Dealing with Neighbors Smoking
Your neighbors are smokers and the odor is often strong in your home. Well, we hear you. Staying in a closed space where people smoke and there’s no circulation of fresh air is a health problem. When you are in a room where you are exposed to smoke, you can do something about it. For example, you can go outside and get some fresh air. However, it can be really frustrating if your neighbors are smoking and you can smell the smoke in your own home or at your office.
Neighbors Smoking at Home
Multifamily housing where smoking is not forbidden indoors is a special concern. The cause for the second hand smoke might be an open balcony, an open window, home ventilation, or a crack in the ceiling. As a homeowner or renter, you can object to your neighbors for smoking, complain to the landlord for the ventilation, or send a formal notice to the authorities.
Yet, confrontations and formal procedures can be frustrating, strain relations with your neighbors and take a lot of time. This is where air purifiers can help you out. But more on that a bit later.
Neighbors Smoking at Work
At the workplace, people can be notably exposed to secondhand smoke, and it even doesn’t have to be your company’s policy – you can be exposed to secondhand smoke through an open window, if, let’s say, the office that’s adjacent to you doesn’t have firm policies in place. What’s more, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and other relevant organizations and institutions that deal with safety and health at the workplace recognize secondhand smoke as a serious health hazard for workers.
Still, introducing measures for the separation of smokers and non-smokers or making the workplace smoke-free can be very difficult for various reasons. Implementing these measures can depend on the personal stance of the bosses and colleagues, or it may fall on building managers or your local government. If it’s your neighbors at the workplace that are smoking, then it’s even trickier – they may not be open to doing something about it. Small and medium companies, in particular, find it costly to invest in ventilation infrastructure.
Health Concerns about Secondhand Smoke (SHS)
Second hand smoke is a mixture of two forms of smoke that come from smoking tobacco. Sidestream smoke is direct smoke that comes from the lit end of the cigarette, pipe, vape, cigar, or a hookah. This is a dangerous type of smoke due to the high concentration of cancer-causing agents and other particles that can make their way into the lungs and affect the whole body. Besides the direct negative effects on your health, secondhand smoke produces a heavy odor that can stay for several days in a closed space.
Mainstream smoke, on the other hand, is the smoke exhaled by a smoker. Although this smoke doesn’t contain as many dangerous elements as sidestream smoke, it still produces chemicals and odors that can be absorbed by your body.
But can we do something about second-hand smoke? The answer is yes. In short, when there is a lack of ventilation infrastructure or the place you live or work in is not smoke-free; when your neighbors are too stubborn or when your boss does not agree with implementing a smoke-free policy; then the best solution would be to purchase an air purifier and create your own smoke-free environment.
However, choosing the right purifier can be tricky, so we reviewed the best air purifiers for cigarette smoke so you can make an informed purchasing decision. And, of course, before you commit to a purchase, you should always check your room’s size to get an adequate air purifying device for that room size specifically.
