CDC: Making Subsidized Housing Smoke-Free Could Save $500M Yearly

Photo Credit: APThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that almost $500 million could be saved a year if smoking was banned in subsidized housing.

In a press release on its website, the CDC said an estimated $497 million in health care and housing-related costs could be saved if smoking was prohibited in all government subsidized housing, including public housing.

The study is considered to be the first of its kind to estimate the annual cost savings of banning smoking in subsidized housing in each state.

Almost 80 million Americans live in multi-unit housing, of which nearly 7 million multi-unit housing residents live in government subsidized housing, including 2 million in public housing.

Residents in these units are susceptible to second-hand smoke that gets into the ventilation systems and windows and spreads into units where non-smokers live. This is of particular concern among children, the elderly, and the disabled.

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