The Lung Ashtray
Invented by Dr. Wayman R. Spence of Utah. It went on sale in 1969. The primary buyers, I imagine, were non-smokers giving them as annoyance gifts to smokers.
Some details from The Waco Citizen (Aug 19, 1971):
Some details from The Waco Citizen (Aug 19, 1971):
[Spence's] one-man campaign began about two years ago at a party in Salt Lake City.
"A woman lit up a cigarette and I, being my usual obnoxious self said, 'Somebody should give you an ashtray shaped like a pair of lungs so you can see what smoking is doing to you'" he said.
Soon thereafter he designed the lung ashtray which has been distributed throughout the nation, including one to every member of the U.S. House of Representatives. On top of the ashtray are a pair of clear plastic lungs that demonstrate what smoke does to the human lungs. The smoke curls up through one of the "lungs" and, in a short time, there is a deposit of tar and nicotine. The other lung remains clear for contrast.
"A woman lit up a cigarette and I, being my usual obnoxious self said, 'Somebody should give you an ashtray shaped like a pair of lungs so you can see what smoking is doing to you'" he said.
Soon thereafter he designed the lung ashtray which has been distributed throughout the nation, including one to every member of the U.S. House of Representatives. On top of the ashtray are a pair of clear plastic lungs that demonstrate what smoke does to the human lungs. The smoke curls up through one of the "lungs" and, in a short time, there is a deposit of tar and nicotine. The other lung remains clear for contrast.
The Missoulian - Jan 19, 1969
Salt Lake Tribune - May 11, 1969
Comments
Having watched my father die from more or less literally coughing up bits of his lungs on his hospital sheets... nah, I don't think Spence was obnoxious. At all.
Posted by Richard Bos on 08/01/21 at 05:28 PM
Too bad they're not still around.
Posted by eddi on 08/01/21 at 09:11 PM
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Category: Smoking and Tobacco | 1960s