Cigarette
A cigarette is a tobacco product manufactured out of cured and finely cut tobacco leaves, which are rolled or stuffed into a paper-wrapped cylinder (generally less than 120 mm in length and 10 mm in diameter). The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder for the purpose of inhalation of its smoke from the other (usually filtered) end, which is inserted in the mouth. They are sometimes smoked with a cigarette holder. The term cigarette, as commonly used, refers to a tobacco cigarette but can apply to similar devices containing other herbs, such as cannabis.
A cigarette is distinguished from a cigar by its smaller size (hence the name), use of processed leaf, and paper wrapping; cigars are typically composed entirely of whole leaf tobacco. Cigarettes were largely unknown in the English-speaking world before the Crimean War, when British soldiers began emulating their Ottoman Turkish comrades, who resorted to rolling their tobacco with newsprint.
Manufacture and ingredients
There are thousands of cigarette brands all over the world. They all differ by design, taste, flavour and content. Commercial cigarettes and cigarette tobaccos rarely contain pure tobacco. Manufacturers often use additives to maintain blend consistency, improve perceived blend quality, as preservatives and even in order to completely change the organoleptic qualities of the tobacco smoke. While this is true for many brands of cigarettes, in Canada the major cigarette brands all contain 100% natural Virginia Leaf - no additives. Some cigarettes (known as kreteks, clove cigarettes, or simply cloves) have cloves blended with the tobacco. This is done to enhance the smoker's pleasure by numbing the mouth and lungs and providing a mild euphoric effect. Lower-quality clove cigarettes simply have a clove essence added to the tobacco.
In addition to additives, cigarette tobaccos, especially lower-quality blends, are often highly physically processed. During the original processing of leaf for cigarettes, the leaves are deveined and the lamina is shredded or cut. Since the leaf is relatively dry at this point these processes result in a significant amount of tobacco dust. Manufacturing operations have developed procedures for collecting this dust and remaking it into usable material (known as reconstituted sheet tobacco). The removed leaf midveins, which are unsuitable for use in cigarettes in their natural state, were historically discarded or spread on large fields because of their high nitrogen content. Procedures have been developed, however, to "expand" the stems and process them for inclusion in the cigarette blends. All these procedures allow cigarette manufacturers to produce as many cigarettes as possible using the least amount of raw materials as possible.
The most common usage of the cigarette is tobacco smoke delivery. The second most common usage of the cigarette is for marijuana smoke delivery. The hand-rolled cigarette is the most common form of marijuana cigarette. Marijuana smokers will usually twist the ends of the cigarette to prevent fine cut marijuana buds from falling out. Tobacco users who roll their own cigarettes, however, will usually not twist the cigarette at the ends; hand rolling tobacco is made in strands so it doesn't have a tendency to fall out.
Some cigarette smokers roll their own cigarettes by wrapping loose cured tobacco in paper; most, however, purchase machine-made commercially available brands, generally sold in small cardboard packages of 10 or 20 cigarettes in the United States and UK and 20 or 25 in Canada. Commercial cigarettes usually contain a cellulose acetate or cotton filter through which the smoker inhales the cigarette's smoke; the filter serves to cool and clean the smoke. Some hand-rollers elect to utilize filters as well.
Recently cigarette rolling machines have become increasingly popular. Tobacco can be purchased in pouches or cans, usually at a fraction of the price that would be paid for the same amount pre-rolled. A rolling machine makes filterless, or "straight" cigarettes, or a machine can be purchased that packs the tobacco into a pre-rolled form with a filter. The filtered papers usually come in boxes of 200, while unfiltered papers will come in packs ranging from 12 to 64, and some contain even more. There are many different types of cigarettes:
- Hand Rolled Cigarettes from rolling papers
- Unfiltered Cigarettes
- Regular Filtered Cigarettes (regular size)
- Light Filtered Cigarettes (are not as strong)
- Ultra-Light Filtered Cigarettes (very weak)
- Regular Filtered 100s (longer)
- Light Filtered 100s (longer, are not as strong)
- Ultra-light Filtered 100s (longer, very weak)
- Regular Slim 120s (very long, skinny)
- Light Slim 120s (very long, skinny, are not as strong)
- Ultra-Light Slim 120s (very long, skinny, very weak)
Note: Regular size are known as King Size in the UK, and 100s are Superkings: they are also the same width as a normal cigarette.
