Genesee County Health Department

Better Life Through Better Health

Current Date:  August 10, 2011 

Release Date:  Immediate Release             Kill Date:  August 31, 2011 

Contact Person:  Ann Goldon                       Phone:  (810) 341-5898 

RE:  Smoke-Free Apartments Media Campaign Begins in Genesee County 

Radio and billboard ads regarding smoke-free apartments began August 1^st and will continue through September.  Work on smoke-free housing began back in 2005 when Genesee and many other counties started to see an increase in calls from tenants regarding secondhand smoke seeping into their units. 

The ads prompt interested persons to visit MISmokeFreeApartment.org to find out more about smoke-free options for tenants and landlords in Michigan.  The website offers free signs, lease amendments, and lists rental units across the state that offer smoke-free housing.  The listings include large apartment complexes, as well as single homes with multiple units, duplexes and other multi-unit buildings.  

The MISmokeFreeApartments initiative is a joint effort of the Smoke-free Environments Law Project (SFELP), the Genesee County Health Department, and the Michigan Department of Community Health's Tobacco Section.  "When the initiative began in early 2005, almost no apartment owners indicated apartment buildings as being smoke-free.  Today, that has changed, in part because building owners know they have a legal right to create smoke-free space within the property that they own," stated Jim Bergman, Director of SFELP.

The U.S. Surgeon General in his June 2006 report on secondhand smoke stated that:  "The scientific evidence is now indisputable; secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance.  It is a serious health hazard that can lead to disease and premature death in children and nonsmoking adults."  The report also stated:  "The Surgeon General has concluded that eliminating smoking in indoor spaces is the only way to fully protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke exposure.  Separating smokers from nonsmokers, cleaning the air, and ventilating buildings cannot eliminate secondhand smoke exposure.  Smoke-free rules in homes can reduce secondhand smoke exposure among children and nonsmoking adults."

"Landlords are delighted to be able to designate their buildings smoke-free because they have happy tenants, their maintenance costs drop significantly because they don't have cigarette burns on carpets or furniture or yellow nicotine stains on the walls and ceilings, and 80% of the population doesn't smoke, so their market niche is substantial," stated Bergman.  "Tenants are thrilled because they are now protected from the dangerous health hazards of secondhand smoke and from fire caused by smoldering cigarettes."

The MISmokeFreeApartment initiative in Michigan is a key way for apartment owners to follow the Surgeon General's recommendations and for tenants to enjoy the benefits.  To learn more visit www.mismokefreeapartment.org.

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