Apartment dwellers deserve smoke-free homes, too

Everyone needs a safe, healthy place to live.

This is true whether you own or rent your home. Yet, many Montana renters contend with a health risk they can’t control: secondhand tobacco smoke.

Exposure to secondhand smoke causes up to 65,000 deaths in the United States each year and can make problems such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) worse.

Even if you don’t allow smoking in your own apartment, it can seep in from neighboring units through doors, windows, ventilation systems and even electrical outlets.

There’s no way to effectively seal these leaks, either. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers conclude that “the only means of effectively eliminating health risks associated with indoor air exposure is to ban smoking activity.”

To protect health, smoking should be prohibited from all apartments and common areas such as entries, lobbies, hallways and balconies. This doesn’t mean prohibiting smokers. It just means asking those who use tobacco to respect the rights of their fellow tenants to stay healthy by not smoking inside the building. Remember, we all pay for the billions in health care costs caused by tobacco.

Along with saving lives, landlords should know that going smoke-free makes economic sense. Surveys by the Montana Tobacco Use and Prevention Program show that only 19 percent of Montana renters are protected by smoke-free policies, but 85 percent of tenants want smoke-free housing. That means, if you have a smoke-free apartment to rent, you have a product that’s in high demand.

Additionally, going smoke-free reduces fire risk and prevents costly damage to carpets, wall coverings, paint and countertops. Landlords know it can cost hundreds of dollars to clean up and turn around smoked-in units.

Going smoke-free is legal and relatively easy, providing you put together a well-planned policy. The Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program can help by providing sample policy language, free educational materials and free smokefree signage. Interested landlords and tenants can get more information at dphhs.mt.gov/publichealth/mtupp/SFH.

I am the tobacco use prevention specialist for Lincoln County and can help, too. Get in touch at afantozzi@libby.org.

Again, tobacco smoke is more than a nuisance – it’s a serious health hazard that doesn’t belong in anyone’s home.

Amy Fantozzi

Lincoln County Tobacco Prevention Specialist

afantozzi@libby.org