What are you smoking?

Many people know that smoking is bad for them. But did you also know that smoking can actually lead to an increase in NOx emisisons, which when reacted with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the presence of sunlight can create ozone? Ozone in the stratosphere helps shield us from harmful UV radiation from the sun, but in the troposphere can actually lead to increased damage of lung tissue and a decrease in lung function in people of all ages.

In our lab, we were interested in determining the NOx concentrations emitted from both cigarettes and cigars. To do so, we used a syringe which had a 25 mL NO2 solution inside that was attached to a filter using plastic tubing. The filter was also fitted to a holder that would contain the unlit end of a cigar/cigarette using plastic tubing. Once the cigarette/cigar was lit, we drew a 35 mL puff into the 60 mL syringe and allowed it to sit. Not only did most groups collect a great deal of particulate matter on the filter paper, but most of the NO2 solutions in the syringes changed color, which it should do in the presence of NOx. After running a few calculations, the class average for the NOx emissions from cigarettes/cigars was 4.5*10^-6 M and the particulate matter collected on the filter paper averaged to 6.5*10^-4 g/275 mL of exhaust.

All that particulate matter is being inhaled into the lungs, causing lung damage. The smoke emitted, though the number may not seem that high, actually does a lot of damage in small amounts to both the environment and human health - like we all needed another reason to not smoke.