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of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    Going Smoke Free Matters

    About 80 million (1 in 4) people in the U.S. live in multiunit housing, such as apartments, including about 7 million living in government-subsidized housing. Every person living in multiunit housing deserves to breathe smoke free air.

    The Pennsylvania Smoke Free Housing initiative offers public and private housing organizations help in developing smoke free multiunit housing to protect every person living in multiunit housing from being exposed to secondhand smoke.  

    The CDC's 2015 Vital Signs report found striking disparities among those Americans who are still breathing secondhand smoke.  Despite the tremendous progress the U.S. has made in eliminating secondhand smoke in workplaces and public places, much progress remains to be achieved in protecting everyone's right to breathe smoke free air in the home.

    Going Smoke Free Matters: Multiunit Housing infographic

    According to the CDC, in the U.S., approximately 58 million (1 in 4) nonsmokers are exposed to secondhand smoke.

    • ·About 2 in 5 children (including 7 in 10 black children) are exposed to secondhand smoke. The home is the main place where children are exposed to secondhand smoke. 
    • A majority of multiunit housing residents want smoke free building policies.

    Secondhand smoke exposure among babies and children can cause:

    • Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS);
    • Lung problems;
    • Ear infections; and
    • Asthma attacks.

    Secondhand smoke exposure among adults can cause:

    • Heart disease;
    • Stroke; and
    • Lung cancer.

    For more information, please contact:

    RA-YLAP@pa.gov
    Sue McLain, Public Health Program Administrator
    Department of Health, Bureau of Health Promotion and Risk Reduction
    625 Forster Street
    Harrisburg, PA 17120
    717-783-6600