By: Sherry Hargrove Core: 1 Science
I decided to do my project on tobacco smoke and the chemicals found in it. Also I wanted to tell of the harms tobacco smoke can cause to the smoker and the people around them.
Here are just a few: acetone (used in batteries), cadmium(finger nail polish remover), monoxide (car exhaust), hydrogen cyanide(poison), ammonia(toilet cleaner), carbon monoxide (car exhaust), methane(sewer gas), arsenic (poison), methanol(rocket fluid), butane (lighter fluid), ethanol(alcohol), naphthalene (mothballs), nicotine (insecticide), toluene(industrial solvent)
Cigarette smoking and other types of tobacco smoke are responsible for approximately 438,000 premature deaths in the United States every year, the National Cancer Institute reports. Although nicotine is responsible for the addictive qualities of tobacco smoke, it is actually the other chemicals in smoke that cause most of the damage to the body. Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals. Fifty of those are carcinogens, compounds that are known to cause cancer, and another 200 are harmful in other ways
The nicotine found in cigarettes and in smokeless tobacco is a powerful, addictive drug that acts on several parts of the body. Once addicted, it becomes difficult, but not impossible, to quit using smokeless tobacco or to stop smoking. The use of tobacco products is not only addicting, but is directly related to a number of health problems and diseases. A few of the oral health problems smokers or smokeless tobacco users can develop are bad breath, black hairy tongue, brown, stained teeth, cancers of the cheek, esophagus, lip, palate and tongue, and receding gums.
Secondhand smoke (SHS) is also known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). SHS is a mixture of 2 forms of smoke that come from burning tobacco: Side stream smoke – the smoke that comes from the end of a lighted cigarette, pipe, or cigar Mainstream smoke – the smoke that is exhaled by a smoker
Even though we think of these as the same, they aren’t. The side stream smoke has higher concentrations of cancer-causing agents (carcinogens) than the mainstream smoke. And, it contains smaller particles than mainstream smoke, which make their way into the body’s cells more easily.
When non-smokers are exposed to SHS it is called involuntary smoking or passive smoking. Non-smokers who breathe in SHS take in nicotine and other toxic chemicals just like smokers do. The more SHS you are exposed to, the higher the level of these harmful chemicals in your body.
My research project on tobacco smoke overall has a lot of helpful information. It also has a lot of interesting information that you probably never knew. I think you will enjoy my project.
"Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 11 Mar Web. 30 Apr Johnson, Len. "Chemicals In Cigarettes." Chemicals in Smoking. Stop- Smoking-Programs.org, Web. 30 Apr Martine, Terry. "Smoking Cessation." About.com. United States Dept. of Health and Human Services., 8 July Web. 30 Apr "Secondhand Smoke." American Cancer Society. 11 Nov Web. 30 Apr "Welcome to LIVESTRONG.COM." LIVESTRONG.COM. Demand Media, Inc, 5 May Web. 30 Apr smoking-programs.org/chemicals-in-cigarettes.htmlhttp://quitsmoking.about.comhttp:// hand-smokehttp://