Today I learned about thirdhand smoke.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140320-thirdhand-smoke-cigarettes-cancer/

Started thinking about non-smokers that buy smoker cars and try to clean them up. Then I remembered all the times I've spent inside with smoker friends. Gah.

My aunt died of emphysema and I cleaned her car so her kids could sell it. There was enough tar holding the heater vents closed I could have paved a driveway.

Great. I just moved from a office with a window overlooking the outdoor smoking area to an office with no window that was the "smoking room" from the 70's through the early 90's.

My cousin's husband had me do some work on his Mom's computer. She was in her 70s and a lifelong chain smoker. Her house was just coated. Yellow walls. I took a look behind something on the wall and it was absurd the difference in coloration.

I cleaned a house like described in the article. Friends mother smoked non stop all day every day in a new house for several years and passed away. Everything in the house was disposed of, walls cleaned & painted, carpets removed, etc.

Pic when I was cleaning.

[URL=http://s240.photobucket.com/user/NOTATA/media/DSCN0008.jpg.html][/URL]

In reply to NOT A TA:

wait, did she not clean the house at all during those years? If my light switches looked splotchy like that i'd be all over it.

Heavy smokers don't see how disgusting their walls get, nor can they smell the reek. Kilz primer helps seal in the nastiness.

In reply to KyAllroad:

But somehow they can see that a bunch of old butts in their car's ashtray is unsightly, so they all feel compelled to toss their burning trash out into the road.

I bought an ae86 once that had been smoked in so bad the interior was black. No joke. I commented "hey cool it's got black interior", the seller replied "actually it's blue..." I washed everything and febreezed a ton. No change. I gutted the interior and it still smelled like smoke. After driving it two hours to my moms house, she gives me a hug, and then frowns, saying "did you start smoking?!?!?"

It's a testament to how addictive cigarettes are that people still smoke given how there are no positive aspects to it and a gigantic list of negatives.

In reply to NOT A TA:

Reminds me of my grandparents' house. Looked like there was a fire in there; there were smoke swirls on the walls around the edges of shelves. My uncle and I spent weeks and gallons of BIN trying to clean and seal it. Nasty stuff.

No Smoke cigs if you do please quit

Harvey wrote: It's a testament to how addictive cigarettes are that people still smoke given how there are no positive aspects to it and a gigantic list of negatives.

you look cool while smoking... that's a positive...

every car i've ever owned had been smoked in before i got it- well, not the brand new truck that i ownewd for 6 glorious months in the fall/winter of '02/'03- and they all get less stinky and nasty over time...

The only public buildings in NJ that allow smoking at Atlantic City's casinos.. and even then, the areas are restricted. If you walk into one of these areas as a non-smoker, the smell is intensely nauseating.

Well that's disgusting. Now I feel the urge to rip out all the drywall in the garage since the POs smoked in there.

Harvey wrote: It's a testament to how addictive cigarettes are that people still smoke given how there are no positive aspects to it and a gigantic list of negatives.

And what gets me even worse is when I see someone who is very young smoking. All the billions that were spent on public education about the death warrant that smoking is for many, obviously was lost on them.

Growing up in the 70s my mom was a heavy smoker. With all the second hand smoke I was forced to breathe in, I'm sure my days are numbered.

drainoil wrote: Growing up in the 70s my mom was a heavy smoker. With all the second hand smoke I was forced to breathe in, I'm sure my days are numbered.

Same here, I came from a family full of smokers...and they all died as a result - lung cancer, heart attack, COPD. When I was a kid, every year by the end of Xmas break I'd be sick and miss a few days of school. It wasn't until after I was an adult that I realized my "weak immune system" was completely a result of that toxic environment.

novaderrik wrote:

Harvey wrote: It's a testament to how addictive cigarettes are that people still smoke given how there are no positive aspects to it and a gigantic list of negatives.

you look cool while smoking... that's a positive...

Yeah, those people outside shivering in the cold during the winter next to my office building while sucking on a butt look super cool.

drainoil wrote:

Harvey wrote: It's a testament to how addictive cigarettes are that people still smoke given how there are no positive aspects to it and a gigantic list of negatives.

And what gets me even worse is when I see someone who is very young smoking. All the billions that were spent on public education about the death warrant that smoking is for many, obviously was lost on them.

The problem with young people is lack of impulse control and then as you get older alcohol + lack of impulse control. You try cigarettes once and it's possible to get hooked. Granted, not everyone has the same level of attraction to them, but cigarettes are designed to addict you pretty quickly. The cigarette companies have gone out of their way to make the things more addictive in every way possible.

Well, im glad we can all agree that people who smoke are disgusting.

T.J. wrote: In reply to KyAllroad: But somehow they can see that a bunch of old butts in their car's ashtray is unsightly, so they all feel compelled to toss their burning trash out into the road.

I wish I could +1 this more than once.

Harvey wrote: It's a testament to how addictive cigarettes are that people still smoke given how there are no positive aspects to it and a gigantic list of negatives.

Lot of self-righteousness here from people on a forum that idolizes vehicles that are a major contributor to poor air quality in the world. And I'm not even talking about you guys that have VW diesels....or gutted cats on your race cars

People do lots of things that have no visible positive aspects. Because the positive is the "doing" of something itself for the sake of personal enjoyment. Eating a Krispy Kreme. Taking a shot of Jameson. Taking that 40mph highway exit at 70. Smoking a cigar. Picking up hookers on a Saturday night (no, wait, forget I said that one!). YMMV.

BoostedBrandon wrote:

T.J. wrote: In reply to KyAllroad: But somehow they can see that a bunch of old butts in their car's ashtray is unsightly, so they all feel compelled to toss their burning trash out into the road.

I wish I could +1 this more than once.

I nominate this as ironic post of the day, considering your avatar is a car putting burning rubber onto the road

I really hate how smokers demand the right to smoke, but ignore the fact that they force everyone around them to also smoke, then act so indignant when they are told to remove themselves from the area where they are affecting other people.

Taking a shot, or eating a donut does not affect those around you.

However too many of both can.

Harvey wrote:

novaderrik wrote:

Harvey wrote: It's a testament to how addictive cigarettes are that people still smoke given how there are no positive aspects to it and a gigantic list of negatives.

you look cool while smoking... that's a positive...

Yeah, those people outside shivering in the cold during the winter next to my office building while sucking on a butt look super cool.

They ain't cool, they're downright chilly, and chilli ain't never been cool.