Americans are more knowledgeable than ever about the dangers of secondhand smoke, and that knowledge is fueling renter demand for no-smoking apartments. The 2006 U.S. Surgeon General’s report, “The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke,” warns that any exposure to secondhand smoke is dangerous, and that small amounts can be harmful to health. The report also warns that smoking in apartments is dangerous because secondhand smoke travels through apartments, and recommends no-smoking policies to protect healthy housing. For some tenants secondhand smoke exposure can mean life-or-death—imagine a newborn baby or ill elderly tenant being exposed to secondhand smoke—the California Air Resources Board links tobacco smoke to asthma deaths, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and increased incidences of breast cancer in nonsmoking women.

    The thousands of toxins and cancer-causing chemicals in tobacco smoke cause irritation to eyes, nose and throat; damage to heart and lungs, liver and kidneys, the digestive system and skin. This is common knowledge. But many property owners and managers are unaware of the extent to which secondhand smoke spreads through apartment buildings by seeping through electrical outlets, pipes, light fixtures, ceilings and doorways.

    Also, apartment owners have all seen the damage secondhand smoke does to furniture, carpet, drapes, wallpaper and paint. Cleaning a smoker’s apartment often includes replacing carpeting and vinyl flooring, cabinets, lighting and ceiling fans, and special sealants to control odors from seeping though. So remember that no-smoking policies can lead to cost savings for owners and managers by reducing property damage. Landlords are legally entitled to implement non-smoking polices on their properties because there is no constitutional right to smoke, smokers are not a group protected under California’s fair housing laws, and the right to privacy does not include smoking. Be aware of the dangers secondhand smoke poses to tenants and property and consider eliminating smoking in your building.

    But to further protect themselves and tenants, property owners and managers need to encourage cities to adopt an ordinance that defines forced exposure to secondhand smoke as a nuisance. A nuisance is an act injurious to health, indecent or offensive to the senses, or that which interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of property by others. Forced exposure to secondhand smoke in apartment housing definitely fits that definition. Landlords and policy makers have an obligation to abate the nuisance of unhealthy housing just like any other; a neighbor’s secondhand smoke is more dangerous than their barking dog.

    The Tobacco-Free Communities Coalition is a collaboration of over 35 community-based and non-profit public health organizations, and provides countywide tobacco control education and policy advocacy.