Would he allow you to Kilz the particle board area? If you have any air purifiers try that around the plumbing area or vent area that is the worst. We used to have a neighbor that smoked pot next door and the walls are paper thin between rooms and the vents don't go anywhere. I would suggest a spray bottle of Kilz around the area that gets the most damage, if your landlord will allow it. If the walls are already painted white, I don't see what the big deal would be. Good luck!
I sealed every crack and put draft protectors in all outlets. I stuffed plastic around all the plumbing. I can't get to the building vents as it's in the attic of the neighbors apartment. The landlord hasn't done a thing as I called him many times to correct this problem. He really doesn't care and the tenants are not going to smoke outside. I'm afraid to make a complaint as I don't want to get evicted, he has tried that on me before. Moving is not an option. Thanks to all.
Talk to your landlord and ask if there is anything he/she is willing to do to help you because that is definitely a health hazard to you :-(
I am also wondering if maybe you could call your local health department and see if there are any laws on the book about the situation. It very well could be that the landlord must remedy it even if he/she doesn't want to.
Maybe you have already tried this, but why don't you ask the landlord if he can politely suggest that the neighbors smoke outside? It really is in his best interest since they are smelling up his building, adding to fire hazard, making everything dingy, etc. Also, your neighbors will have a fresher place to call home. Your landlord does not want to lose any tenant, but he would probably rather lose the tenant that is bothering others with odors (unless he is a smoker of course; some smokers don't realize how bad they smell). In my own apartment building, I can tell if someone smokes 3 floors below my upstairs bedroom, and this has awakened me from sleep. Fortunately, my current neighbors are courteous and smoke outdoors without me asking. Secondhand smoke is proven to cause cancer. You should not have to put up with it. I hope you figure out something that works.
I had the same problem in my apartment. The smoke comes through the electrical outlets, the building's vents, under the entrance door from an outside hall and through the holes that plumbing goes through. I had to stuff rags around the plumbing (under sinks), put draft protectors in the outlets behind the plastic covers and put a draft protector in front of my entrance door. I hope this helps you and I am sorry you have to deal with this.
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