- Menthols (have smoke that induces a cooling sensation)
- Slims (Cigarette is of smaller diameter)
- Wides (Cigarette is of larger diameter)
Color Coding on Commercial Cigarette Packs
- Red packs usually means Full Flavor
- Gold or white packs usually means Lights
- Light Blue, or Silver usually means Ultra-Lights
- Green usually means Menthols
- Light Green usually means Menthol Lights
- Very Dark Red usually means Unfiltered
Sale
Before the Second World War many manufacturers gave away collectible cards, one in each packet of cigarettes. This practice was discontinued to save paper during the war and was never generally reintroduced, though for a number of years Natural American Spirit cigarettes included "vignette" cards depicting endangered animals and American historical events; this series was discontinued in 2003. During the Second World War they gave out free cigarettes to the soldiers and citizens. On April 1, 1970 President Richard Nixon signed the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act into law, banning cigarette advertisements on television in the United States starting on January 2, 1971. However some tobacco companies attempted to circumvent the ban by marketing new brands of cigarettes as "little cigars"; examples included Tijuana Smalls, which came out almost immediately after the ban took effect, and Backwoods Smokes, which reached the market in the winter of 1973-1974 and whose ads used the slogan, "How can anything that looks so wild taste so mild".
The sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to minors under 18 is now prohibited by law in all fifty states of the United States. The legal age of purchase has been additionally raised to 19 in Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey, Utah, and Nassau and Suffolk Counties in New York, and legislation was pending as of 2004 in some other states, including California to raise the age to 19 or even to 21. In Massachusetts, parents and guardians are allowed to give cigarettes to minors, but sales to minors are prohibited.
Similar laws exist in many other countries. In Canada most of the provinces require smokers to be 19 years of age to purchase cigarettes (except for Quebec, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta, where the age is 18). However the minimum age only concerns the purchase of tobacco, not use. Alberta, however, does have a law which prohibits the possession or use of tobacco products by all persons under 18, punishable by a $100 fine. Australia and India both have a nation-wide ban on the selling of all tobacco products to people under 18.
In the UK, cigarettes can legally be sold only to people aged 16 and over. However it is not illegal for people under this age to buy (or attempt to buy) cigarettes, which means that only the retailer is breaking the law by selling to under 16s.
Most countries in the world have a legal smoking age of 18. One exception is Switzerland and Germany, where the age is 16 whereas a country such as Turkey, which has one of the highest percentage of smokers in its population, has a legal age of 18. Another curiosity is Japan, one of the highest tobacco consuming nations, which requires purchasers to be 20 years of age. However, due to the prevalence of cigarette vending machines in the most public of places the effectiveness of an underage ban is in doubt. In other countries, such as Egypt, it is legal to use and purchase tobacco products regardless of age.
Most tobacco shops follow all laws. They respect the rights of minors and do not sell to them. However, as is the case in all industries, some merchants disregard such laws because they are breaking the law. In the past, the profits from selling cigarettes to minors illegally were greater than the fines paid out. Now, as is the case in California, jail terms can be given to repeat offenders if they are caught. Thus, it is less likely that a merchant would sell to a minor. Some police departments in the United States occasionally send an underaged teenager into a store where cigarettes are sold, and have the teen attempt to purchase cigarettes, with or without a "fake" ID. If the vendor sells them to the minor, the store is issued a fine. This is by far the most common way in which law-breaking, merchants are caught when they sell cigarettes to minors.
Online cigarette stores
Online stores have recently appeared that offer foreign cigarettes to internet buyers. As many jurisdictions place high taxes on tobacco sales, these could be seen as an effort to avoid paying duty or taxes.
Some online cigarette stores exist to sell tax-free cigarettes inside their own country as well. The legality of these stores is being questioned currently in the United States. Federal lawmakers contend that these stores are clear tax evasions. Recently in Michigan, several online stores have been subpoenaed by the state for the names and addresses of customers. The state has reportedly been sending out fines for each package purchased, contending tax evasion over Michigan's $2-a-pack law.
This same action has also taken place[1] in Wisconsin after the Wisconsin Department of Revenue received a list of several thousand buyers in that state from an online cigarette merchant. However, the effort to collect on the taxes from the listed residents was stopped by order[2] of Governor Jim Doyle a few days later.
MasterCard and American Express have refused to allow online cigarette stores to accept payment by credit-card.
Philip Morris Inc., USA [3] fights against selling cigarettes online. PM is concerned about trademark infringement, age verification, domestic taxation of their licensed tobacco products available through mail-order from duty-free shops overseas, and losing market share to low-priced generic cigarette brands available on the Internet. Philip Morris took possession of the web domain Yesmoke.com, [4]and claimed damages worth 548 million dollars in compensation for Yesmoke’s sale of PM's Marlboro cigarette brand. 548 million dollars is the highest request ever in the history of United States legislation, for compensation for the alleged offence of Copyright Infringement and Unfair Competition.
Environmental effects
An estimated 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered in American parks, sidewalks and public places yearly. Most cigarette filters are not biodegradable. In fact, ninety-five percent of filters are made of plastic cellulose acetate and take many years to decompose.
There are 165 chemicals in cigarettes that birds and other small animals might ingest, thinking that the butts are edible. Ingestion can lead to poisoning or fatal blockage of or accumulation in the digestive system of such animals.
