News and Events

QuitDoc Foundation Exposes the Risks of Secondhand Smoke
Eighth Annual Tobacco Free Florida Week Aims to Break the Myth that Secondhand Smoke is Harmless
April 28, 2016

Highlands County, Fla. –The Florida Department of Health’sTobacco Free Florida program and QuitDoc are launching a new initiative, Secondhand Smoke Exposed, as part of the eighth annual Tobacco Free Florida Week, taking place May 8-14, to educate Floridians about the dangers of secondhand smoke.

This year’s theme, Secondhand Smoke Exposed, focuses on dispelling the common myth that secondhand smoke is harmless. The fact is that breathing even small amounts of secondhand smoke can be dangerous. Even if there is not a smoker in your home, secondhand smoke can enter your home in a multiunit building through doorways, cracks in walls, electrical lines, plumbing and electrical lines, and even to units on other floors.

 

“Everyone deserves to live in an environment that is free of exposure to toxic smoke,” said Tobacco Free Florida Bureau Chief Valerie Lacy. “Eliminating smoking from indoor spaces protects the community from secondhand smoke exposure and helps make Florida a healthier state for all.”

“We are raising awareness during Tobacco Free Florida Week, by having our Avon Park, Lake Placid and Sebring City Council members and Mayor sign and recognize proclamations in each city,” said Amanda John, Community Health Advocate, for QuitDoc Foundation. “Tobacco Free Partnership members and SWAT members will go in front of the city council to help raise awareness surrounding secondhand smoke and advocating for the recognition of Tobacco Free Florida Week. “

 

Across Florida, there are more than 1,000 smoke-free multiunit properties and 158,000 smoke-free units. In 2015, Tobacco Free Florida established a partnership with the Florida Apartment Association to help multiunit housing communities implement smoke-free policies. This partnership is helping ensure that the air exchanged between apartments – up to 65 percent – is free of secondhand smoke. , , Using ventilation, air conditioning or fan systems cannot eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke. ,

 

 

QuitDoc Foundation supports local tobacco-related interventions, including raising public awareness about the benefits of smoke-free multiunit housing. If you are a multiunit housing resident or property manager interested in making your building smoke-free, contact Amanda John at AJohn@QuitDoc.com or (863) 441-5101.

*Editor’s Note: Tobacco Free Florida’s and QuitDoc Foundation’s assistance with local tobacco free policy efforts are not lobbying, but are services to build awareness and support of jurisdictional voluntary initiatives to improve the health of Floridians.

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About Tobacco Free Florida Week

The eighth annual Tobacco Free Florida Week takes place from May 8-14. Join the conversation on social media using #SHSExposed.

About Tobacco Free Florida

The Florida Department of Health’s Tobacco Free Florida campaign is a statewide cessation and prevention campaign funded by Florida’s tobacco settlement fund. Tobacco users interested in quitting are encouraged to use one of the state’s three ways to quit. Since 2007, more than 137,000 Floridians have successfully quit, using one of these free services. To learn more about Tobacco Free Florida and the state’s free quit resources, visit www.tobaccofreeflorida.com or follow the campaign on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TobaccoFreeFlorida or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/tobaccofreefla.

The department works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.
Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook.  For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.floridahealth.gov.

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References:


U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006.

Office of the Surgeon General. The Surgeon General’s call to action to promote healthy homes. Washington, DC: Department of Health and Human Services, 2009.    

Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General. Children and secondhand smoke exposure: excerpts from The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: a report of the Surgeon General, 2007.

Florida Smoke-free Multiunit Housing Survey, Florida Department of Health, December 2015.

Center for Energy and Environment. Reduction of Environmental Tobacco Smoke Transfer in Minnesota Multifamily Buildings Using Air Sealing and Ventilation Treatments. (Minneapolis, MN: 2004).

Office of the Surgeon General. The Surgeon General’s call to action to promote healthy homes. Washington, DC: Department of Health and Human Services, 2009.    

Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General. Children and secondhand smoke exposure: excerpts from The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: a report of the Surgeon General, 2007.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2010.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ―The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General.‖ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006.