CIGARETTE SMOKING AND AIR POLLUTION

A Research Paper

Presented to

Mrs. Cleofe Samson-Gomez

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in

Chemistry 113

Presented by:

Vivialyn Rea A. Yumul

John Heyward T. Yumul

Carl Jerwin D. Vital

Clarisse Joy D. Vital

October 2018
 INTRODUCTION

One of the major components that man needs to survive is the Air. We, humans
need the quality of air we breathe because it has a greater contribution to the comfort of
man’s existence on earth. Air is the general name for the mixture of gases that makes
up the Earth's atmosphere. On the Earth, this gas is primarily nitrogen (78 percent), with
oxygen (21 percent), water vapor (variable), argon (0.9 percent), carbon dioxide (0.04
percent), and many trace gases. Pure air has no discernible scent and no color. It does
not matter who you are, where you live or the state of your health, the quality of air you
breathe each day affects you. (Osang et al 2013).

Tobacco smoking or cigarette smoking is the practice of smoking tobacco and

inhaling tobacco smoke. The practice is believed to have begun as early as 5000–3000
BC in Mesoamerica and South America. A lot of chemicals and gases are generated in
smoking cigarette. Cigarette smoke is estimated to contain over four thousand
compounds, many of which are pharmacologically active, toxic, mutagenic and
carcinogenic. There are 43 known carcinogens in cigarette smoke. There are major
components of Cigarette smoke have been identified as most likely to cause disease
such as; Tar, Nicotine, Carbon monoxide, Nitrogen oxides, Hydrogen cyanide and other
ciliatoxic agents, Metals, Radioactive compounds.

Air pollution is caused by any undesirable substance, which enters the

atmosphere. Air pollution is a major problem in modern society. Even though air
pollution is usually a greater problem in cities, pollutants contaminate air anywhere
everywhere (Osang et al 2013). These substances include various gases and tiny
particles, or particulates that can harm human health and damage the environment (Obi
et al 2008, Ewona et al 2012). Air pollution is a mixture of solid particles and gases in
the air. Car emissions, chemicals from factories, dust, and pollen and mold spores may
be suspended as particles. Ozone, a gas, is a major part of air pollution in cities. When
ozone forms air pollution, it's also called smog.

Inhaling poisonous air pollutants can increase the chance you'll have health
problems. People with heart or lung disease, older adults and children are at greater
risk from air pollution. Air pollution isn't just outside - the air inside buildings can also be
polluted and affect your health. The major hazardous pollutants in urban cities are
carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, particulate matter and smog which
are contributed greatly by cigarette smokers. They may be gases, liquids, or solids.
 Every year, there are 50 million cases of occupational respiratory diseases
caused by inhalation of toxic dust and chemicals, which are allergenic and carcinogenic
agents. (Urom et al 2004). The global estimate made by the United Nations
Environment Programme shows that 1.1 billion people breathe unhealthy air. This
increases daily deaths and hospital admissions throughout the world, because of its
wide range of effects on human health, especially related to the cardiopulmonary
system. It is also estimated that, urban air pollution is responsible for approximately
800, 000 deaths and 4.6 million loss of lives each year around the globe (Ekpenyong et
al. 2013).

Elaboration of the components of Cigarette smoke

One of the harmful components of Cigarette smoke is the Tar which describes
the particulate matter inhaled when the smoker draws on a lighted cigarette. Each
particle is composed of a large variety of organic and inorganic chemicals consisting
primarily of nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and a wide
range of volatile and semi volatile organic chemicals. In its condensate form, tar is the
sticky brown substance which can stain smokers' fingers and teeth yellow brown. It also
stains the lung tissue.

Second, the Nicotine it is the most important acute-acting pharmacological agent

in tobacco smoke, and is the drug in tobacco which causes addiction among smokers.
Its immediate physiological effects include increased heart rate and blood pressure,
constriction of cutaneous blood vessels, and muscular, hormonal and metabolic effects.
Nicotine is among the most toxic of all poisons and acts with great speed.
 Third, the Carbon Monoxide is formed when a cigarette is lit. It has a number of
toxic effects on the body, the most important of which is its impairment of oxygen
transportation in the blood. It is also strongly linked with the development of coronary
heart disease.

