The American Lung Association in Indiana applauds the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for its announcement recently that will require all public housing agencies to go smokefree. This rule will protect two million Americans, across the country, from exposure to secondhand smoke in their homes. This includes those most vulnerable to the effects of secondhand smoke, including 760,000 children and more than 300,000 adults over the age of 62. The policies apply to residential units as well as common areas.
“Smokefree housing is a win-win – residents breathe better and it costs housing authorities less when their buildings are smokefree. We are glad to see smokefree housing which has been so successful here in Indiana be expanded nationwide,” said Tanya Husain. “Home should be a place safe from the risks of secondhand smoke exposure,” said Tanya Husain. “The American Lung Association welcomes this life-saving announcement that will protect so many from those risks, especially the most vulnerable – children, the elderly, low-income Americans and those with chronic lung disease.”
Nine housing authorities in Indiana are already smoke-free, including: Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Kokomo, and Evansville. In the last 12 months, the Lung Association has assisted more than 20 properties in going smoke-free with the Smokefree Housing Indiana program. Smoke-free Housing Indiana partners with local tobacco coordinators to provide technical assistance on policy development, staff and resident education, implementation, and enforcement of smoke-free policies for properties. Visit http://INsmokefreehousing.com for more information about smokefree housing.
According to the U.S. Surgeon General, there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Across the U.S., more than 41,000 deaths per year and a wide array of damaging health effects are caused or made worse by exposure to secondhand smoke, including lung cancer, respiratory infections and asthma. Asthma has a disproportionate impact on low-income residents living in federally subsidized housing and exposure to secondhand smoke can trigger asthma exacerbations. Children with asthma are especially sensitive to secondhand smoke, and may suffer from more frequent asthma attacks and more and longer hospitalizations as a result.
“Because there’s no effective way to prevent smoke from travelling from one unit to another, the only way to fully protect residents of multi-unit housing from secondhand smoke, is for their building to go 100 percent smokefree,” said Husain. “To help in this process, the Lung Association stands ready with tools and resources to help public housing authorities go smokefree.”
More than 600 public housing authorities nationwide have already gone smokefree, protecting their residents and reducing the risk of fires and costs to property owners. The Lung Association continues to assist housing authorities, property owners and residents who are acting voluntarily to make their public housing smokefree, and has also created resources to assist property owners and residents, including an online course, fact sheets and policy briefs, which can be found at Lung.org/smokefree housing.
About the American Lung Association
The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease, through research, education and advocacy. The work of the American Lung Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer; to improve the air we breathe; to reduce the burden of lung disease on individuals and their families; and to eliminate tobacco use and tobacco-related diseases. For more information about the American Lung Association, a holder of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Guide Seal, or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or visit: Lung.org.
