Where you live directly impacts your overall health. Living in an area without sidewalks limits access to safe streets to walk and run. Living with neighbors who smoke can lead to exposure to secondhand smoke and serious health problems. Secondhand smoke contains toxic chemicals that can become embedded in carpets, furniture, and walls long after a resident has moved out, which is called thirdhand smoke. Both secondhand and thirdhand smoke can lead to serious health conditions, especially for infants, children, and elderly populations.
We all deserve access to clean, fresh air at home, which makes smoke-free policies in multi-family housing so important. People living in a house shouldn’t be the only ones with this benefit. The 2018 County of San Diego, Housing Needs Assessment estimated that over 50% of San Diego County residents would live in multi-family housing by 2030.
California has done a lot to safeguard its citizens from the damaging consequences of tobacco, and local governments have the authority to enact smoke-free policies for multi-family housing in their cities.
Around 99 cities and counties have either 100% or partial smoke-free protections for multi-family housing. Yet, no city in San Diego County has such a 100% smoke-free policy in place, indicating that the great majority of residents may be negatively impacted by secondhand smoke.
In multi-family housing in the U.S., about 2 in 5 children are exposed to secondhand smoke from their neighbors’ units, hallways, and sometimes even outside. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say no level of secondhand smoke exposure is safe to children, infants, elderly, and people with health issues. In the United States, secondhand smoke exposure kills up to 41,000 people a year and contains over 7000 compounds, including more than 70 recognized carcinogens, according to the American Lung Association. Making all multi-family housing 100% smoke-free would help everyone who work and live on those properties stay healthy.
Learn how to take necessary precautions to keep yourself and loved ones safe and healthy. If you are experiencing secondhand smoke exposure at home, Vista Community Clinic has resources to help! These resources include information on cessation, smoke-free environments, and impacts of tobacco use.
Everyone has the right to a smoke-free environment. Advocating for smoke-free regulations is vital to helping communities achieve equitable health. If smoke-free policies in your community are something you feel strongly about, consider volunteering with VCC. Please contact us for information about smoke-free multi-family housing and any other tobacco-related questions.
Contact Lorenzo Ricardez, Lorenzo.Ricardez.Lastra@vcc.org or 760-631-5000, ext. 7166.
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