Tobacco Use Policy in Military Housing
Secondhand smoke and thirdhand smoke (e.g., smoke residues found on walls and floors) are known to pose health hazards. Some landlords and cities have therefore established smoke-free policies for multiunit housing. The military is in effect the largest landlord in the United States, with approximately 630,000 units of housing. We reviewed the service-level tobacco control policies of the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy and Marine Corps (which share a policy) for references to housing, to see if personnel are adequately protected from secondhand and thirdhand smoke. Policies covering most family housing and all housing for single enlisted personnel fail to fully protect residents from secondhand or thirdhand smoke. The current review of tobacco control policy in the military should recommend a consistent policy of tobacco-free living quarters.