TARAN 1 Darya Taran Professor Kelly English 120, 12.

40-2 20 November, 2012 Topic: Secondhand Smoke Research Question: Why 100% smokefree multi-unit housing policies should be implemented? Audience Analysis: I am writing to landlords of multi-unit housing (MUH) and condominiums in order to prove they should review the recent research regarding the effects of secondhand smoke (SHS) on little children and nonsmoking tenants who reside in MUH before they agree to lend their property to smoking tenants. Thesis statement: Landlords of apartment complexes should change their mind in favor of prohibiting in-unit smoking out of concern for secondhand smoke exposure health effects to non-smoking tenants, specially little children. I. Body: Topic Sentence 1 Landlords should understand that despite all the actions taken to improve air quality on the territory of apartment complexes, our homes still remain a prominent source of SHS and that is where measures should take place in order to sufficiently reduce exposure to SHS of non-smoking tenants.

TARAN II. Body: Topic Sentence 2 The fact that there is no safe amount of secondhand smoke should be taken under consideration. A. Details: Explanations, reasons. According to National Cancer Institute Factsheet, even low levels of secondhand smoke can be harmful. The only way to fully protect nonsmokers from SHS is to completely eliminate smoking in indoor spaces. B. According to the same source children exposed to SHS are at

increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome, ear infections, colds, pneumonia, bronchitis, and more severe asthma. This is an extremely important issue to address. III. Prohibiting smoking on balconies along does not solve the SHS problem, since balconies are not the only way for smoke to seep. It can easily escape through ventilation and windows. A. According to the article Tobacco-Smoke Exposure in Children Who Live in Multiunit Housing, written by Karen M. Wilson and Johnathan D. Klein and published in Pediatrics in 2011 children in apartments have higher mean cotinine levels than children in detached houses. Potential causes could be seepage through walls or shared ventilation systems. IV. The problem of exposure to SHS little children is too serious to be overlooked.

TARAN 3 A. Any amount of SHS effects the body in negative way posing the most harm to little children that inhale many of the same cancer-causing substances and poisons as smokers. B. Exposure to marijuana secondhand smoke poses even worse health effects than tobacco does as, according to American Lung Organization, it contains a greater amount of carcinogens than tobacco smoke. C. According to the summary of a study performed by scientists from Behabiour Evaluation and Measurement research Center of the Rovira I Virgili University, there is a number of negative effects of secondhand smoke on fetus and infant development. V. Landlords should understand that they have a full power to prohibit inunit smoking at any time considering that smoking does not belong to constitutional rights of U.S. citizens. A. Samantha K. Graff, a representative of Tobacco Control Legal Consortium, proves in her synopsis that there is no such thing as a constitutional right to smoke since U.S. Constitution does not extend special protection to smokers. VI. Landlords should also take under consideration that implementing 100% smoke-free policy may reduce the cost of cleaning the apartments after the smoking tenant s relocation. A. The smoke smell is particularly difficult to get rid of. The walls and furniture, carpeting all have a tendency to retain unpleasant odors.

TARAN Ventilation may not solve this issue leading to carpet replacement

associated with unnecessary costs. (an additional source may be used in order to support the point made in this chapter)

VII.

In-unit smoking is the issue that can not and should not wait to be addressed as it does not matter if we are separated by wall from someone who lights up the cigarette. This is the case when our tenants actions have a serious negative impact on the community, poisoning those of us who are just beginning their lives, our children and us, grown ups. Secondhand smoke is a serious problem, but this problem can be solved!