Secondhand Smoke
Secondhand smoke is smoke from burning tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. It is smoke that has been exhaled, or breathed out, by someone smoking. Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, including hundreds that are toxic and about 70 that can cause cancer. Indoors or outdoors, there is no safe level of exposure to smoke from tobacco products. Pregnant people, babies, children, and people with asthma and other chronic health conditions are particularly at risk of developing health problems from secondhand smoke.
Smoke can travel between rooms though stairwells, air ducts, plumbing, electrical wiring routes, and even through tiny cracks in floors, doors, and walls.
In Rhode Island, it is illegal to smoke or vape in public workplaces, restaurants, and bars. It is also illegal to smoke or vape in or on any Grade K-12 school properties, indoors or outdoors. Some communities, housing facilities, and college campuses have also banned cigarette smoking, vaping, and other tobacco use in outdoor common areas, parks, beaches, and other public spaces.
What you should do
- If you smoke, quit. Rhode Island offers free resources for quitting tobacco and nicotine. Visit QuitNowRI.com for free, confidential, and customized support.
- Until you quit, do not smoke or vape near others and never smoke or vape in a public place or restaurant. Make your home and car smokefree; this helps to protect family, friends, and pets from the harms of secondhand smoke.
- If you experience problems with secondhand smoke, submit a smoking complaint form.
File a Smoking Complaint
A home without secondhand smoke is a win-win for everyone.
For residents, smokefree houses are healthier breathing spaces. Learn how to reduce your exposure to secondhand smoke at our Tobacco Information for Residents page.
For landlords, property managers, and public housing authorities (PHAs), smokefree housing can save you money, reduce your risk of fire damage, reduce complaints, improve the health of your tenants and building, and increase your rental marketability. For these reasons, more and more landlords, property managers, and PHAs are going smokefree. Getting started is easier than you think. Learn more at our Tobacco Information for Property Managers page.
Resources:
A day at the beach is a summertime tradition in Rhode Island. But for many Rhode Islanders, secondhand smoke and litter from tobacco and nicotine products can tarnish the experience.
Secondhand smoke is bad for your lungs - even outside. And the health impacts don't end there. Cigarette butts are not biodegradable, and e-cigarette cartridges are considered hazardous waste, meaning they damage the environment and are dangerous to wildlife.
As a result, all Rhode Island state beaches are smokefree. However, smoking may still occur at beaches, especially if no local ordinance exists protecting people from secondhand smoke. Help everyone enjoy healthy, smokefree beaches and ensure our beaches remain the best around.
Sources:
The Public Health and Workplace Safety Act of Rhode Island protects patrons and employees from secondhand smoke inside bars and restaurants. It does not extend into outdoor dining areas. However, secondhand smoke is toxic - even outside. Some Rhode Island towns have local ordinances to protect people from secondhand smoke in outdoor dining areas. These ordinances also help normalize smokefree environments for children and teens. They can also be better for business, as more and more Rhode Islanders embrace smokefree patios and balconies.
Parks and recreational areas offer places to play, be active, and connect with nature. Secondhand smoke and litter from tobacco and nicotine products can disrupt these healthy environments. For this reason, over 800 US municipalities have adopted smokefree ordinances in some or all of their public parks.
In Rhode Island, all state parks and many city-owned parks have similar smokefree policies. Woonsocket, Central Falls, Charlestown, and Cranston are just a few Rhode Island places already enjoying the benefits of smokefree parks and recreational areas.
Everyone deserves to learn in a healthy environment. To find out how to create a tobacco-free school, campus, college, or university, visit our Tobacco Information for Educators page.
Local Ordinances
Review policies about secondhand smoke where you live, work, and play: Rhode Island Local Tobacco Control Ordinances and Policies