Coronavirus and Protecting Your Home From Secondhand Smoke

During these extraordinary times, when our lives are disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak, schools, organizations, and activities are closed. Because of the coronavirus outbreak, people are staying home and, if you are a smoker, you may feel hesitant to go outside to smoke, even though you know how important it is to protect your family from secondhand smoke. The Greater Boston Tobacco-Free Community Partnership would like to thank you for continuing to smoke outside and for keeping the indoor air free of secondhand smoke.

Especially during this stressful time, keeping indoor air free of secondhand smoke is important in helping our bodies fight off infections. Secondhand smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals and poisons, and at least 70 of these are known to cause cancer. It stays in clothing, hair, furniture, curtains, and carpets even after a cigarette is put out and can harm people who come in contact with it, especially children. Secondhand smoke is dangerous, even if you can’t smell it or see it.

If you live in multi-unit housing, when you smoke outside you help protect the health of everyone in your building. Even if your family doesn’t smoke, you and your children can be exposed to secondhand smoke that travels through vents, doors and windows from other units. So continue to protect the health of your family and community by smoking outside, away from windows and doors, and observing social distance.

This may be a good time to think about cutting down on or quitting smoking. Quitting improves your health no matter how long you have smoked. Quitting boosts your immune system and helps your body repair itself in all sorts of ways.

The most effective way to quit for good is to use FDA-approved medicines and coaching support together. You can call 1-800-QUIT NOW (1-800-784-8669) for free coaching from the Massachusetts Smokers’ Helpline through phone, web, and text 24 hours each day, seven days a week or enroll online through KeepTryingMA.org. Adults who work with a coach can now receive up to eight weeks of free nicotine patches, gum or lozenges (with medical eligibility) through the Smokers’ Helpline. The combination of coaching and quit medication can make someone twice as likely to quit for good as those who try to quit on their own.

For more information, contact me, Mary Cole, Greater Boston Tobacco-Free Community Partnership, Bay State Community Services at mcole@baystatecs.org.