I have a smoking neighbor who lives across my unit but I was never bothered by his smoke until I started to work from home (WFH) during the lockdown period of Covid-19. The smoker was working from home too as I could see him in his opened windows and door. He started to smoke randomly per day to smoke non-stop during the WFH period. The cigarette was literally dangling in his mouth all day.
I never knew the cigarette smell could be so stinky and overpowering until I was forced to inhale it all day. It was irritating as it affected my health, work, and productivity. I could not focus on my work as the bad odor was overbearing. My chest was tight, my head was heavy, and I felt suffocated. I could easily switch on the air conditioner to block the smell but my unit is on the high floor and there is constant cool breezing natural air coming into my house so no way I should breathe in artificial air.
Respiratory Symptoms
However, I started to have all sorts of respiratory symptoms including sore throat, cough, irritated eyes, runny noses, and painful ears. All these respiratory symptoms were very similar to Covid-19 symptoms and made me worried. I was worried that I got Covid-19 and during that time and there was no Covid-19 test kit yet to confirm the result so I had to visit the clinic frequently for further check-ups. It was frustrating as I wasted a lot of time visiting the clinic than working. In fact, I never need to visit the clinic as many times during the pre-Covid period. I was also worried that I might pass the virus to my grandparents after every clinic visit as they belonged to the vulnerable groups. Fortunately, they were more healthy than me even though they also complained about dried throat, itchy eyes, and blocked nose.
In the end, I was forced to close the windows and main door and switch on the air con all day so that I could block the secondhand smoke drifting into my unit. It was really a “lockdown period” as my family members and I were literally locked inside a house without seeing the sunlight and breathing fresh air. Initially, I was worried that our lungs would be damaged by Covid-19 viruses but in the end, it was the toxic pollutants from secondhand smoke that weaken our lungs and caused all our illnesses. And all of these were man-made and preventable yet there was no law in place I can seek help. Unbelievable!
Friendly Reminders & Talks
I had tried to talk to him on several occasions about his secondhand smoke problem and he was unfriendly. However, he still managed to shut his window when he smoked but he left his main door open though so the problem still persisted. He seem to smoke even more every time I talked to him.
During the lockdown period, it was difficult to get anyone to help as everyone tried to avoid face-to-face and physical contact. The representative from Town Council called the smoker but it did not help. The meet MP session was halted temporarily due to Covid-19 so I could not seek help from the MP. The police referred me to the CMC for mediation but it was voluntary and the smoker refused to attend even though it was conducted on Zoom.
Eventually, everything went back to square one. The smoker still smoked as he pleased, and we still breathe in secondhand smoke every day until the government eased the lockdown measure and we were allowed to go back to the office to work. What a relief but our lung damage had been done and was not reversible! Is this fair?
I hope our government can do more to protect the residents at home, especially if working from home is the new norm. It is absurd that working from home is riskier than working in the office. The smoker should compensate the victim for all the damages that were caused by them.
Benny Lim
Sebawang, Singapore
Photo credit: Image by Freepik
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