Managing Odours in Condos: Cigarette and other Smoke

Odour migration is an ongoing issue in condominiums and other shared spaces that often causes discomfort and cause for concern for respirable health. There may be complications with building rules in regards to smoking indoors, on balconies and other situations.

Cigarette smoke can contain numerous harmful chemicals and carcinogens that can seep through voids, such as outlets in walls, floors, ventilation systems and other cracks or openings. These can negatively impact neighbouring areas that are immune compromised, have children and/or are sensitive to the odours.

There are several things that can be done to address odour migration issues:

1.       Request for a consultant to carry out an investigation/assessment of your units, note that this is best done if you know where the source is coming from;

2.       Request a contractor to properly seal the voids to mitigate the pathways of migration; and,

3.       Retain air purification systems and proper ventilation that can address the foreign odours through an activated carbon or equivalent filtration system.

These can be difficult problems to address, especially with various condominium rules and exceptions that are placed throughout the lifetime of a building. It is best to open communication with the property managers and secure proper help.