DEERFIELD BEACH — A pregnant couple from Deerfield Beach chose to protect their unborn child by moving from their home after repeated exposure to secondhand smoke from a neighboring unit.
Amaury and Renata Rosa, a couple who at 8 months pregnant faced a dilemma no soon-to-be-parents should have to: stay in their home or protect their unborn child.
The couple, bothered by the smell of cigarette smoke infiltrating their home and knowing the health risks of secondhand smoke to their unborn child,
including Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), sought immediate measures to resolve the situation.
According to Amaury, “When we first noticed the problem we notified the tenants above my rental unit about the situation, and they indicated to us that there’s nothing in their lease prohibiting them from smoking indoors.”
The couple requested that maintenance staff isolate the leakage by performing several structural repairs, but the exposure continued.
The Rosas reached out to the American Lung Association, which in partnership with the Broward Regional Health Planning Council’s TOUCH (Transforming Our Community’s Health) initiative and other agencies in Broward County, work with rental communities in adopting smoke-free housing policies. Smoke-free housing helps reduce exposure to secondhand smoke (and the risks associated, including asthma, heart disease and cancer) to all residents by prohibiting smoking inside units.
The American Lung Association provided information to the property management on the benefits, health and financial, of transitioning the property to go smoke-free, but the property management declined to do so.
Rather than continue to risk the health of their unborn child, Amaury and Renata, at the request of their doctor and using Fair Housing laws as justification, asked to be released from their lease early to find a smoke-free apartment.
For more information visit smokefreebroward.com
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