Secondhand Smoke Affects Nearly 1 Million Residents In Massachusetts

Secondhand Smoke Affects Nearly 1 Million Residents In Massachusetts

A recently-released report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that nearly one million apartment and attached housing occupants in Massachusetts are exposed to secondhand smoke from their neighbors.

On a national level around 29 million people or 45 percent of people living in apartments face such health risks despite smoke-free regulations in the apartments.

The report was published in the Nicotine and Tobacco Research journal and it shows the initial assessment of health officials on the risk of cigarette smoke seepage through windows, floorboards, and ventilation systems. The research was based on a survey conducted in 2009 that involved two million people. It also used data on tobacco use in 2006.

A no-smoking rule in all public housing units was implemented by housing authorities in Boston last September. Smoking is allowed away from the building and anyone violating the rule can be ejected from the housing unit. Around 26 percent of residents in public housing are smokers while only 14 percent private home dwellers smoke.

Over 80 percent of all housing in Boston is either attached houses or apartments. Even as a no-smoking rule for all public housing units was already adopted in the state of Maine, the same cannot be said in a number of states including Massachusetts.

The CDC report revealed that secondhand smoke exposure affects around 988,000 people in the state even as no-smoking rules are implemented in their homes. Smoke-free policies were encouraged by the Housing and Urban Development department to reduce the effects of secondhand smoke among residents as well as minimize maintenance expenses.

Although a smoking ban is being implemented in restaurants and public parks in a number of cities and states, similar laws are not being implemented in private housing units.

A survey conducted in 2009 among 1,304 residents of apartments in Massachusetts has shown that majority support a no-smoking rule in buildings that are not smoke-free. According to Margaret Reid, implementing a no-smoking rule is beneficial to landlords since it minimizes maintenance. It also reduces relocation expenses for residents who do not want to be exposed to secondhand smoke in their dwellings.

Posted by George Daniels on Saturday December 15 2012, 8:36 AM EST. Ref: Boston Globe. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0