The Asthma Free Housing Act of 2015
The New York City Council is considering healthy housing legislation that would protect the health of patients with asthma and other respiratory diseases. The Asthma Free Housing Act of 2015 (Intro 385A) would help to reduce indoor asthma triggers such as mold and pests by:
- Requiring building owners to conduct routine inspections for asthma triggers
- Requiring building owners to use responsible methods for addressing trigger causes at the source, rather than superficial repairs (this includes the use of Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, and the NYC Health Department's mold remediation guidelines)
- Requiring landlords to inform tenants about asthma triggers and appropriate corrective methods
- Creating a system for doctor referrals for housing inspections performed by the city
Working with the Asthma Free Housing Coalition, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has posted an action alert on our website so that NYC residents can easily contact their council members. We hope that if support for this legislation is successful, it will pave the way for other major cities across the country to address the issue of high asthma rates in urban environments.
For further information, please contact Meryl Bloomrosen, AAFA's Senior Vice President of Policy, Advocacy, and Research, at mbloomrosen@aafa.org.
