Black/Grey Pieces in phlegm

[jessem98]

Me and my buddy are pretty much daily smokers. Now i smoke around the same amount as he does. Over the past year or so he has developed phlegm in which he coughs out, and it contains like black or grey little pieces in it... He has asthma, and his dad smokes like a chimney (in the basement away from everyone). He stopped smoking all together, and started vaping...

Is this from holding in hits? Is it from exposure to cigs?

... Does anyone else have or heard or this?

What could that black/grey material be?

jessem98 Reviewed by jessem98 on 01-11-2008. Black/Grey Pieces in phlegm Me and my buddy are pretty much daily smokers. Now i smoke around the same amount as he does. Over the past year or so he has developed phlegm in which he coughs out, and it contains like black or grey little pieces in it... He has asthma, and his dad smokes like a chimney (in the basement away from everyone). He stopped smoking all together, and started vaping... Is this from holding in hits? Is it from exposure to cigs? ... Does anyone else have or heard or this? What could that Rating: 5

[memetics]

jessem,

i smoked cigarettes for years before smoking pot. i had dark/grey phlegm coming out in my morning shower. after i started smoking joints (mmc for IBS), my lungs felt better, but the stuff was still dark/grey.

then i quit smoking cigarettes. my phlegm turned from grey to green (i'm high 24/7) and my lungs started feeling even better.

anyhoo, my 2 cents is that if your phlegm is dark/grey, its NOT the pot.

i hope this helps...

b

[birdgirl73]

This is a very interesting topic. I actually came on here the other day just to look for a form on this particular topic. Since reading it i have spoken with a couple friends of mine and there seems to be a common factor with the coughing of phlegm, and that is the bong.I tend to use the bong about 90% of times and most friends that used the bong to this percentage seemed to be coughing the same thing. I would really like to hear some more info on this if it really is "as healthy as blowing your nose" or whatever. If Birdgirl would drop her opnion that would be greatly apreshiated as i find you to be quite wise and very informitave.

Hey, Rastaman, and thanks for the kind words. All I have is an opinion. I have nothing scientific to base it on, though. I don't know of anyplace that has tested the differences in amounts of inhaled particulate/dirty crap/ash, etc. according to smoking method used.

My opinions tends to tell me that whatever's making you cough the hardest and have to expel the most crap from your lungs is the least healthy and most irritating. Whatever method is making you bring up the most gray or dirty phlegm is what's sending the most crap down there. If that's bong intake, then that, to me, would be the dirtiest smoking method. If it's a loosely rolled joint for someone else, then, for him, it'd be loose joints. I expect it all depends on how someone inhales and what filtering mechanism is employed, if any. When my sister was smoking year before last for her chemo symptoms, we hooked her up with some little filters for the joints. That helped keep a lot of crud out of her lungs. We had to. She literally didn't have the strength to cough and needed easier-to-breathe smoke.

If and when the day returns that I use cannabis again, I'm going to vape. I have enough trouble breathing in regular air thanks to asthma. Best of luck to you, Rastaman!

[Dave Byrd]

Me and my buddy are pretty much daily smokers. Now i smoke around the same amount as he does. Over the past year or so he has developed phlegm in which he coughs out, and it contains like black or grey little pieces in it... He has asthma, and his dad smokes like a chimney (in the basement away from everyone). He stopped smoking all together, and started vaping...

Is this from holding in hits? Is it from exposure to cigs?

... Does anyone else have or heard or this?

What could that black/grey material be?

The same stuff that you see going out the non-mouth end of whatever you're burning is the most likely culprit. Ash. Bits of carbon or partially burned weed or tobacco. Smoke particulate. What you're breathing in is what you're coughing out, usually the most recent thing you've smoked or inhaled. You expectorate dust, pollen and pet dander, too, generally. It's caught in the throat, trachea, bronchial tubes and bronchioles and comes out in phlegm/mucus when you cough it up, at least some of it does.

If you work around sand, rocks, or asbestos, that's a little different. Those particles are unique. They lodge in the little air sacs and passages in lungs more easily and can't really be expectorated from those spaces. Once those particles are lodged, the body has an inflammatory defense response and goes through a process that ends with the laying down of collagen over the sand or asbestos particles. That, in turn, ultimately results in fibrotic nodular lesions. Over time, bad news, bad breathing interference.

You don't have fibrotic lung disease or silicosis/asbestosis. You have a too loosely rolled joint or cigarette and are probably inhaling more deeply than you need to and taking in ash, bits of carbon or partially burned weed or tobacco, smoke particulate. It's not uncommon for people to cough up bits of blood, too, which can look red or dark browninsh, if their lungs are very irritated.

[olliegrow]

Me too...I cough up grayish/balckish spit from my lungs but I believe its from the everyday smoking, Ive stopped and taken breaks and the phlem goes away. I also have asthma and when i used my medicine to losen up my lungs I would cough up dark phlem. I stared using a vaprozer and that seemed to help, before it was joints, pipes and bongs.

[Ghengis Chron]

I'm not a doctor, but i'm pretty sure ANY miscolored phlegm is signs of lung infection. It could also just be tar and other nasty shit in your lungs trying to get out.

[stinkyattic]

It can come from so many sources- smoke, dust, etc. Have you been working with soil or doing construction or sweeping the cellar lately?
It's a good idea to check in with your doctor anyway to eliminate a more serious condition.
I'm moving this to the health section.

[jessem98]

well around this time last year he worked in a factory which contained a ton of dust and dirt according to him... but thats a year ago, could it be that?

Thanks for the replies by the way guys

[stinkyattic]

That's interesting, but that is a question that your doctor will be able to help you with much better.
I have a sneaking suspicion the two are connected in some way, though. I guess the question is, how long after the end of chronic exposure to inhaled air pollution do your lungs take to a) start rejecting the foreign matter and b) completely finish cleaning it out.
If your doc has any insights, I'd be very interested to see this thread bumped again.

[TheCheat1]

This might sound weird, but I experience the same thing. I believe it is because I swallow smoke every time I get high (yeah, I'm really bad at just inhaling/bucket..) Anyways, this is going to sound weird too, but when I can, I "regurgitate" after I smoke, and I definitely notice the after-effects of smoking. If I don't throw up, I can feel that there is certainly something wrong with my throat, but after I get out the small brown specks, I find I can clear my throat as if I have not smoked, and breathing/swallowing is much more comfortable.