Dickinson/Iron District News!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kelly Rumpf

May 30, 2006 Phone: 779-7234

In recognition of World No Tobacco Day, sponsored annually on May 31^st by The World Health Organization (WHO) to call attention to the serious health impact of tobacco and secondhand smoke on health, the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department, in conjunction with the Smoke-Free Environments Law Project, is continuing the effort to increase the number of smokefree apartments in the Upper Peninsula and the local community.

"Landlords are now aware that it is legal to require tenants and their guests to not smoke anywhere in their apartment buildings. They are delighted to be able to designate their buildings smokefree 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," said Jim Bergman, the Director of the Smoke-Free Environments Law Project (SFELP) of The Center for Social Gerontology, Inc., (TCSG), in Ann Arbor.

Kelly Rumpf, Health Educator with the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department said, "We’ve known for years that secondhand tobacco smoke is a scientifically proven cause of cancer and heart disease and that it is a serious threat to the health of all people, but especially to children, older persons and those with asthma, emphysema and other respiratory diseases. Because people spend a substantial amount of time in their homes, we have long promoted smokefree homes as a healthy lifestyle choice. But, for many apartment residents who don't smoke, their apartment may still be filled with secondhand smoke because a neighbor's cigarette, cigar or pipe smoke seeps into their apartment."

"The Dickinson-Iron District Health Department and the Smoke-Free Environments Law Project decided that the best approach was to work with landlords to identify existing apartment buildings that had smokefree policies, help them publicize the availability of these units, and encourage other apartment owners to voluntarily adopt smokefree policies," said Rumpf.

"While we have been thrilled by the number of landlords who have adopted and now advertise smokefree policies in their buildings, we would like to see the number increase even more so that tenants will be protected from the dangers of secondhand smoke and fires caused by cigarettes. Therefore, starting on May 29^th, we will again begin airing two humorous and informative radio ads in the Upper Peninsula encouraging tenants to ask for smokefree apartments and encouraging landlords to adopt smokefree policies in their buildings," said Bergman.

Rumpf said, "Smokefree homes not only protect families from secondhand smoke and fires caused by cigarettes, they also encourage smokers to quit smoking altogether or at least reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke. It's a definite win-win-win situation for tenants, their families and landlords."