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Cigarette smoke / smell


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#1 Skötkonung

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Posted 14 October 2009 - 12:42 AM


I was recently moved to new shared office. Unfortunately, the coworker I share my office is a regular smoker and he brings cigarette smell in with him on his clothes and other belongings. This might not be a problem in a larger office or open space, but in my new smaller office, the smell is very pervasive.

While the smell does bother me (it stinks), I have resigned myself to not say anything unless it is of course impacting my health negatively. So my question is, do trace odors or remnants of cigarette smoke represent a risk to my health?

If there is no risk, I'm just going to buy a few fans and some deodorant spray.

#2 Matt

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Posted 14 October 2009 - 12:50 AM

only if you're sniffing his clothes..... there was an article about risk for babies but maybe you will be OKAY :-) It's really horrible though isn't it!? how do people not realise just how bad it is :-D ???

or just be straight, tell him he stinks

Edited by Matt, 14 October 2009 - 12:50 AM.


#3 cribbon

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Posted 14 October 2009 - 12:05 PM

Probably not dangerous compared to actually smoking yourself or even passive smoking, but you should tell him. It's actually really easy not to smell smoke if you're a smoker. Just tell him not to blow the smoke on himself and to wear a different jacket when he is smoking or something like that. :-D

Or if it's the breath, tell him to chew gum. Or if you dont want to say anything, just buy a shitload supply of chewing gums and place where he hangs off his coat or something.

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#4 FNC

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Posted 15 October 2009 - 07:51 AM

This is of possible concern, and there have been some studies and research to back it up; here are a few articles:

- http://www.mnsmokefr.....and smoke.pdf [56 Slides, Quite Detailed]
- http://www.scientifi...hird-hand-smoke [As below, from Scientific American]
- http://www.scienceda...81229105037.htm [As above, from Science Daily]

Ventilation, air filter? Perhaps.

#5 Luna

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Posted 15 October 2009 - 08:40 AM

Throw him off the office's window @@.. eww smokers!

Edited by Luna, 15 October 2009 - 08:40 AM.


#6 Ben

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Posted 16 October 2009 - 03:50 AM

I'd be frank with him. If you guys are going to be working in close proximity, well, frankness is important.

#7 rollo

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Posted 19 October 2009 - 07:17 PM

can someone please post some studies showing that second hand smoke is dangerous?

cause it's not!

#8 pamojja

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Posted 19 October 2009 - 07:35 PM

can someone please post some studies showing that exhaust fumes are not dangerous for a cycler?

cause than I could stop be bothered by all non-smokers who drive cars at the same time agitating against smoking - which can never be compared to the total environmental harm and health of society at large ;-)

#9 Skötkonung

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Posted 19 October 2009 - 07:36 PM

can someone please post some studies showing that second hand smoke is dangerous?

cause it's not!

Lets use some common sense. The tobacco smoke is dangerous when breathed through a cigarette filter, why would it be less harmful when breathed without a filter?

Your comment embodies the ignorant attitudes about smoking that causes health problems to millions of non-smoking individuals every day. If you want to smoke that is fine with me, but keep your disgusting habit and harmful side effects confined to an area that won't hurt anyone besides yourself.

Here are just a few of the studies that came up on Google Scholar. There are many many more.

Second hand smoke stimulates tumor angiogenesis and growth
"Exposure to second hand smoke (SHS) is believed to cause lung cancer. Pathological angiogenesis is a requisite for tumor growth. Lewis lung cancer cells were injected subcutaneously into mice, which were then exposed to sidestream smoke (SHS) or clean room air and administered vehicle, cerivastatin, or mecamylamine. SHS significantly increased tumor size, weight, capillary density, VEGF and MCP-1 levels, and circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPC). Cerivastatin (an inhibitor of HMG-coA reductase) or mecamylamine (an inhibitor of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors) suppressed the effect of SHS to increase tumor size and capillary density. Cerivastatin reduced MCP-1 levels, whereas mecamylamine reduced VEGF levels and EPC. These studies reveal that SHS promotes tumor angiogenesis and growth. These effects of SHS are associated with increases in plasma VEGF and MCP-1 levels, and EPC, mediated in part by isoprenylation and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors."

Effects of "second-hand" smoke on structure and function of fibroblasts, cells that are critical for tissue repair and remodeling
"Taken together, our results suggest that: (i) SSW may delay wound repair because of the inability of the fibroblasts to migrate into the wounded area, leading to an accumulation of these cells at the edge of the wound, thus preventing the formation of the healing tissue; (ii) the increase in cell survival coupled to the decrease in cell migration can lead to a build-up of connective tissue, thereby causing fibrosis and excess scarring."

Second-Hand Smoke Exposure and Blood Lead Levels in U.S. Children
"Background: Lead is a component of tobacco and tobacco smoke, and smokers have higher blood lead levels than do nonsmokers. Methods: We examined the relation between second-hand smoke exposure and blood lead levels in a nationally representative sample of 5592 U.S. children, age 4-16 years, who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994). Linear and logistic regression modeling was used to adjust for known covariates. Results: Geometric mean blood lead levels were 1.5 μg/dL, 1.9 μg/dL, and 2.6 μg/dL for children with low, intermediate, and high cotinine levels, respectively. The adjusted linear regression model showed that geometric mean blood lead levels were 38% higher (95% confidence interval [CI] = 25-52%) in children with high continine levels compared with children who had low continine levels. The logistic regression models showed that children with high continine levels were more likely to have blood lead levels ≥10 μg/dL than were children with low continine levels (odds ratio [OR] = 4.4; CI = 1.9-10.5). Conclusions: Second-hand smoke could be associated with increased blood lead levels in U.S. children aged 4-16 years."

