Apartment
Owner/Management Company
Re:
Smoking in apartments buildings
As a
former Certified Apartment Manager, I have been working
professionally with residents and property owners on problems
involving drifting tobacco smoke in apartments and condos all over
the United States since 2001.
Many
property owners and managers are not yet aware of the unmanageable
danger to non-smoking residents in multi-unit housing when smoking
and non-smoking units are mixed in the same building. When one
person smokes in an apartment all adjoining units accumulate
concentrations of the smoke causing a poisonous air environment for
everyone. What can appear to be even a small amount can cause
illnesses in non-smoking residents, such as asthma, heart disease,
even cancer that otherwise would have been avoided, and will
seriously exacerbate chronic illnesses that already exist. Illnesses
such as asthma, bronchitis, heart disease, lupus, AIDS, cancer, as
well as an enormous list of other ailments can result in extreme
suffering when residents are forced to live with the smoke. Infants
and toddlers are severely affected by small amounts of smoke as
their lungs and hearts and not fully developed.
When
smoking is permitted in any building the smoke does not stay in the
home or area where the smoking occurs. It just takes one lit
cigarette, cigar or pipe in an apartment to spread the more than
4000 dangerous burning chemicals through the walls, electrical and
plumbing fixtures, doors and windows into every adjoining unit.
According to James Repace, a former physicist with the EPA, 60% of
the air in an apartment building is shared by all residents, even
with separate heating and air conditioning units.
Unfortunately we have found there is no filtration system that can
eliminate the chemicals that cause bodily harm. They can only mask
or remove the odors. These odors, like those put in natural gas, are
a sensory sign of impending danger to human life and should not be
removed. In addition, Ozone generators not only fail to remove the
particles and chemical pollutants, but can deaden one's sense of
smell and damage the lungs.
Mr.
Repace states, “No type of air filtration is recommended for
control of secondhand tobacco smoke. Air filtration is only for
professional applications where industrial hygienists or engineers
are in control and there is a regular well-funded maintenance
program, and they are NEVER used for carcinogen control unless they
are in a gas-mask.” I am sure you are aware that more than 60 of
the 4000 plus chemicals in tobacco smoke include carcinogens (cause
cancer).
The
President of ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and
Air‑ Conditioning Engineers, Inc.) and governing agency for all air
filtration systems in the United States, Lee W. Burgett, made the
following statement in a letter he sent to me last year, “In
response to your letter of February 7, 2006, I have consulted with
some of the authors of ASHRAE’s Position Document on Environmental
Tobacco Smoke. You are correct in noting that in apartments and
condos smoke can travel from one space to another and that separate
HVAC systems may not eliminate such smoke transport. Typical
practice in many buildings doesn’t meet the tightness criterion.”
It has been proven that even the most efficient construction,
patching, caulking, or use of air filtration systems cannot stop the
smoke with its chemicals from drifting throughout a building. The only
solution is to require that buildings where non-smokers live include
no-smoking clauses in the lease or an addendum.
Surveys
across the country have shown that over forty percent of residents in
multi-unit housing have experienced the problem of tobacco smoke
drifting into their home from that of a neighbor, patios and/or
courtyards. Thirty percent of those residents noted they, or someone
they live with, had a medical condition that is aggravated by tobacco
smoke.
All
management companies have a "pet policy" to protect their properties.
Now many have developed "smoking policies". From a liability point of
view it is legal and advisable to provide 100% smoke-free buildings
for your non-smoking residents. In addition to health issues from the
secondhand smoke, unexpected fire dangers are a constant threat as a
result of someone falling asleep with a lit tobacco product or
carelessly discarded cigarette. When smoking becomes a problem for
good non-smoking residents, they are generally forced to move for
their safety.
For
information on what the law says (such as "smoking is not in a
protected class"), please visit my Web site at
www.S-FHC.com.
There
are a number of ways to begin the process of transitioning one or more
buildings to smoke-free. I can provide sample addendums to leases and
rules and regulations for your property; sample educational letters
for residents on how the transition works and how it will affect them
and their guests; and I am available to answer all questions,
concerns, and issues that might come up.
Please
let me know if you have any questions or if I can be of assistance.
Sincerely,
Smoke-Free Housing Consultants
Jacque Petterson
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