Smoke-free living, thanks to the Web

Apartment dwellers seeking units and buildings free of tobacco smoke can turn to a Web site that lists, free of charge, vacancies in structures that are partially or totally smoke-free.

The Smokefree Apartment House Registry Web site, which became available in 2000, has been logging about 70 to 100 hits a week from interested renters -- asthma sufferers, cancer survivors and others concerned about the secondhand smoke that commonly wafts into multifamily units, said Esther Schiller, director of the registry.

A recent survey of 880 residents of Los Angeles County conducted by the registry revealed that about 80% of apartment residents said they would prefer to live in smoke-free buildings. Apartment owners have been slow in responding to that preference, however, because many of them are unaware that it is legal to offer smoke-free units or buildings, Schiller said.

Renters can visit the registry’s Web site at www.smokefreeapartments.org.