Second Hand Smoke

Alright so, i'm 18, i dont smoke. i respect that some people do it, and that they enjoy it very much, i just dont want them to smoke right by me.

ive also been looking for a job for something like 6 months and i finally have a job with a small landscaping company as a driver, document manager, etcetera. $9.00 first 30 days, $9.50 then on with a strong possibility of a $0.50 raise. its a pretty good gig, the work is comfortable, its stuff i can do and am comfortable doing. the hours are pretty good as well.

the problem is my boss and immediate overseer is a chain smoker. like... 1.8 packs a day smoker. yesterday he had me accompany him while he went out to sign landscaping contracts with people, and a lot of this smoking was done in the car with me. he says that part of what he really likes about being his own boss is the ability to smoke whenever he wants. obviously second hand smoke was sort of an issue and even today my chest feels a little bit scratchy, though its much improved.

are there exercises or actions i can take to reverse or at least stop the damage being inflicted upon my lungs? i really dont want to make my boss angry at me by demanding that he stop in my presence, not that he would fire me for that, and i dont want to be really aggressive about it either, for instance go into work tomorrow wearing a respirator.

i did some research and it says mostly 'tell your doctor'. aside from that, does anyone have suggestions?

Well, First of all let me give you some background, I am a smoker, but I do like to call myself a polite smoker. If I am in a crowd of people I make it a point to leave the crowd to smoke, especially if there are non-smokers. When I put my cig out, I will not throw it on the ground, I find a can somewhere or stub it out on the ground and throw it in a can that is on the back of my truck. I don't smoke around doors or places where non smokers may pass by and smell it. I do however smoke in my vehicle, and if I am with another smoker, but the windows must be down and such. If I am unsure of any other smokers I politely ask, do you mind if I step outside for a smoke?

Anyways, to your problem, since you live in the U.S. or according to your profile is what I am going by, I am not sure of the state laws but I think there may be a law that there is no smoking in a workplace or public building. I suppose that it could even extend to the vehicle since that is a part of the building. Not sure though about the laws of your state and such. Though on a personal level, you might casually mention to him maybe that you have smoke allergies or something along those lines. He should not be disrespectful smoking in the vehicle with you let alone chain smoking. If you were to demand he stop smoking in your presence you very well could get fired, though he would probably find some other reason to make it happen since that one would get him in trouble with the department of labor. Which is another option, all states have a department of labor and have work laws they have to adhere to. Perhaps you could call them and just ask general questions and see how they may be able to help you.

As a personal opinion on what I would do since your boss doesn't have the courtesy to ask if you mind if he smokes in your presence. Next time you are faced with this situation or find yourself near him when he is smoking, simply mention that you have a difficult time with smoking, it really makes it hard for you to breathe and you wouldn't want to let him down by having to stay out of work due to the effects it has on you.

You sound like someone with their head on their shoulders. Let me know how this works out for you, I will also check back to see if anyone else has suggestions.

I went and found this link for you.... It should help you, though it doesn't mention vehicles it should be included.
http://www.ogletreedeakins.com/publications/index.cfm?Fuseaction=PubDetail&publicationid=250

He did ask me if i minded, but the sheer will of force made me not want to say "yes i do mind. dont smoke"

i think for the most part that after the next week i wont have to be in his constant presence, and i can work pretty much without physical contact.

i dont think ill exponentially raise risk of lung cancer in a week of second hand chain smoking, but still.

I understand you said you didn't mind and then he just took advantage of the situation. Hopefully you will not have to endure his habit for long. Wishing you luck.

This is probably the most practical and basic thing to say but, you could wear a facemask, like the ones used in polluted places, plus, if he sees you wearing that, indubitably he will ask and BOOYAH! there you go, you got another chance of telling him your concerns, but like what other ppl here mentioned, try to tell it in a nice, non-offending way, i think itll be more productive that way, besides, hes a smoker, he probably knows those harmful things already, but sometimes, ppl just need a lil gentle push to make em see what you want, if yknow what i mean, lol. hope this helped. :D

Just go into work one day looking really upset. He'll ask what is wrong and you reply.

"My uncle Huey just died from Lung cancer..I was with him when he passed...man..."

If he lights up after that he's an asshole. Just breathe through your nose, it will filter a bit more of the badness, probably give you a runny nose, but better than it getting to your lungs. Still, no one actually dies from second hand smoke. It's irritating at most.

Well I very much so agree. I myself am a smoker. (nasty habit that it is) But the respect of realizing others do not have to be molested by my smoke filled air folows me. My mom hates it so whenever I see her I don't do it or force her to smell it much less smoke in front of her. I don't smoke around small children. I will ask if I am sitting by someone if the smoke bothers them. If yes I move. If no I most likely still move unless they are a smoker themselves and/or are smoking themselves. It's a common courtesy would you fart in the car with someone and force them to smell it? I think not.

If nicotine is the most addictive substance on the planet, and so many people are dying/getting ill from second hand smoke. Why is no one addicted to second hand smoke?

There are all kinds of studies showing that people, especially children, DO become addicted to second-hand smoke. Try searching the web a bit.

Prove it.

Oh boy, I feel like searching the web in this instance wouldn't turn up too many verifiable results. Lots of people looking to push an agenda out there.

I think that saving babies and children from a lifetime of chronic disease and addiction is a pretty good agenda to push.

Yeah, if the science supports your agenda, by all means...

Come on Kiko, if there are "all kinds of studies" you must be aware of them enough to post a link.

I'd genuinely interested.

"Yeah, if the science supports your agenda, by all means..."

Sib, The only people with an "agenda" are the cigarette companies who want to continue selling their deadly products. Although, I guess technically, the cancer institutes have an agenda, too... to try to keep people from dying a horrific death from lung cancer, etc...

Kevin, there's a lot more, but you can search Google as well as I can:

...a Montreal study shows second-hand smoke can lead to nicotine addiction in children.

"Increased exposure to second-hand smoke, both in homes and in cars, was linked with an increased likelihood of children reporting nicotine addiction even though, these kids had never actually smoked a cigarette," said senior study author, Jennifer O'Loughlin, M Sc, PhD, an epidemiologist at Universite de Montreal.

The study, published in the September issue of the journal Addictive Behaviors, involved nine Canadian institutions and elaborates on earlier research that found second-hand smoke (SHS) in non-smokers and withdrawal symptoms which include anxiety, depression and trouble concentrating.

Five percent of 1,488 children who had never smoked, but were exposed to SHS reported symptoms of nicotine addiction.