What can I do about secondhand smoke/aerosol exposure coming from my neighbor’s apartment?

EPA suggests that you:

• Read your rental lease or condominium agreement carefully to determine whether there is a policy that may address secondhand smoke/aerosol in your building. You may wish to consider consulting a legal professional or center to determine your rights and/or the landlord’s ability to ban smoking/vaping in your building.  
• Get advice from your local health department or other organizations in your state since there may be state or county building codes that relate to sanitary and health conditions or smokefree ordinances that affect where you live.
• Visit The American Lung Association website that provides information on secondhand tobacco smoke in apartments and condominiums.  
• Contact your local chapter of the American Lung Association (call 1-800-LUNG-USA or go to their website at www.lung.org );  they may be able to provide you with additional information on codes and/or ordinances in your area.

How Does Secondhand Tobacco Smoke Enter an Apartment?

Secondhand tobacco smoke can come into your apartment in multiple ways. Secondhand tobacco smoke does not respect boundaries, seeping through light fixtures, wall electric outlets, ceiling crawl spaces, and doorways into all areas of a building with smokers. Secondhand tobacco smoke cannot be completely controlled by ventilation, air cleaning, or the separation of smokers from nonsmokers. 

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