Question related to train smoke and asthma

[okiechoochoo]

QUOTE: Originally posted by palallin

Why? Because I refuse to let my asthma from running my life. I control it; it does not control me. Risks come with life.

Risk do come but one can control them. Just like last Tuesday at noon, two teenage high school 17 year olds, Jumped in their pickup, rolled up the windows, turned on the air and cranked up the stereo so loud you could hear it across the street at the Taco Bell. Speeding down the street, up to the intersection, took a little right turn thru the yield sign, looked left for traffic witnesses say, never looked right, never slowed down, didn't notice the lights, couldn't hear the horn, never saw the locomotive. Yep, two kids tooks some risk, now they're gone.

[Roger Bielen]

I would liken the smoke, especially the newer scented ones, to the new plug in air fresheners that use an oil. If a person is sensitive to those they will probably have a sensitivity to the smoke.

We have friends that are allergic to smoke and when they come over, and naturally migrate to the train room, I turn off the smoke.

[Anonymous]

The old Lionel SP smoke pellets generally did not produce a lot of smoke and it seems as if the smoke was exhausted in three or four minutes. The newer locomotives made by various manufacturers produce a lot more smoke than was puffed back in the fifties. I remember an occasion a few years ago when several of us were watching modern diesel operate over at a friend's house. The smoke unit produced so much smoke that it flooded the entire basement train room (which is poorly ventillated). I found that the odor was extemely strong and, after a while, unplesant. All of us agreed that the best course was to turn off the smoke unit and limit the smoke operation of the new high tech trains in the future. Proper vientillation is a must.

[dwiemer]

Dave, know what you mean, we were in China last year and they smoke everywhere, even in elevators. Even with all the pollution, my wife did not have any problems. Oh well. I will still keep the smoke to a minimum.
Dennis

[Anonymous]

Next time you buy a bottle of smoke fluid,look at the label."SURGEON GENERALS WARNING" quitting inhaling now reduces serious risks to your health. Easter

[FJ and G]

Just be glad you're not in Switzerland, where people smoke most anyplace. Kind of an odd first post but welcome anyway. [:D]

[nblum]

"Risks come with life."

Some risks are more rational than others, but it's your life. I'm just giving the best scientific and medical advice I know how, based upon current knowledge. You're obviously free to ignore it. But it's a well established fact that serious or fatal asthmatic attacks are more likely in individuals exposed to environmental stress/pollution. Does that mean you should move to rural Arizona if you have asthma? No. But exposure to toy train smoke seems a bad idea for asthmatics.


My advice is more intended for those with family members with health problems, or children, in any case, than for adults who have already chosen to ignore sound medical advice as a way of empowering themselves.

[palallin]

Why? Because I refuse to let my asthma from running my life. I control it; it does not control me. Risks come with life.

[nblum]

I wouldn't dream of running a toy train with "smoke" around someone with any lung, heart or vascular disease. Asthma in particular because it is a disease in which the airways are hyperresponsive to environmental conditions (exercise, cold, pollutants, etc.). And like most allergic diseases, the response is unpredictable. Stimuli that don't cause problems for years suddenly can precipitate a serious attack. Why take ANY risk for something as minor and unnecessary as toy train smoke?

[dwiemer]

It is confirmed!, at least in my house. The wife is asthmatic and if I keep the smoke on for any length of time, it does cause her some problems. I think it does take a good bit of running before she has trouble, but I keep the smoke to a minimum. We still have plenty of fun running the trains without the smoke.
Dennis

[Anonymous]

The 1/03 CTT had an article on this. Some chemicals in smoke fluid can act as slight irritants to mucous membranes, or moderate irritants to eyes. I suppose the mere sight of it could cause distress to someone who has asthma. Joe

[Anonymous]

I would say that you should consider asking your doctor. I know the stuff bothers my dog (who has a nose far more sensitive than the human nose), so it's certainly worth checking out. You'll get all sorts of opinions here covering the full spectrum, but who's to say who is right and who is wrong since asthma attacks may be triggered by any number of things?

[Anonymous]

Train smoke can be an irritant to even people without asthma,so I guess it would not be a stretch to say asthma sufferers are no different. I run my train smoke units sparingly and use an exhaust fan when I do.

Dale Hz

[palallin]

QUOTE: Originally posted by NYRanger

Could toy train smoke harm someone with asthma if the train that smokes is running or has just ran with the smoke unit on?

I am asthmatic, and I have never had my asthma triggered by it. Others who are more susceptible might.

Understand that the "smoke" which issues from the stack of a toy train loco isn't really smoke: it's a vapor. The smoke units heat and expel the oil that's used as smoke fluid, but they do not (unless something goes wrong and a fire occurs) combust the oil. I do not mean to imply that asperation of the oil is certainly harmless, but a wide distinction exists between smoke that is the result of combustion and the vapor that results from toy trains.

[Anonymous]

Could toy train smoke harm someone with asthma if the train that smokes is running or has just ran with the smoke unit on?