Black Lungs

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.org

I forgot to mention on yesterday's posting about Body Worlds 2 that there was a display of a healthy lung, a smoker's lung and a coal miner's lung. The worst of them all in my opinion was the coal miner's lung. It was literally BLACK. The smoker's lung was almost just as black. The healthy lung (from a non-smoker, non-coal miner) was totally clear of black tar and had a normal fleshtone-like color to it.

I had seen lungs from smoker's before at autopsies. But I have not had a chance to see coal miner's lungs before. These workers have such a hazardous job! In just several months of working in a coal mine, their lungs can look as black as a smoker's lung who had been smoking for years! So the next time you use any products that are based on coal products, think about what the workers had to go through to get that product in your hands. Did you know that toothpaste has coal in it? Why do you think the brand Colgate is named that?

I think everyone knows smoking is hazardous to a person's health. What surprises me is that many people continue to smoke even after seeing what a smoker's lung looks like. If you think you would like to start smoking, please go to the Body Worlds 2 exhibit first. If you see what your lungs can look like after years of smoking, perhaps you would think twice before doing it. The scary thing is that second-hand smoke can cause just as much damage to lungs.