There are many pros and cons to living in multi-unit housing, but a definite con is having neighbors on the other side of the wall. Even though someone is not living in the same residence as you, second-hand smoke can travel through air vents and affect your health.
As a smoker takes a puff of any kind of cigarette, the smoke is emitted into the air. Smoke travels through the air, even if the air is not moving. The reason is that smoke has a higher density than the sitting air. In the winter and summer time, furnace and air conditioning fans move air throughout the building more readily. At times nonsmokers may notice their clothing or furniture smells of smoke, even though they do not smoke. This is because second-hand smoke travels through the air and enters the fibers of clothing of those who do not smoke. This is true of any kind of smoke, be it from a pipe, cigarettes or marijuana.
Numerous studies have been conducted that demonstrate that second-hand smoke does affect individuals in multi-unit housing. A study issued in Pediatrics in 2010 indicated that children who lived in multi-unit dwellings were found to have higher cotinine levels than those who did not. Cotinine levels are biomarkers that are used to determine exposure to tobacco smoke. A nonsmoker typically has cotinine levels less than 10 ng/mL. Children living in apartments were found to have an increase in cotinine levels by 45%. There was a 212% increase in cotinine levels in white children living in mult-unit housing who were exposed to second hand smoke, compared with a 46% increase in cotinine levels in black children living in mult-unit housing. Most at issue is that children and adults were being subjected to second hand smoke involuntarily which ultimately could affect their health.
Multiple studies have also demonstrated the harmful health effects of second hand smoke. Secondhand smoke can increase someone's risk for heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. For individuals with respiratory problems or allergies, secondhand smoke can also exacerbate these illnesses. Continuous and regular exposure to second hand smoke can greatly increase an individuals risk of getting lung cancer. Children who are exposed to second hand smoke get sick more often with respiratory illnesses. Asthma symptoms may be triggered by being around those who smoke. Secondhand smoke may also lead to an increase in ear infections in children.
The ill effects of secondhand smoke are not applicable to cigarette smoking alone. Individuals living in mult-unit housing may also smoke marijuana or other items. In a study completed by the John Hopkins University School of Medicine and published in the Journal of Drug and Alcohol Dependence, secondhand cannibis smoke may also impair and affect an individual living in multi-unit housing. Individuals subjected to secondhand cannibis smoke experienced symptoms ranging from excessive hunger to feeling more tired and less alert. The individuals subjected to the secondhand smoke in less ventilated areas also demonstrated lower cognitive functioning than they had prior to being exposed to the secondhand smoke from marijuana.
Landlords do have the right to prevent smoking of any type in mult-unit dwellings and can take appropriate action as needed. Landlords and tenants are within their legal rights to take action against those who are smoking within multi-unit housing as it affects the health and well-being of other tenants surrounding them. In 2009, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) strongly recommended that public housing programs enact smoke-free policies.
In order to combat secondhand smoke in a multi-unit dwelling, a tenant should check the lease to determine if a nonsmoking clause is evident. In cases where there a nonsmoking clause is absent, a tenant should seek medical attention and be evaluated by a healthcare provider to determine how much the smoking has affected their health. Fixing cracks in the walls or ceilings may temporarily, but not permanently, alleviate the problem. The best way to prevent the harmful effects of secondhand smoke in a multi-unit dwelling is to adopt a no-smoking policy for the entire dwelling.
Sources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Biomonitoring Program. Cotinine, found online at https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/Cotinine_BiomonitoringSummary.html
Physics Stack Exchange. How does smoke move in the air and how can I direct it so it will go to a place where I want it to go? found online at http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/21643/how-does-smoke-move-in-the-air-and-how-can-i-direct-it-so-it-will-go-to-a-place.
Pediatrics. December 2010. Tobacco Smoke Exposure in Children Who Live in Multiunit Housing, found online at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2010/12/13/peds.2010-2046
American Lung Association. Is Secondhand Smoke Infiltrating Your Apartment or Condominium? found online at http://www.lung.org/our-initiatives/tobacco/smokefree-environments/multi-unit-housing/secondhand-smoke.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/
Journal of Drug and Alcohol Dependence. June 1, 2015. Non-smoker exposure to cannabis smoke II: Effect of room ventilation on the physiological, subjective and behavioral/cognitive effects, found online at http://www.drugandalcoholdependence.com/article/S0376-8716(15)00160-X/fulltext
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke, found online at https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/health_effects/
Americans for Nonsmokers Rights. The Smoker Next Door: Handling Unwanted Tobacco Smoke in Apartments and Condominiums, found online at http://www.no-smoke.org/document.php?id=213
Tobacco Control Legal Consortium. Infiltration of Secondhand Smoke into Condominiums, Apartments and Other Multi-Unit Dwellings: 2009, found online at http://publichealthlawcenter.org/sites/default/files/resources/tclc-syn-condos-2009.pdf
As a smoker takes a puff of any kind of cigarette, the smoke is emitted into the air. Smoke travels through the air, even if the air is not moving. The reason is that smoke has a higher density than the sitting air. In the winter and summer time, furnace and air conditioning fans move air throughout the building more readily. At times nonsmokers may notice their clothing or furniture smells of smoke, even though they do not smoke. This is because second-hand smoke travels through the air and enters the fibers of clothing of those who do not smoke. This is true of any kind of smoke, be it from a pipe, cigarettes or marijuana.
