In June, the Related Cos. pledged that all of its 40,000 housing units across many states will be smoke-free. Related Cos. has been chosen as a developer for housing units at the Hunter’s Point South Development in Long Island City.
This is an exciting opportunity for Queens residents who prefer to live in smoke-free buildings, as affordable smoke-free apartments will be available to them. Not only do smoke-free buildings provide health benefits for residents by eliminating secondhand smoke exposure, they also offer safety and financial benefits.
Smoking is the leading cause of fire-related deaths. In 2005, more than a quarter of fire deaths in multi-family buildings were caused by smoking. Smoke-free buildings are also easier and cheaper to renovate and maintain because you save money on costly cleaning and physical damage repairs caused by secondhand smoke and cigar and cigarette burns.
We applaud this new smoke-free housing opportunity for Queens residents and hope it encourages other landlords, co-operatives and condominiums to go smoke-free.
Nancy Copperman
Director of Public Health Initiatives
North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System
New Hyde Park
