Photo Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
HUD Secretary Julian Castro (l.) and Vice Admiral Vivek Murthy, M.D., Surgeon General of the United States.
By Forum Staff
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently issued a final rule requiring each public housing agency administering public housing to implement a smoke-free policy.
HUD Sec. Julian Castro announced the new rule last week, noting that it prohibits lit tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars or pipes) in all living units, indoor common areas, administrative offices, and all outdoor areas within 25 feet of housing and administrative office buildings.
The agency indicated that its final rule included input from more than 1,000 comments from PHAs, housing and health partners, and tenant advocates.
“HUD’s smoke-free rule is a reflection of our commitment to using housing as a platform to create healthy communities,” Castro said. “By working collaboratively with public housing agencies, HUD’s rule will create healthier homes for all of our families and prevent devastating and costly smoking-related fires.”
HUD has said that the smoke-free rule will reduce damage and maintenance costs associated with smoking. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the national smoke-free policy will save public housing agencies $153 million every year in repairs and preventable fires, including $94 million in secondhand smoke-related health care, $43 million in renovation of smoking-permitted units, and $16 million in smoking-related fire losses.
It is estimated that smoking causes more than 100,000 fires each year nationwide, resulting in more than 500 deaths and nearly a half a billion dollars in direct property damage.
Additionally, the CDC estimates cigarette smoking kills 480,000 Americans each year, making it the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Smoking also is the lead cause of fire-related deaths in multifamily buildings, the agency noted. The new smoke-free rule, HUD noted, will protect the health of public housing residents by reducing the health risks associated with tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke.
“My office has long warned the public about the dangers of smoking, including second-hand smoke,” said U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. “For children who are exposed to second-hand smoke, it can mean everything from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and ear infections to asthma. Protecting our children and families from the devastation caused by secondhand smoke must be a priority for all sectors of our society, including public housing.”
According to HUD, since 2009 the agency has strongly encouraged PHAs to adopt smoke-free policies in their buildings and common areas, a policy many private housing developments already have in place. During this time, more than 600 PHAs and Tribally Designated Housing Entities have adopted smoke-free policies. Through HUD’s voluntary policy and local initiatives, more than 228,000 public housing units are already smoke-free. Once fully implemented, the smoke-free rule announced last Wednesday would expand the impact to more than 940,000 public housing units, including more than 500,000 units inhabited by elderly residents and 760,000 children living in public housing.
“Protecting people from secondhand smoke saves lives and saves money,” said CDC Director and former NYC Health Commissioner Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “This is especially important in the places where we live. No level of secondhand smoke exposure is safe, and the home is the primary source of secondhand smoke for children.”
