For Immediate Release

Four Corners Health Department, serving Butler, Polk, Seward, and York Counties

Contact Vicki L. Duey, 402-362-2621 or toll free 877-337-3573                     

Date:  January 05, 2012

Title:  The Better Choice for Everyone – Smoke Free Housing

Housing that is smoke free is preferred by tenants and often they are willing to pay more in order to be in a building where others aren’t smoking. Just one person smoking in a building can cause secondhand smoke, which is the combination of smoke exhaled by a smoker and the smoke from a burning cigarette, pipe, or cigar.  This combination is dangerous for both the smoker and the non-smoker. 

The benefits of a building being smoke free are many:

Improves the quality of the air – Cigarette smoke travels throughout a building. Studies on air quality in apartment buildings show that anywhere from 5% to 60% of the air in apartment units move from other units in the building.

Reduces the risk of fire - The death rate from smoking related fires is nearly four times higher than that of fires unrelated to smoking. Also, smoking related fires cause great damage to properties every year. From 2005 to 2008, 221 fires in Nebraska were caused by cigarette smoke.  These fires resulted in over $2.9 million in damage to property.

Protects a person’s health - Air filtering systems are designed to remove the odors caused by secondhand smoke, not the cancer causing substances. The U. S. Surgeon General has determined that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. The only true way to protect the health of tenants and employees in a building is to not allow smoking in any indoor space within a building.

Saves money – It costs money to get a unit ready for a new tenant. However, when smoking has occurred in that unit, the cost is even higher for removing nicotine stains, getting rid of smoke odors, and repairing damaged, burned, or singed materials.  According to one study, the cost of restoring a smoking unit can be seven times higher than that of a smoke free unit. 

Four Corners Health Department is working with Tobacco Free Nebraska to support apartments and other multi-unit housing options to be smoke free, if they so choose.  The focus of the project is to decrease the exposure people would have to second-hand smoke by increasing the number of smoke-free multi-unit housing options available to Nebraskans.

Staff at Four Corners are visiting with landlords and property managers throughout the four county district to share what free resources are provided by the state to help their housing be smoke free. Contact Four Corners to schedule a brief visit and learn more about the available resources. Landlords receive a gift during the visit and can receive an additional gift for completing a brief survey.

For those who want to quit using tobacco, a free resource is available to all Nebraskans:  the Nebraska Tobacco Quitline. The toll-free Quitline, 1-800-784-8669 (1-800-QUIT-NOW), gives Nebraska residents 24/7, free access to counseling and support services. 

Four Corners Health Department has resources for helping individuals quit using tobacco, including a program for businesses. To learn more about available resources, call 1-800-337-3573 or 402-362-2621 or send an email to questions@fourcorners.ne.gov. Smoke free housing is a better choice for everyone.