The New York City Council is considering the Asthma-Free Housing Act of 2015

We know the environment can play a strong role in our health. But for patients with chronic conditions like asthma, a healthy indoor setting is critical. Indoor health hazards can all be asthma triggers. These hazards include mold, dust and pests (cockroaches, dust mites). Healthy indoor settings are a vital part of managing and controlling asthma.

In large urban cities, older buildings and housing issues can often create situations that cause asthma attacks or make them worse. These health hazards are partly why asthma rates can be so high in cities. Asthma is a major problem in New York City. In some low-income parts of New York City, as many as one in four children have asthma. And indoor air issues threaten almost 1 million New Yorkers.

The New York City Council is now looking at healthy housing legislation that would address these hazards and protect the health of those with asthma and other respiratory diseases. The Asthma-Free Housing Act of 2015 (Intro 385A) would help to reduce asthma triggers by:

• Requiring building owners to routinely inspect for asthma triggers
• Requiring building owners to use responsible ways to address trigger causes at the source, instead of superficial repairs
• Requiring landlords to tell tenants about asthma triggers and how to fix them
• Creating a system so doctors can recommend that the city inspect a patient’s housing to find and fix asthma triggers

Asthma is the most common childhood illness in New York City. The Asthma-Free Housing Act will help the city fight the chronic disease and lower dangerous triggers in homes. If passed, this law can serve as an example for other major cities in the country. They can pass their own healthy homes laws to protect their residents.

If you are a New York City resident, take action to support this legislation by sending a letter to your city council members.