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Why Is It So Hard to Get Rid of Smokey Smells in the Home?
poppy johnson • September 5, 2020
Whether the smoke is from cigarettes or from a house fire, breathing residuals from smoke is still dangerous.
Many people can distinguish when they have been in a room where someone has recently smoked a cigarette. This is because cigarette smoke has a characteristic odor,
and does tend to linger in the drapes, furniture, even on the walls as smoke residue, in the carpets and all over the home or office environment.
Cigarette smoke is not just one type of smoke, but is actually made up of a mixture of many different chemicals. The combination of chemicals is what is giving the smoke its characteristic smell, and also why breathing in residual smoke or “third-hand smoke” is still very dangerous
indeed.
Cigarette smoke is made up of many different poisonous chemicals that can form a dangerous gas and residuals that are carcinogenic to human health. What is actually in cigarette smoke? It usually includes submicron solid particles that are suspended in cigarette smoke, including:
• Hydrogen cyanide (HCN)
• Nitrogen oxides
• Formaldehyde
• Acrolein
• Benzene
• N-nitrosamines
• Nicotine
• Phenol
• Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
• Tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs)
In fact, the HCNs may detrimentally affect the human respiratory system and can cause serious illnesses, even to a growing fetus as it can also cross over into the placenta of an unborn child. These carcinogens are tumor promoters, and it is the same for smokers, nonsmokers, people in the same room as smokers, and people who are exposed to residual smoke that is left over in a room after the person who is smoking has left the premises.
For this reason, when a homeowner has experienced someone who has left residual cigarette smoke, a fire or smoke damage loss in the home, it is important to initiate cleanup and remediation right away. The cleanup of residual odors from any type of smoke is a job for the professionals. This is not a DIY project, but an intensive deep cleaning that needs to be performed by the pros. This will help preserve the health and welfare of anyone living in that home going forward, and remediate the property back to a livable condition as soon as possible.
In the event that there is smoke and the remnants of a fire, there is more than can be seen in what remains after this type of loss. Soot is not just the ash that is the leftover byproduct from a fire loss, but also contains something even more dangerous – and that is particulate matter.
Particulate matter is a specific type of air pollution
that is dangerous to come into contact with or to be exposed to after a fire or after being in a room where someone has smoked cigarettes. These particles are always inherently dangerous to breathe, touch or ingest, and can cause cancers in anyone with prolonged exposure to them. The particulate matter that remain after a fire can be in a variety of shapes and sizes, and can be found in solids or even liquid droplets that remain in the air after a blaze. Mainly, scientifically speaking, particulate matter is categorized in two ways: the larger particles are PM10,
whereas the smaller particles are known as PM2.5.
To begin with, larger particulate matter is known to range between 2.5 and 10 micrometers which are actually around 25 to 100 times thinner than a human hair! These particles are called PM10, which means that it is a particulate matter up to the size of 10 micrometers. This size of particulate matter causes fewer side effects in humans if exposed to them.
On the other hand, smaller particulate matter which is known to be smaller than 2.5 micrometers (at around 100 times thinner than a human hair) are breathed in easily or ingested without even knowing it – and typifies the dangers inherent in exposure to the byproducts of soot and ash from a fire loss event.
As a start, there are many dangers associated with fine particles after a fire. This particulate matter is made up of a dangerous combination of toxic organic compounds, and carcinogenic heavy metals. When breathed in, this organic matter is spread into your respiratory system, lungs and airways and are deposited there, they don’t dissolve per se. The mucous lining of the lungs will trap these particles, and the particulate matter will then begin to form lung disease, emphysema or lung cancer in many instances of high or even low exposures.
In all cities and towns, the local authorities often measure the air quality of the air in that region or locality with an index called the Air Quality Index (AQI),
which will give a value of 0-50, 51-100, 151-200 and so on to describe the air quality of a given locale in regard to particulate matter or general pollution in that region. If the AQI value is 0-100, it is considered a good rating with fewer health concerns for residents of that region. But if the AQI value is 101-150, it can be considered unhealthy for sensitive groups of people, such as the elderly or people with heart disease or asthma, to spend time outdoors.
Having clean air that is not polluted or mixed with toxins is a world concern and problem. Globally, there is a World Air Quality Index that will also show in real time the air quality of every region of the world. It is worth taking note of the air quality in your country, city or town, to determine if you need to take special precautions during high levels of pollution or particulate matter exposures locally.
References
www.webcms.pima.gov
cancercontrol.cancer.gov
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