Missouri public housing residents will be protected from the dangers of secondhand smoke through a new smoke-free housing rule from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that goes into effect Monday, July 30.
In November 2016, HUD announced a rule requiring all federally-owned public housing to become smoke-free by July 30, 2018. The smoke-free policy extends “to all outdoor areas up to 25 feet from the public housing and administrative office buildings,” according to the rule..
This rule will protect close to two million Americans nationwide from being exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes, including 690,000 children. In Missouri, it means protections for more than 31,000 residents in local public housing agencies.
The no-smoking policy will be included in the terms of tenant leases and enforced like other lease conditions. “Termination of assistance for a single incident of smoking, in violation of a smoke-free policy, is not grounds for eviction,” HUD noted. HUD recommended but did not mandate a “graduated enforcement approach” for punishing those who smoke, which can include fines.
Secondhand smoke exposure poses serious health threats to both children and adults, according to the American Lung Association. Damaging health effects in children and adults include lung cancer, respiratory infections, worsened asthma symptoms, heart attacks and stroke. For residents of multi-unit housing (e.g., apartment buildings and condominiums), secondhand smoke can be a major concern even if people don’t smoke in your unit, as smoke can migrate from other units and common areas and travel through doorways, cracks in walls, electrical lines, plumbing, and ventilation systems.
“Secondhand smoke is a serious health threat, and can linger in rooms and even travel between homes in multi-unit housing,” said Plesetta Clayton, director of health promotions for the American Lung Association in Missouri. “There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.”
The Lung Association advocated for the passage of the rule for more than a decade.
“Everyone deserves the opportunity to lead a healthy life, and ensuring homes are free from the risks of secondhand smoke is a critical step for the health of residents,” said Clayton.
“This is especially true for children and those who are more vulnerable to the impact of secondhand smoke, such as those living with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.”
In Missouri, the Lung Association is sharing best practices to implement smoke-free housing policies with public housing authorities and providing free smoking cessation support to residents. This is part of the new Smokefree Public Housing Initiative, funded by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation.
For more information, visit Lung.org/smokefreehousing.