The effects of second-hand smoke on biological processes important in atherogenesis
"Long-term exposure to "second-hand" smoke creates a state of permanent inflammation and an imbalance in the lipid profile that leads to lipid accumulation in the liver and in the blood vessels of the heart and aorta. The former potentially can lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and the latter to heart attacks."

Effect of exposure to secondhand smoke on markers of inflammation: the ATTICA study
"Our findings suggest another pathophysiological mechanism by which exposure to secondhand smoke is associated with the development of atherosclerosis."

Second-hand smoke and human lung cancer
"Since the early 1980s, there has been growing concern about potential health consequences of exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS). Despite SHS being established as a risk factor for lung cancer development, the estimated risk has remained small yet somehow debatable. Human exposure to SHS is complicated because of temporal variabilities in source, composition, and concentration of SHS. The temporality of exposure to SHS is important for human lung carcinogenesis with a latency of many years. To explore the causal effect of SHS in lung carcinogenesis, exposure assessments should estimate chronic exposure to SHS on an individual basis. However, conventional exposure assessment for SHS relies on one-off or short-term measurements of SHS indices. A more reliable approach would be to use biological markers that are specific for SHS exposure and pertinent to lung cancer. This approach requires an understanding of the underlying mechanisms through which SHS could contribute to lung carcinogenesis. This Review is a synopsis of research on SHS and lung cancer, with special focus on hypothetical modes of action of SHS for carcinogenesis, including genotoxic and epigenetic effects."


What about Wikipedia:
Research has generated scientific evidence that secondhand smoke (that is, in the case of cigarettes, a mixture of smoke released from the smoldering end of the cigarette and smoke exhaled by the smoker) causes the same problems as direct smoking, including cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, and lung ailments such bronchitis and asthma attacks.[2][3][4]

A wide array of negative effects are attributed, in whole or in part, to frequent, long term exposure to second hand smoke.[6][7][8] Some of these effects include:

can someone please post some studies showing that exhaust fumes are not dangerous for a cycler?

cause than I could stop be bothered by all non-smokers who drive cars at the same time agitating against smoking - which can never be compared to the total environmental harm and health of society at large ;-)


Yeah, the system of logic makes a lot of sense....

Edited by Skotkonung, 19 October 2009 - 07:41 PM.


#10 gregandbeaker

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Posted 09 February 2010 - 05:25 PM

Did you manage to resolve this with your co-worker, Skot? As a former smoker I can say there are several "tips" he can use to reduce the smell. Hold the cigarette away from his body, don't stand in a cloud of smoke, exhale downwind, and wear a jacket that he can take off before entering the office will greatly ameliorate the stink that follows him around. Head hair tends to really hold the smell also, so perhaps a baseball cap/hat while smoking he can remove.

#11 Logan

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Posted 09 February 2010 - 10:57 PM

can someone please post some studies showing that second hand smoke is dangerous?

cause it's not!


You're kidding right?

#12 Skötkonung

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Posted 11 February 2010 - 06:38 PM

Did you manage to resolve this with your co-worker, Skot? As a former smoker I can say there are several "tips" he can use to reduce the smell. Hold the cigarette away from his body, don't stand in a cloud of smoke, exhale downwind, and wear a jacket that he can take off before entering the office will greatly ameliorate the stink that follows him around. Head hair tends to really hold the smell also, so perhaps a baseball cap/hat while smoking he can remove.

Fortunately the co-worker in question was laid-off so the smoking smell was a non-issue. I think the only time smoking came up was when we were walking from a parking structure to a conference and he kept blowing smoke in my direction. I made some off-hand remarks about second hand smoke and if he could please walk down wind. Smoking came up again after a friend of ours got diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer at age 54. I asked my co-worker if he was going to stop smoking now that he was a father (just had a newly born child) and if seeing our friend die of lung cancer was scary to him. He seemed relatively unbothered by it and said "We all have to go sometime. I might as well die doing something I like." So yeah, just a different set of life priorities and I don't think he would ever change based on anything I said. He definitely isn't ignorant.

It is good you stopped smoking. Smoking is one of the single most destructive things you can do to yourself. I may be a bit biased though, having seen three grandparents and a friend die of lung cancer long before their time. Seems like a pretty horrible way to die if you ask me. :(

#13 JediMasterLucia

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Posted 11 February 2010 - 07:35 PM

blegh, smoke of cigarettes really stinks.
Here in the Netherlands it is forbidden to smoke at you work place. (and in public places too) :-D

Maybe you could ask him not to smoke where you both are working. Outside or something like that.

#14 ajnast4r

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Posted 11 February 2010 - 07:52 PM

can someone please post some studies showing that second hand smoke is dangerous?

cause it's not!



this has to be a joke




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