and you can smell it through the walls?