If you smoke your Mac could be a biohazard.

That’s right.  According to a Consumerist story, at least two individuals had their Applecare extended warranties voided because the computers lived in households that had at least one smoker.  The resultant residue inside the machines was enough to have them considered biohazards by Apple.  To be clear, it’s not that the computers were damaged BY the smoke, but the presence of nicotine in the computer itself.

Today, April, 28, 2008, the Apple store called and informed me that due to the computer having been used in a house where there was smoking, that has voided the warranty and they refuse to work on the machine, due to “health risks of second hand smoke”.

Smoking does cause more build up inside your machine.  As nicotine and tar get into the system, it gives dust a nice sticky grip to your hardware.  I’ve seen it.  At the same time, as the original article points out, there is nothing in the warranty that prohibits smoking around the machine, and The Consumerist also points out…

Cigarettes and their active ingredients are listed as known carcinogens in California—where Apple is headquartered—and by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. However, there’s nothing in health regulations about smoking residue, and there’s no mention in the Apple warranty about smoking voiding terms of service [from The Consumerist].

So far, there’s been no response from Apple headquarters on the individual cases.  It’s well worth pointing out that if you do smoke around your computer, you should consider cleaning it out fairly frequently, to help prevent build up.