Not smoke free

In Idaho, 78,000 - 81,000 exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes

An estimated 27 to 29 million Americans living in multi-unit housing are exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke in their homes, even though they don't allow smoking in their homes, according to a new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The study, released in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research, is the first to report national and state estimates of the number of multi-unit housing residents who are exposed to secondhand smoke that entered their homes from somewhere else in or around their buildings.

The study finds that of the 79.2 million people in the United States who live in multi-unit housing, about 62.7 million don't allow smoking in their home.

In Idaho, about 199,408 individuals live in multi-unit housing, an estimated 78,000 to 81,000 of whom are potentially exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke that originated from somewhere else in or around their buildings.

Separating smokers from non-smokers, cleaning the air and ventilating buildings cannot eliminate exposure of nonsmokers to secondhand smoke. Each year, secondhand smoke is responsible for an estimated 50,000 deaths in the United States.

"The best way to protect the millions of U.S. multi-unit housing residents from exposure to secondhand smoke is by prohibiting smoking in all units and shared areas of their buildings," said Tim McAfee, MD, MPH, director of the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health. "Not only are smoke-free policies permitted for both public and privately owned multi-unit housing, but they are also favored by most residents and can result in cost savings for multi-unit housing operators."

"This report is significant as many residents are not aware of the hazards of exposure to secondhand smoke," said Linda Harder, Tobacco Prevention Coordinator for the Panhandle Health District. "Also, many multi-unit housing owners and managers aren't aware of the financial benefits of implementing smoke-free policies. It's a win-win situation for all parties."

PHD is working with owners and managers of multi-unit housing in northern Idaho to adopt smoke-free policies.

In October, representatives of eight multi-unit facilities learned in a PHD workshop the benefits of smoke-free living and the processes to follow to become smoke-free.

PHD will offer the training again in the spring and a workshop to teach residents how to work with their housing facility to adopt smoke-free policies.

For information or resources, call 415-5143.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has encouraged Public Housing Authorities, as well as owners and management agents of multi-family housing rental assistance programs, such as Section 8, to adopt and implement smoke-free policies for some or all of their properties.

Secondhand tobacco smoke causes heart disease and lung cancer in nonsmoking adults and is a known cause of sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS, respiratory problems, ear infections, and asthma attacks in infants and children.

Even brief exposure to secondhand smoke can trigger acute cardiac events such as heart attack. Cigarette use kills an estimated 443,000 Americans each year, including 46,000 heart disease deaths and 3,400 lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers from exposure to secondhand smoke.