Fourth, the Nitrogen Oxides is known to cause lung damage in experimental

animals similar to that noted in smokers, and may be responsible for initiating lung
damage leading to emphysema.

Fifth, the Hydrogen cyanide has a direct, deleterious effect on the cilia, part of
the natural lung clearance mechanism in humans. Interference with this cleaning
system can result in an accumulation of toxic agents in the lungs, thereby increasing the
likelihood of developing disease. Other toxic agents in cigarette smoke which directly
affect the cilia include acrolein, ammonia, nitrogen dioxide and formaldehyde.

Sixth, Metals, Thirty metals have been detected in tobacco smoke, including
nickel, arsenic, cadmium, chromium and lead. Arsenic and arsenic compounds and
chromium and some chromium compounds are causally associated with cancer in
humans, while nickel and cadmium and their compounds are probably carcinogenic to
humans. Arsenic levels in tobacco have been elevated in the past due to the use of
arsenical pesticides. Cadmium levels may be related to the presence of cadmium in
phosphate fertilizers.

Lastly, the Radioactive Compounds found in highest concentration in cigarette

smoke are polonium-210 and potassium-40. Other radioactive compounds present
include radium-226, radium-228 and thorium-228. Radioactive compounds are well
established as carcinogens.
 There are also three categories of Cigarette smoke and the First category
is the First-hand smoke, which is inhaled by the smoker. Followed by the
Second-hand smoke, which is the smoke either exhaled by a smoker or
released from the end of a burning cigarette. Second-hand smoke can cause
lung cancer even in non-smokers because those non-smoker persons are the
one who can inhale those poisonous gases from the cigarette and they don’t
have the ability to exhale it like the first smoker do. Lastly, Third-hand smoke,
which is the tobacco smoke residue and gases that are left after a cigarette has
been smoked. It includes the gases that go back into the air, stays on surfaces
and in dust after the cigarette has been smoked, builds up on surfaces, furniture,
 clothing, drapes, and carpets, and reacts with other elements in the environment
to make more pollution.

Cigarette smoking is really dangerous not just because it can pollute the air but it
also affects the health of humans. Many cases inhaling cigarette smoke can lead to
many diseases or worst a sudden death. The use of Cigarette leads to most common
diseases affecting the heart, liver and lungs.

When you smoke, the poisons from the tar in your cigarettes enter your blood.
These poisons in your blood then:

 Make your blood thicker, and increase chances of clot formation

 Increase your blood pressure and heart rate, making your heart work harder than
normal
 Narrow your arteries, reducing the amount of oxygen rich blood circulating to
your organs.

Together, these changes to your body when you smoke increase the chance of your
arteries narrowing and clots forming, which can cause a heart attack or stroke.

Heart

Smoking damages your heart and your blood circulation, increasing the risk of
conditions such as coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke, peripheral vascular
disease (damaged blood vessels) and cerebrovascular disease (damaged arteries that
supply blood to your brain). Carbon monoxide from the smoke and nicotine both put a
strain on the heart by making it work faster. They also increase your risk of blood clots.
Other chemicals in cigarette smoke damage the lining of your coronary arteries, leading
to furring of the arteries. In fact, smoking doubles your risk of having a heart attack, and
if you smoke you have twice the risk of dying from coronary heart disease than lifetime
non-smokers.

Stomach

Smokers have an increased chance of getting stomach cancer or ulcers.

Smoking can weaken the muscle that controls the lower end of your gullet (esophagus)
and allow acid from the stomach to travel in the wrong direction back up your gullet, a
process known as reflux. Smoking is a significant risk factor for developing kidney
cancer, and the more you smoke the greater the risk. For example, research has shown
that if you regularly smoke 10 cigarettes a day, you are one and a half times more likely
to develop kidney cancer compared with a non-smoker. This is increased to twice as
likely if you smoke 20 or more cigarettes a day.
Skin

Smoking reduces the amount of oxygen that gets to your skin. This means that if
you smoke, your skin ages more quickly and looks grey and dull. The toxins in your
body also cause cellulite. Smoking prematurely ages your skin by between 10 and 20
years, and makes it three times more likely you'll get facial wrinkling, particularly around
the eyes and mouth. Smoking even gives you a sallow, yellow-grey complexion and
hollow cheeks, which can cause you to look gaunt.

