How Do I Handle Visitors Who Smoke in the House?

How to handle out-of-town relatives who smoke in the house?

Anonymous

There are at least three concerns I can see with this: secondhand smoke health impacts, thirdhand smoke health impacts, and the impact on your house.

Secondhand smoke (from the exhalation of the smoker or from the cigarette itself) has been linked to negative respiratory health outcomes for both adults and children, including low birth weight and asthma. However: nearly all studies we have of secondhand smoke are focused on long-term exposure. A few days of secondhand smoke exposure may be unpleasant, but the long-term health impacts are likely quite small.

Thirdhand smoke — the residue of smoking that stays on surfaces and clothing — has also been implicated in health, although these links are harder to show and, again, are likely very small at this level of exposure.

Putting aside health, though, the fact is that having people smoke in your house is unpleasant. It is difficult to get the smell of cigarettes out of furniture, and even if it is not a significant health risk, you may not want your toddler to get a face full of smoke.

The obvious option is to have people smoke outside, but this may be hard in the winter. Second best: limit smoking to a single room, encourage them to open windows, and get a good HEPA filter for the room.