31%

Percent of nonsmoking apartment dwellers who said they smelled their neighbors’ tobacco smoke in their building; half of these residents smelled it in their own units. Of those smelling unwanted smoke, 38% reported being subjected to it weekly, while 12% smelled smoke daily. “Children seem to be especially vulnerable,” said the study‘s lead author Dr. Karen M. Wilson, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, noting that secondhand smoke exposure could put kids at risk for respiratory diseases and illness if it is persistent or if they have illnesses such as asthma or cystic fibrosis. The findings support efforts to make multi-unit apartment buildings smoke-free, Wilson said. [via American Academy of Pediatrics]

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