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| Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com |
Numerous studies have been conducted that demonstrate that second-hand smoke does affect individuals in multi-unit housing. A study issued in Pediatrics in 2010 indicated that children who lived in multi-unit dwellings were found to have higher cotinine levels than those who did not. Cotinine levels are biomarkers that are used to determine exposure to tobacco smoke. A nonsmoker typically has cotinine levels less than 10 ng/mL. Children living in apartments were found to have an increase in cotinine levels by 45%. There was a 212% increase in cotinine levels in white children living in mult-unit housing who were exposed to second hand smoke, compared with a 46% increase in cotinine levels in black children living in mult-unit housing. Most at issue is that children and adults were being subjected to second hand smoke involuntarily which ultimately could affect their health.
Multiple studies have also demonstrated the harmful health effects of second hand smoke. Secondhand smoke can increase someone's risk for heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. For individuals with respiratory problems or allergies, secondhand smoke can also exacerbate these illnesses. Continuous and regular exposure to second hand smoke can greatly increase an individuals risk of getting lung cancer. Children who are exposed to second hand smoke get sick more often with respiratory illnesses. Asthma symptoms may be triggered by being around those who smoke. Secondhand smoke may also lead to an increase in ear infections in children.
The ill effects of secondhand smoke are not applicable to cigarette smoking alone. Individuals living in mult-unit housing may also smoke marijuana or other items. In a study completed by the John Hopkins University School of Medicine and published in the Journal of Drug and Alcohol Dependence, secondhand cannibis smoke may also impair and affect an individual living in multi-unit housing. Individuals subjected to secondhand cannibis smoke experienced symptoms ranging from excessive hunger to feeling more tired and less alert. The individuals subjected to the secondhand smoke in less ventilated areas also demonstrated lower cognitive functioning than they had prior to being exposed to the secondhand smoke from marijuana.
Landlords do have the right to prevent smoking of any type in mult-unit dwellings and can take appropriate action as needed. Landlords and tenants are within their legal rights to take action against those who are smoking within multi-unit housing as it affects the health and well-being of other tenants surrounding them. In 2009, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) strongly recommended that public housing programs enact smoke-free policies.
In order to combat secondhand smoke in a multi-unit dwelling, a tenant should check the lease to determine if a nonsmoking clause is evident. In cases where there a nonsmoking clause is absent, a tenant should seek medical attention and be evaluated by a healthcare provider to determine how much the smoking has affected their health. Fixing cracks in the walls or ceilings may temporarily, but not permanently, alleviate the problem. The best way to prevent the harmful effects of secondhand smoke in a multi-unit dwelling is to adopt a no-smoking policy for the entire dwelling.
Sources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Biomonitoring Program. Cotinine, found online at https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/Cotinine_BiomonitoringSummary.html
Physics Stack Exchange. How does smoke move in the air and how can I direct it so it will go to a place where I want it to go? found online at http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/21643/how-does-smoke-move-in-the-air-and-how-can-i-direct-it-so-it-will-go-to-a-place.
Pediatrics. December 2010. Tobacco Smoke Exposure in Children Who Live in Multiunit Housing, found online at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2010/12/13/peds.2010-2046
American Lung Association. Is Secondhand Smoke Infiltrating Your Apartment or Condominium? found online at http://www.lung.org/our-initiatives/tobacco/smokefree-environments/multi-unit-housing/secondhand-smoke.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/
Journal of Drug and Alcohol Dependence. June 1, 2015. Non-smoker exposure to cannabis smoke II: Effect of room ventilation on the physiological, subjective and behavioral/cognitive effects, found online at http://www.drugandalcoholdependence.com/article/S0376-8716(15)00160-X/fulltext
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke, found online at https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/health_effects/
Americans for Nonsmokers Rights. The Smoker Next Door: Handling Unwanted Tobacco Smoke in Apartments and Condominiums, found online at http://www.no-smoke.org/document.php?id=213
Tobacco Control Legal Consortium. Infiltration of Secondhand Smoke into Condominiums, Apartments and Other Multi-Unit Dwellings: 2009, found online at http://publichealthlawcenter.org/sites/default/files/resources/tclc-syn-condos-2009.pdf
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