Health risks of secondhand smoke

First off, greetings to everyone!

I am reaching out because I am interested in hearing about your experiences—whether they are firsthand or just things you've observed—for a pretty simple reason: I suspect I am slowly becoming a victim of secondhand smoke, and frankly, I have no intention of letting that happen.

Thanks, and best regards!

I don't have much advice to offer, other than saying I truly empathize with you. I work at this small firm where the boss goes through three or four packs a day, and my coworker manages another one or two. We actually almost had a bet going regarding what color the walls in the boss's office used to be; because of all the blue and yellow cigarette smoke, they've turned this weird yellowish-green shade. Honestly, they're decent people, and there aren't many other job opportunities around here right now. Reporting them to the authorities isn't an option either—even the local IRS agents have been known to light up in the office from time to time. I’m joking, but it’s not funny; I feel like I'm going to end up with lung cancer despite never having touched a cigarette in my life. For the past year, I've been dealing with daily headaches, and this massive amount of secondhand smoke is almost certainly a culprit. When I get home, my husband, who is also a non-smoker, is constantly horrified by how much my hair and clothes smell like smoke. It's awful... I'm just looking forward to summer, when we can finally keep the office doors and windows open.

I’ve been through the exact same nightmare. My coworkers would smoke everything in sight right in my face—the manager was constantly puffing away on a cigar, and the supervisors were always passing around those cheap, nauseating cigarettes you'd find at some roadside gas station in Santa Barbara. I’d head home from work with a pounding migraine and bloodshot eyes, and I had to wash my hair every single night just to get the stench out... honestly, it was worse than any workplace bullying I’ve ever dealt with.

If I were you, I’d file an anonymous report with the state inspectors. They’ll send someone out—health inspectors actually seem to take complaints seriously these days, unlike back in the old days 🤔 when they didn't care about anything 😉—to inspect the premises. They’ll even check the trash cans! If they find cigarette butts or any other evidence of smoking, they’ll slap the employer with a massive fine. Once that happens, those lowlifes will think twice before lighting up on the clock.

*Regarding what Sandra Wells5 said about her colleagues being "good people"—look, anyone who is so blatantly disrespectful that they jeopardize someone else's health and recklessly foul up a shared workspace cannot be considered a good person. I realize they might be addicts and struggle to help themselves, but frankly, I don't have a shred of tolerance left for people like that.

Smokers just look out for their own. They label anyone trying to quit as weaklings. Honestly, they’d be doing themselves—and everyone else—a massive favor if they were actually forced to cut back at the office.

Look, there's Article 63 of the OSHA regulations. You can file complaints directly through these email addresses . My advice? Send it to both the local field office and the central headquarters simultaneously. That way, they can't play dumb and claim they never saw it.

Thanks for the replies. It’s a bit easier knowing I’m not the only one dealing with this—though there is one massive, glaring "unfortunately" attached to that thought.
I just cannot wrap my head around the mindset that you can consciously jeopardize someone else's health just for your own little pleasure and still sleep soundly at night. Even if they are supposedly "good people," there is clearly something fundamentally broken in their logic—nothing can convince me otherwise. Their sense of social responsibility is... well, let's just say it's primitive. Period.
Lately, my lungs have been killing me. I've got this constant cough and a low-grade fever that's been hanging around for twenty days now. I am almost certain it's pneumonia, but when I saw my doctor, she insisted everything was fine. She did give me a referral for more testing, so now I'm just stuck waiting for my appointment date. These medical professionals know exactly what's going on, yet they watch people smoking like crazy all around them! It's absolutely infuriating.
If it turns out that I really do have pneumonia—or even bronchitis—I honestly fear I might walk into work and lose it. I feel like I'll end up smashing everything in sight just to get some justice!
😢

Instead of going out there and catching a battery charge, why don't you just file a proper report? Use this link right here.

Good grief, you all jumped straight into the physical fighting part—I meant that metaphorically, obviously. Though, I suppose a little blunt object to the skull wouldn't hurt them; maybe then they’d actually wake up their brains for once 😁
The problem is, I can't exactly report them without making it obvious it was me!

