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The American Lung Association in Arizona strongly supports HUD’s rule and stands by to assist public housing authorities that go smokefree. PHOENIX, ARIZONA (November 30, 2016) – The American Lung Association in Arizona applauds the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for its announcement today that will require all public housing agencies to go smokefree. This rule will protect two million Americans, across the country, from exposure to secondhand smoke in their homes. This includes those most vulnerable to the effects of secondhand smoke, including 760,000 children and more than 300,000 adults over the age of 62. The policies apply to residential units as well as common areas. “Smokefree housing is a win-win – residents breathe better and it costs housing authorities less when their buildings are smokefree. We are glad to see smokefree housing which has been so successful here in Arizona be expanded nationwide,” said Julie Reid, executive director of the American Lung Association in Arizona. “Home should be a place safe from the risks of secondhand smoke exposure. The American Lung Association welcomes this life-saving announcement that will protect so many from those risks, especially the most vulnerable – children, the elderly, low-income Americans and those with chronic lung disease.” Arizona Smoke-Free Living (ASFL), a coalition of leading health organizations and community advocates managed by the American Lung Association in Arizona, has converted 147 multi-family properties to smokefree communities since 2012, and an additional 220 are in the process of transition. ASFL’s mission is to advise apartment managers and their staff on the benefits of going smokefree while also providing the resources and support necessary to successfully transition apartment properties to smokefree communities. More than 65 percent of Arizona renters live in multi-family housing, and a 2016 statewide study commissioned by ASFL found that 74 percent of renters would choose an apartment community that is smokefree. Also notable is that, in 2015, the smoking rate for adults in Arizona fell to an all-time low of 14 percent. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Across the U.S., more than 41,000 deaths per year and a wide array of damaging health effects are caused or made worse by exposure to secondhand smoke, including lung cancer, respiratory infections and asthma. Asthma has a disproportionate impact on low-income residents living in federally subsidized housing and exposure to secondhand smoke can trigger asthma exacerbations. Children with asthma are especially sensitive to secondhand smoke, and may suffer from more frequent asthma attacks and more and longer hospitalizations as a result. “Because there’s no effective way to prevent smoke from travelling from one unit to another, the only way to fully protect residents of multi-family housing from secondhand smoke, is for their property to go 100 percent smokefree,” Reid said. “To help in this process, the Lung Association stands ready with tools and resources to help public housing authorities go smokefree.”
More than 600 public housing authorities nationwide have already gone smokefree, protecting their residents and reducing the risk of fires and costs to property owners. The Lung Association continues to assist housing authorities, property owners and residents who are acting voluntarily to make their public housing smokefree, and has also created resources to assist property owners and residents, including an online course, fact sheets and policy briefs, which can be found at Lung.org/smokefreehousing and AzSmokeFreeLiving.org ### About the American Lung Association in Arizona |
American Lung Association in Arizona Commends HUD’s Plan to Make Public Housing Smokefree
