"Please Just One Month Without Smoking~"…A 16-Month-Old Child's Father Who Underwent Surgery Appeals

"Please Refrain from Smoking Indoors and in Hallways"
Unclear Regulations on Indoor Smoking Penalties
Individual Efforts of Smokers Needed

A resident of an apartment building wrote a heartfelt plea asking people to refrain from 'indoor smoking' and posted it in the elevator. On the 16th, an online community featured an appeal written by a father titled, "It was posted in our apartment elevator, and it really breaks my heart."

The author, Mr. A, began by saying, "I earnestly ask. Before writing this, I pondered dozens of times and decided to write a few words to seek help."

He continued, "After marrying late in life, I was blessed with my precious child who was born with a congenital disease. After undergoing a difficult surgery lasting over 10 hours at a major hospital in Seoul, my child has just returned home today and will be spending a lot of time at home for a while."

He wrote, "Therefore, I earnestly ask some residents to please refrain from indoor smoking. I also ask that you refrain from using electronic cigarettes in the hallways in the morning and evening. I understand it’s difficult because it’s cold outside, but I ask you to refrain at least for this one month."

Finally, he appealed, "Please help my 16-month-old child recover their health."

Appeal to Refrain from Indoor Smoking / Photo by Online Community Capture

In response, netizens commented, "It’s obvious not to smoke indoors, but having to write a letter like this makes me angry," "I don’t think smokers will even read this," and "I hope the baby recovers well."

Meanwhile, Article 20, Paragraph 2 of the Apartment Housing Management Act states, "Residents of apartment complexes must make efforts to prevent harm to other residents caused by smoking inside units such as balconies and bathrooms." However, since there are no penalty provisions, conflicts between households over indoor smoking continue.

Research has shown that secondhand smoke, such as smoking between households, is harmful not only to adults but also to children’s health. Adults exposed to secondhand smoke have a higher risk of stroke and lung cancer, while children are more likely to develop asthma and atopic dermatitis.

Electronic cigarettes also require caution when used indoors. According to research by Professor Cho Hong-jun and his team from the Department of Family Medicine at Seoul Asan Hospital, among 394 "liquid-type electronic cigarette users within the past month," 83.5% had experience using liquid-type electronic cigarettes in no-smoking zones. The most common secret location for using liquid-type electronic cigarettes was "home (indoors)" at 46.9%.

When liquid-type electronic cigarettes are used indoors, concentrations of volatile organic compounds such as nicotine and formaldehyde, as well as heavy metals like lead and nickel, increase in the air. Therefore, it was emphasized that vigilance is necessary even when smoking electronic cigarettes indoors.