Smoke-free policies are a key strategy to reducing preventable death and disease in Michigan. Secondhand smoke kills 1,740 non-smoking Michiganders every year. It causes sudden infant death syndrome, respiratory and ear infections, and asthma attacks in infants and children. It leads to heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer in non-smoking adults. Comprehensive smoke-free policies should address e-cigarettes. E-cigarette aerosol is not harmless “water vapor.” E-cigarette aerosol usually contains nicotine and can contain formaldehyde, acrolein, volatile organic compounds like toluene, tobacco-specific nitrosamines, and heavy metals like nickel and lead. The nicotine and other chemicals are absorbed by users and bystanders, including vulnerable populations such as infants, children, and pregnant individuals. Nicotine poisoning from e-liquid is a serious concern.

Unfortunately, fans, open windows, and filters do not completely get rid of secondhand smoke. Heating, cooling, and ventilation systems can actually spread harmful smoke.

Smoke-free policies also prevent thirdhand smoke or aerosol, which is the residue that sticks to walls, ceilings, furniture, and other surfaces long after someone has smoked a cigarette or used an e-cigarette. Thirdhand smoke is especially hazardous to infants and young children because they’re often on the ground and put things in their mouths.
 

 
▶ Learn more: Explore our related webpages — The Dangers of Secondhand & Thirdhand Smoke Exposure and E-Cigarettes.
 

Smoke-free policies save property managers money by lowering costs related to cleaning, maintenance, refurbishing units, and staff workload. Costs may be 2-3 times higher for properties that allow smoking. Some insurance companies offer cost savings for smoke-free policies due to lower fire liability.

Implementing smoke-free policies in Michigan subsidized housing would save approximately $4.3 million in renovation expenses, $1.4 million in smoking-related fire losses, $7.3 million in health care costs, and $12.9 million total cost savings.

This handy Smoke-Free Multi-Unit Housing Calculator helps calculate the cost difference between turning over a smoking unit versus a non-smoking unit.
 

In Michigan, according to MI Prevention, smoking is consistently one of the top causes of residential fatal fires and caused 48% of fire deaths in 2024. Smoking poses a large safety risk for people using medical oxygen, making up 14% of fatal fires in 2024. One of the most concerning things in the data is that 80% of fatal fires did not have working smoke alarms. Smoking-related fires can also cause millions of dollars in property damage.

Smoke-free policies protect residents, staff, and housing property by removing fire hazards like smoldering cigarettes, hot ashes, and other smoking materials and encouraging people to quit or move the smoking outside.

Learn more about fire hazards and the data from MIPrevention.org.
 

Smoke-free policies are becoming the industry standard as more and more properties go smoke-free.

• Smoke-free is the norm. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) formally encourages smoke-free policies in public housing, multi-family housing, and mixed income housing and required that all Public Housing Agencies implement smoke-free policies by 2018. About two-thirds of affordable housing properties receiving Low Income Housing Tax Credits are already smoke-free.
• Renters want smoke-free housing: About eight in 10 multi-unit housing residents choose to make their own homes smoke-free, and more than 80% of Michigan adults are non-smokers. Property managers have an opportunity to appeal to this large market of renters.
• Green policy certification: If property managers are considering going green with a new or renovated property, many green policy certifications offer points for smoke-free policies.