I can’t exactly file a report either, because it would definitely get back to them sooner or later. My only interest is keeping things quiet there so they don't think some bitter competitor or jealous rival snitched on us—if they did, they'd start hunting for ten other violations. They certainly won't report us for gossiping, and besides, the fines they mention aren't enough to make my coworkers quit smoking. My boss definitely won't stop, and I doubt my colleague will either, since "that's her only joy in life." Plus, I work in accounting. This is how it goes when an inspector shows up: "Oh, Sandra Wells5, I have this incredibly vital meeting right now—literally the fate of the universe depends on it—could you handle this with the inspectors? If you need anything, just call my cell," and then—poof. Just like that, I end up stuck dealing with them myself, even though I really don't have the bandwidth for it... When I said we were "good," I meant we're tolerant, considering the kind of toxic relationships people deal with at work; we're actually a great team. Conversations with the boss are casual; there's no fear, no harassment, no bowing and scraping when he walks into the office. You can be totally blunt with him and push back without issue; he's a great guy, but in the business world—especially with clients—he's such a smooth talker, charming everyone while hiding his true intentions. My colleague is a few months away from qualifying for early retirement, so she could practically be my mother; I don't really argue with her, except when she starts lecturing me about health. She'll tell me I need to buy only the highest quality food and medicine, saying, "You're young, take care of your health," all while having a cigarette dangling from her mouth... like, wtf? I think things will just stay as they are, unless something clicks in their heads or I hit the jackpot on a Powerball ticket and quit. There isn't much else. The bills and the kids at home don't care if Mom can tolerate smoke at work; people endure much worse than this. I know my answer sounds like something out of those "he hits me, but I love him" stories, but what else am I supposed to do?

Honestly, Sandra Wells5, I feel you on this one!
It’s like every single thing you say is coming straight out of my own mouth—we are dealing with almost the exact same situation.
But let me ask you—does it ever happen to you where someone comes up to you to vent (someone who doesn't smoke, obviously), and they just hit you with that: "Eh, everyone has the right to do what they want, it doesn't bother me"?
Those are the people who really dig us into a hole—those who look at everything with such cold indifference, acting like, "Well, it doesn't affect me, so why should it affect you?" Well, it *does* affect me!
I am just so fed up with those spineless types—I've reached a point where I feel like picking a fight with smokers everywhere I go.
And then there's this cough... a total smoker's cough!

rustyharbor3, dear—how do you usually handle that awful situation? I suppose it happens right when you're filing the paperwork?

Sandra Wells5 said:Bills don't pay themselves and kids at home aren't exactly asking if Mom can handle breathing in smoke all day—people deal with much worse garbage than this in their daily lives.

And what happens to those kids if Mom ends up in the hospital because she got sick? Seriously? And what exactly constitutes "worse garbage"? In my book, there is nothing worse than being poisoned for eight hours straight just to clock in.

rustyharbor3 said:And what happens to the kids if Mom gets sick? What kind of "worse" stuff are we even talking about here? For me, nothing beats having someone poison my life all day long.

Then why didn't you just quit already? 😕

Look, I’m pretty blunt about this. Right out of the gate, I go on the offensive against anyone smoking near me just to startle them so they don't dare do it again. I’ve never actually worked in an environment where smoking was permitted, so I haven't dealt with those nightmare workplace scenarios. But when dealing with smokers, you have to be assertive—catch them off guard early on so they realize immediately that you aren't playing games. At the end of the day, it's a matter of health, so there's no reason to play nice. Just apply the pressure and they won't risk it.

Is there any way you could just ask them to cut it out and explain how much it’s bothering you? Honestly, sometimes smokers don't even realize how much it can actually mess with someone who doesn't smoke...
The truth is, non-smokers get hit way harder by the smoke than smokers do—since they're breathing it in constantly, their bodies basically build up a tolerance and handle it better.
If it makes you feel any better, just think about how things were 50 years ago. People smoked everywhere: in boardrooms, staff lounges... just all over the place. Back then, non-smokers were seriously in trouble!

I’ve tried everything from being incredibly polite to issuing some pretty direct warnings.
But honestly? Nothing works. They pay a little bit of lip service to my requests—just enough to look compliant—and then they go right back to their old habits.
I mean, why should I expect any restraint from them when they were literally smoking during their pregnancies? 😢 How are you even supposed to reason with people like that?
And when I try to set a firm boundary, they just hide behind the excuse that "it’s allowed everywhere else in the office!"
I have to say, reaching an agreement with my male colleagues is much more straightforward—they actually make an effort to cooperate... whereas the women here are just hopeless when it comes to this sort of thing.

