Smoke-Free News
Children in Multi-Unit Housing at Greater Risk of Tobacco Smoke Exposure

BHA Pushes for Smoke-Free Housing
Ban in Hub could be nation's largest

A New Cigarette Hazard: "Third-Hand Smoke"

Links.
Go deeper into the issues of smoke-free policies and smoke-free organizations. 

http://makesmokinghistory.org/en_US/secondhand-smoke/homes.htmlhttp://smokefree.hampshirecog.org/
http://smokefreeoregon.com/index.php
http://www.smokefreeforme.org/
http://www.hawaiismokefreehomes.org/
http://www.smokefreehousingny.org/
http://www.mismokefreeapartment.org/
http://www.smokefreewashington.com/
http://smokefreehousingnw.org/
http://www.mnsmokefreehousing.org/
http://www.mdsmokefreeapartments.org/
http://www.tobaccofreeutah.org/aptcondoguide.html
http://www.smokefreehousingvt.org/
http://www.mysmokefreehousing.com/
http://www.casmokefreehousing.org/
http://www.wvsmokefreehousing.com/
http://www.lungchicago.org/smoke-free-housing/
http://www.goingsmokefree.org/links/resources_housing.html
http://www.smokefree.gov/
http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/

Smoke-FREE materials.
Use these FREE materials to let everyone know that your home or building is a smoke-free zone. And don’t forget to take the Smoke-Free Homes Pledge.

Signage for Buildings
House Window Decal (English)
House Window Decal (Spanish)
Door Hanger
Coaster
Car Window Decal
Car “Air-Freshener” Decal

To order, please fill out the downloadable order form and follow the instructions on the form for ordering your free materials.

Secondhand smoke information.
Learn more about the damaging health effects of secondhand smoke.

Smoking is harmful. What many people don’t realize is that secondhand smoke—smoke inhaled involuntarily by someone who is not smoking—is just as hazardous.

Did you know?

• There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
• Secondhand smoke contains thousands of different chemical compounds—several of which are known to cause cancer.³⁵ Among children with asthma, exposure to secondhand smoke has shown to increase behavioral problems such as hyperactivity, aggression and depression.³⁶ Regular exposure to secondhand smoke has been associated with sleep problems among children with asthma.³⁷ Even low exposure to secondhand smoke may impair a child’s reading and reasoning skills.³⁸ Studies suggest a link between secondhand smoke exposure and lower cognitive development in children.³⁹ Secondhand smoke cannot be controlled by ventilation or air cleaning. Having a smoke-free policy is the only effective way to eliminate the health risks of secondhand smoke exposure.
• Secondhand smoke causes or worsens several chronic diseases, including diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke, chronic bronchitis, and asthma.
• Secondhand smoke also causes and worsens respiratory tract infections, such as pneumonia and bronchitis, as well as ear infections.
• Secondhand smoke is a major health threat to persons with asthma.
• Secondhand smoke affects the most vulnerable people in our community the hardest. For example, there are striking differences in childhood asthma hospitalization rates between communities of color and the city of Boston as a whole.

Third-hand smoke: A lingering threat.
Even after a cigarette has burned out the dangers of tobacco smoke contamination remain. New research suggests that “third-hand smoke”—the remnants of cigarette smoke that remain in the carpets, fabrics, and belongings of a living space—is highly toxic. Heavy metals, carcinogens and even radioactive materials make up some of the dangerous compounds left after a cigarette has burned out.²⁸

Children are especially at risk to the chemicals that remain in the carpet where they play.