Exhaust smoke damage can be as damaging as the smoke from a fire. This smoke will do all of the same damages that the smoke from a fire, but this smoke can be more toxic. This smoke usually comes from things like a tow motor, the things running in a small engine shop, mechanic shop, even the bus station. You could run into these fumes walking into a welding shop or any shop or building that has some kind of motor running.
You do not want to be inhaling these kind of smoke fumes for any period of time as they will put you down rather quickly. All of the smoke that comes out of these places contain toxins that can hurt you so bad and most of the problems that come from these will be with you permanently. These smoke fumes go right to the lungs when you breathe and also travel up to the brain cutting off the air supply to it. If you happen to be in it too long, these smoke fumes can cause serious problems.
If you happen to be exposed to any of these fumes too long, you could need to see your doctor. They might have to put you into the hospital so that they can watch you for a couple of hours or even over night if the exposure happened to be too long. Sometimes it might require that you be put on pure oxygen for a little while until your body recovers from the smoke exposure.
If you do not need to be in any of these places, the best thing to do is just stay out. If you have to be in these places where there is toxic smoke, wear all of the safety equipment that is called for to prevent breathing it into your lungs. If you happen to be in this place as a visitor and they do not have enough of the necessary safety equipment to enter the building, just stay out or have them find some more of this equipment. It is always better to be safer than sorry and you will not want to get this person in trouble.
One other place where people can be exposed to the toxic smoke of a vehicle is if they have an exhaust leak that makes its way to the interior of your car. When you are riding with the windows up, you might be able to smell the exhaust. If you do you should have this repaired because it could even cause you to pass out while you are driving. Carbon monoxide poisoning is very serious and many deaths have resulted from it.