Man, they’re brutal! I used to be a smoker myself, so I totally get the struggle. When it’s banned—it’s banned, period. It's easy to just accept the rules when there's an actual penalty involved (like in most US offices, schools, hospitals, banks, or restaurants). But the second people find a loophole? They fight tooth and nail to smoke wherever they want. It’s classic addict syndrome—where the "drug" becomes more important than anything else 😁
Honestly, being a smoker, you almost prefer it when it's prohibited! Because deep down, you know you're poisoning yourself less

Man, I am seriously so sorry for everything you’re going through right now. I know how much smoke messes with me personally—I can barely handle it—so I honestly can't even imagine how you're dealing with this...

You've gotta keep calling them out on it. 🤷
Just be upfront and let them know it’s bothering you—tell them about your health issues and how much it would actually mean if they just smoked less or stepped outside to light up instead. If you ask them to be mindful and things just go right back to how they were, don't let it slide. When you see them slipping back into those old habits, speak up again. Just try to stay persistent... maybe if you become annoying enough about it, they'll finally give in. 😬

Raymond Gray2, neonstag63,

Thanks for understanding. It’s actually nice to hear someone say something like that.
Believe me, I have tried everything you mentioned regarding my health issues—I constantly speak up, and sometimes, it actually works for maybe half an hour... but I can't just keep repeating myself; that would mean doing it five or six times a day, five days a week. We’d end up fighting until it hurts. Maybe that’s where it’s headed, I don't even know anymore. Though, I wouldn't want that—I really value having decent professional relationships. But seriously, since this morning, the room has been so thick with smoke that the fumes are practically stinging my eyes.
I show up showered, in clean clothes, smelling great, and then I leave here smelling terrible, with my hair feeling greasy and gross—I honestly feel disgusted with myself. I feel so self-conscious that I’m almost afraid to stand near the cashier at the grocery store.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg. My lungs are taking the hit, my heart is taking the hit—I am truly at my breaking point!
Dammit, all they care about is shoving that stench down our throats! Their intelligence is absolutely nonexistent!!!!!!
Sorry, I just snapped. 😢

Alex Gonzalez5 said:Raymond Gray2, neonstag63,

Thanks for being so understanding. It really means a lot to hear stuff like that...
Trust me, I’ve tried everything you guys suggested regarding my health issues—I'm constantly speaking up, and sometimes it actually works for maybe half an hour... but I can't just keep repeating myself over and over. That would mean doing it 5 or 6 times a day, 5 days a week. We'd end up fighting until we're both exhausted. Maybe that's where it's headed, honestly, I don't even know anymore. I wouldn't want that though, because I really value having good relationships with my coworkers... but seriously, since this morning, the room has been so smoky that the smoke is practically stinging my eyes.
I show up showered, in clean clothes, smelling great, and then I leave here smelling gross, with my hair feeling all sticky... I hate it, I feel so gross about myself, I'm almost too embarrassed to even walk up to the cashier at the grocery store.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg. My lungs are taking a hit, my heart is struggling, I am truly at my breaking point!
Dammit, they're so obsessed with forcing that stench down everyone's throats! *their intelligence is non-existent!!!!!!*
Sorry, I just snapped 😢

I don't know, I get that you're tired of it, but would you rather be seen as "difficult" or deal with constant health problems? 🤔
I totally get how exhausting it is to constantly have to tell someone to stop doing something, but don't you think it's worth it this time? This isn't some tiny annoyance—it's about your actual health.

Isn't there some kind of law against smoking in office spaces? :don't get caught up in those things: 🙈

Alex Gonzalez5,

Like smoke driving beasts out of their dens. Take a hard look at where you stand at that company—if they actually respected you or valued your input, they wouldn't be acting this way. They either don't need you or they're afraid of you. Honestly? Your smartest move would be to start looking for a new job.

Aelia—we have a similar law here in the States, it was mentioned earlier in the thread. Alex Gonzalez5 is in Canada.