Air date: January 9, 2011

Host: Jeremy Shere, PhD

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Did you Know? is presented by Wishard Health Services, becoming Eskenazi Health in 2014.

I’m Jeremy Shere.

If you live in an apartment complex and don’t smoke, it makes sense to rent a non-smoking unit. But did you know that smoke from other apartments can expose adults and children living nearby to secondhand smoke?

According to a study by researchers at the University of Rochester, kids who lived in nonsmoking apartments in buildings that allowed smoking were exposed to 45 percent more smoke than kids living in detached houses.

Why?

Because smoke from other apartment units easily finds its way into non-smoking units through walls, windows, and ventilation systems. Other studies have found that being exposed to secondhand smoke from other apartments is equivalent to smoking one cigarette a day.

The researchers hope the study will spur landlords and building owners to ban smoking in apartment complexes.

And now you know.

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Did You Know is presented by Senior Care at Wishard, answering your questions at Living Longer Better.

• Read up on the University of Rochester research on second-hand smoke at Reuters.