Target: U.S. Congress
Goal: Make multi-family housing complexes smoke-free
People deserve the right to breathe fresh air where they live. Unfortunately, when one person chooses to smoke in a multi-family housing complex such as an apartment or condo, all the nearby units get contaminated with smoke as well. No one should be exposed to harmful second-hand smoke against their will. Protect innocent families by making smoking in multi-family housing complexes illegal.
Second-hand smoke is a tremendous health concern. It has been associated with respiratory problems, asthma attacks, cancer, and heart disease. Because of the close proximity of apartment and condo units and the often shared ventilation systems, smoke from one unit can easily infiltrate all the others.
Cigarettes cause other hazards as well. They are the number one cause of household fire deaths in the United States, killing approximately 800 people a year and causing an estimated 140,000 fires. One in four of people killed are merely neighbors or friends of the smokers, and one in three are children. Banning smoking inside apartments and condos would help reduce fire risks. Currently, all upholstered furniture is treated with strong fire-retardant chemicals in part because of the fire risk caused by smoking, adding another unnecessary health concern.
Many states have passed laws restricting smoking in restaurants, workplaces, and schools to reduce exposure to second-hand smoke. Some states, such as Oregon, have already banned smoking in multi-family housing as well. Because people often spend more time in their homes than in any other place, this is the most crucial place to have clean air.
Protect people’s right to breathe fresh air in their own homes. Make all multi-family housing complexes smoke-free.
Dear U.S. Congress,
Research has clearly established the harms of second-hand smoke. Unfortunately, families are still exposed to these harms every day in multi-family housing complexes that allow smoking. Protect families’ right to breathe clean air by making smoking in such complexes illegal.
Second-hand smoke is a tremendous health concern. It has been consistently linked to lung disease, asthma attacks, heart disease, and cancer. Because apartments and condos are often densely packed and share a common ventilation system, smoking in one unit can easily pollute all the surrounding units. The only way to protect people is to make smoking in such complexes illegal.
Banning smoking inside these complexes also reduces the fire risk. Cigarettes are the number one cause of household fire deaths in the United States, killing approximately 800 people a year and causing an estimated 140,000 fires.
Progressive states such as Oregon have already banned smoking in multi-family housing, and many other states have made it illegal in restaurants, workplaces, and other sites. Because of the health risk to the public, it is essential to act on a federal level to protect families from the dangers of second-hand smoke.
Please protect people’s right to breathe fresh air in their own homes by making smoking in multi-family housing units illegal.
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: geograph