Fewer people smoke inside their homes

New research released last week by the state Department of Health shows the number of people smoking inside homes in the state has declined by 61 percent since 2000. The drop is more than double the overall decline in adult smoking during the same period.

The department's comprehensive Tobacco Prevention and Control Program is on target to meet its goal of reducing in-home secondhand-smoke exposure to 6 percent or less by 2013.

The new research confirms an encouraging trend, according to state Health Secretary Mary Selecky. The state rate dropped from 19.3 percent in 2000 when the program was established to just under 8 percent in 2008, as determined by data gathered in 2008.

"This is good news for the health of people in our state," Selecky said. "As more homes adopt smoke-free rules, fewer kids will be at risk for respiratory infections and diseases like bronchitis. So more kids are growing up healthier and are less likely to start smoking."

Despite the drop, an estimated 370,000 adults across the state still report someone smoking inside their home. People from low-income or low-education backgrounds are nearly twice as likely to report this is the case.

The Health Department is focused on reaching people who live in rental houses or apartments, which have a significantly higher percentage of low-income residents than owner-occupied homes, data show. The rate of smoking inside the home among all renters is 12.5 percent. Apartments and similar housing pose the added concern of smoke drifting from one unit or balcony to the next. Smoke can enter through doors, windows, ventilation systems, plumbing and electrical outlets.

To encourage voluntary no-smoking policies, the Department of Health is reaching out to landlords and owners with information about the benefits of going smoke-free. This includes lower cleaning and repair costs and improved long-term property value.

More information for landlords and owners is available on the Smoke Free Washington website (www.smokefreewashington.com).

Secondhand smoke is a preventable health hazard. Annually in the United States, it causes about 3,400 lung-cancer deaths and 46,000 heart-disease deaths among nonsmokers.

In 2009, the Institutes of Medicine released a report finding that secondhand- smoke exposure can cause heart attacks. The report also found that smoke-free indoor-air laws can prevent heart attacks.