Bones

Smoking can cause your bones to become weak and brittle. Women need to be
especially careful as they are more likely to suffer from brittle bones (osteoporosis) than
non-smokers. Brain If you smoke, you are more likely to have a stroke than someone
who doesn't smoke. In fact, smoking increases your risk of having a stroke by at least
50%, which can cause brain damage and death. And, by smoking, you double your risk
of dying from a stroke. One way that smoking can increase your risk of a stroke is by
increasing your chances of developing a brain aneurysm. This is a bulge in a blood
vessel caused by a weakness in the blood vessel wall. This can rupture or burst which
will lead to an extremely serious condition known as a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which
is a type of stroke, and can cause extensive brain damage and death.

Lungs

Your lungs can be very badly affected by smoking. Coughs, colds, wheezing and
asthma are just the start. Smoking can cause fatal diseases such as pneumonia,
emphysema and lung cancer. Smoking causes 84% of deaths from lung cancer and
83% of deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD, a
progressive and debilitating disease, is the name for a collection of lung diseases
including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. People with COPD have difficulties
breathing, primarily due to the narrowing of their airways and destruction of lung tissue.
Typical symptoms of COPD include: increasing breathlessness when active, a
persistent cough with phlegm and frequent chest infections.

Mouth and throat

Smoking causes unattractive problems such as bad breath and stained teeth,
and can also cause gum disease and damage your sense of taste. The most serious
damage smoking causes in your mouth and throat is an increased risk of cancer in your
lips, tongue, throat, voice box and gullet (oesophagus). More than 93% of
oropharyngeal cancers (cancer in part of the throat) are caused by smoking.
Reproduction and fertility

Smoking can cause male impotence, as it damages the blood vessels that supply
blood to the penis. It can also damage sperm, reduce sperm count and cause testicular
cancer. Up to 120,000 men from the UK in their 20s and 30s are impotent as a direct
result of smoking, and men who smoke have a lower sperm count than those who are
non-smokers. For women, smoking can reduce fertility. One study found that smokers
were over three times more likely than non-smokers to have taken more than one year
to conceive. The study estimated that the fertility of smoking women was 72% that of
non-smokers. Smoking also increases your risk of cervical cancer. People who smoke
are less able to get rid of the HPV infection from the body, which can develop into
cancer. Smoking while you are pregnant can lead to miscarriage, premature birth,
stillbirth and illness, and it increases the risk of cot death by at least 25%.

Conclusion

Cigarette smoking like conventional air pollution has also been linked to
Decreases of lung function, increase of heart attacks, Respiratory diseases, cancer,
asthma, and other health effects. Pollution also creates odor and smog, diminishing the
protective ozone layer and its contributions. We as researchers have collected
information or solutions that can help us humans to decrease the possible effect of
smoking cigarette to our environment and as well as to our own health. From this study
considering the high level of cigarette related diseases, it is recommended that the
Government bans smoking in public places ban the advertisement of any kind of
cigarette and enforce punishment to offenders. The Government is also expected to
enact and enforce the clean indoor air act, which restricts smoking to indoors, conduct
site specific assessment of health risks from air pollutants emitted by smokers. Also, we
humans need to be well informed about this and discipline ourselves so we can show
others how we can avoid having such diseases that can lead to death. The good news
is that once you stop smoking, your health improves and your body will begin to
recover.
 References:

https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-air-in-science-604751

http://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jpbs/papers/Vol8-issue3/N0838794.pdf

http://www.tobaccoinaustralia.org.au/fandi/fandi/c05s1.htm

https://medlineplus.gov/airpollution.html

https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Alberta/Pages/Second-Hand-and-Third-Hand-Tobacco-
Smoke.aspx

https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-solutions-of-air-
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https://www.nrdc.org/stories/air-pollution-everything-you-need-know

https://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/Brp/tcrb/monographs/7/m7_5.pdf

http://www.lung.org/our-initiatives/tobacco/reports-resources/sotc/by-the-
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https://www.unitypoint.org/livewell/article.aspx?id=17ace3fc-fb01-45c3-8617-
1beb81404fc4

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_s
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