Genesee County Health Department

Better Life Through Better Health

Current Date:  January 2, 2009 

Release Date:  Immediate Release          Kill Date:  January 16, 2009 

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

RE:  Year end finds record number of smoke-free apartments in Michigan.  

"As 2008 comes to a close, we are delighted that hundreds of thousands of apartments all across Michigan are now totally smoke-free" stated Jim Bergman, Director of the Smoke-Free Environments Law Project (SFELP).  "In 2004 when the MI Smoke-Free Apartment Initiative began, it was almost impossible to find apartments that had smoke-free or no-smoking policies.  In four short years, smoke-free apartments now abound and are the clear trend."  Twenty-eight public housing commissions in Michigan now have smoke-free policies for some or all of their buildings.

Smoke-free policies dramatically reduce maintenance costs, saving landlords $2,000 to $8,000 per unit.  Smoke-free policies also reduce the risk of fires started by cigarettes. 

According to the Michigan Adult Tobacco Survey, in 2005 over 80% of households said they had a smoke-free policy in their home.  Apartment residents are saying that they don't want their smoke-free home/unit inundated with their neighbor's secondhand smoke.  Many smokers feel the same way and take their smoking outside to protect their families and their furniture.  For a list of smoke-free apartments by city go to http://www.MISmokeFreeApartment.org/listing.html.  For additional information contact the Genesee County Health Department at (810) 257-3612.

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