ETS Exposure in Multi-Unit Housing
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The California public is now protected from exposure to ETS in all indoor public workplaces (with a few exceptions), therefore being exposed in your own home has become a greater nuisance for the non-smoking public (85% of Californians). While the indoor common areas of multi-family housing complexes (including hallways, stairwells, and laundry and recreation rooms) are considered workplaces under the State's workplace smoking ban, secondhand smoke(SHS) in adjoining units of an apartment complex or condominium can seep in and expose non-smokers who may then suffer adverse health effects. The California Department of Health Services says that even if apartment residents do not smoke in their home they are still at risk from SHS seepage through shared walls, ventilation systems, doors and windows. According to John Howard MD, Chief of the California Dvision of Occupational Safety and Health (CAL OSHA), SHS can "move through light fixtures, ceiling crawl spaces, and into and out of doorways." This puts tenants at risk for "irritant, allergic, acute and chronic cardiopulmonary and carcinogenic adverse health effects." More Information
Links to more information on ETS exposure in multi-unit housing, and how landlords and tenants can work to reduce exposure are provided below.
Exposure information for tenants and condominium owners
| American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation | Secondhand Smoke in Apartments and Condominiums |
| Smoke-Free Apartment | Website dedicated to informing tenants of their rights and resources regarding SHS |
| The Smoker Next Door | Handling Unwanted Tobacco Smoke in Apartments and Condominiums |
| Smoke-Free Housing | Information for tenants on how to live in a home free of secondhand smoke |
| Smoke-Free Environments Law Project | Analysis of Voluntary and Legal Options of Condominium Owners Confronted with Secondhand Smoke from Another Condominium Unit |
Exposure information for landlords
| U.S. Dept of Housing and Urban Development Smoke Free Housing Tools | Toolkit to help federally assisted housing managers adopt smoke free policies |
| Smoke-Free Condominiums or Apartments | Model policy for making apartments and condominiums smoke-free |
| Smoke-Free Apartment | Website dedicated to informing landlords on eliminating secondhand smoke in apartments |
Background Information on SHS
| Health Harms from Secondhand Smoke | Fact sheet on SHS and its health effects |
| Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assesment (OEHHA) | Secondhand Smoke and Children's Health |