Contents and health effects
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Smoking has been linked to lung cancer by medical research institutions throughout the world (through the use of observational studies). Smoking men are 22 times more likely to die from lung cancer than non-smoking men and smoking women are 12 times more likely to die from lung cancer than non-smoking women. Cigarette smoking increases the risk for many types of cancer, including cancers of the lip, oral cavity, and pharynx; esophagus; pancreas; larynx (voice box); lung; uterine cervix; urinary bladder; and kidney [citation needed]. Recent findings by the World Health Organization suggest that U.S. white male smokers have an 8% chance of acquiring lung cancer at some point in their lives, as opposed to the 2% chance of acquiring lung cancer among U.S. white male non-smokers. Second-hand smoke has been known to increase health risks by 20% to 30% according to a recent report published by the World Health Organization.
Certain other lung disorders, like emphysema, are also linked to cigarette smoking. Both smoking and second-hand smoke during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, underweight, and deformed infants. Smoking also increases the chance of heart attacks and a variety of cancers. Long-term smokers tend to look older than nonsmokers of the same age, because smoking can increase wrinkling in the skin.
Nicotine, the stimulant and active ingredient in cigarettes, is highly addictive. Children and pets may be poisoned from eating cigarettes or cigarette butts.
For many years the tobacco industry presented research of its own in an attempt to counter emerging medical research about the addictive nature and adverse health effects of cigarettes. According to a 1994 prosecution memo written by Congressman Martin Meehan to former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, many of these studies were found to be flawed due to their strong bias and poor methodology. A 2001 peer-reviewed article in the American Journal of Public Health accuses tobacco companies of using front groups and biased studies to downplay the health risks of smoking and secondhand smoke.
Many countries and jurisdictions have instituted public smoking bans. In New York City, smoking is forbidden in almost all workplaces, although in rare cases this ban is not enforced in some small neighborhood bars, establishments caught allowing smoking face stiff fines. It is now commonplace for restaurants to ban smoking even in their outside seating areas, or near entrances, relegating most smokers to street corners or in front of private residences. Ironically, much like the illicit trade of alcohol during Prohibition, there is a growing underground market for cigarettes in New York, mainly facilitated through street sales and the internet. Following this trend, smoking is quickly being banned in restaurants and bars all across the USA. States from California to Delaware have adopted such a ban. Such bans are least popular in Southern states of the USA, such as Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina, where tobacco continues to be a large part of the economy. In other states, these bans are extremely popular and seen as long overdue. Often smoking is allowed on the street (though in Delaware you must be 250 feet away from any public building), but in many locations of Japan it is against the law.
In 2004, smoking was outlawed in all public buildings in the state of Maine. The 2004 ban on smoking in bars and resturaunts in New Zealand met with initial resentment from some bar owners, but was widely welcomed by the public at large. In 2005 in the state of Washington, smoking was banned in all business establishments, including bars and bowling alleys, and any place outdoors within 25 feet of a window, door, or ventilation intake. In many parts of the world tobacco advertising and even sponsorship of sporting events is not allowed. The ban on tobacco sponsorship in the EU in 2005 has prompted the Formula One Management to look for races in areas that allow the heavily tobacco sponsored teams to display their livery, and has also led to some of the more popular races on the calendar being cancelled in favor of more tobacco friendly markets.
Carcinogens
There are 19 known carcinogenic compounds in cigarettes.[1] The following are some of the most potent carcinogens:
- Benzopyrene is a mutagenic compound which is highly carcinogenic. It is formed during the incomplete combustion of organic matter.
- Nitrosamine is a carcinogenic compound found in cigarette smoke but not in uncured tobacco leaves. Nitrosamine forms on flue-cured tobacco leaves during the curing process through a chemical reaction between nicotine and other compounds contained in the uncured leaf and various oxides of nitrogen found in all combustion gases. However, switching to indirect-fire curing has been shown to reduce nitrosamine to undetectable levels (less than 0.1 part per million).[2]
Radioisotopes
Radioisotopes from the radon decay sequence are understood to be the primary cause of lung cancer. The main radioisotope responsible is polonium-210 which forms insoluble compounds in cigarette smoke which are not cleared from the lungs by normal biological proceses. It also forms soluble compounds which are circulated throughout the body at levels much higher than from residential radon. Polonium-210 in the bloodstream can damage genes and cause diseases such as liver and bladder cancer, stomach ulcers, leukemia, cirrhosis of the liver, and cardiovacular disease. Polonium-210 is an emitter of ionizing alpha radiation which is particularly damaging to internal tissues. [3]
Laboratory animals exposed to polonium-210 through inhalation at levels five times less than experienced by cigarette smokers developed tumors. Similar tests performed with other chemicals present in cigarette smoke were unable to produce tumors through inhalation alone. U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop stated that radioactivity accounts for at least 90% of all smoking-related cases of lung cancer. The Center for Disease Control determined that "Americans are exposed to far more radiation from tobacco smoke than from any other source." [4]
Other radioisotopes such as radium-226 and lead-210 are also present. Collectively these radioisotopes enter the cigarette production process through calcium phosphate fertilizer which is used to grow tobacco. Radon forms as a byproduct of the decay of uranium found naturally in phosphate ore. [5]
Radioisotopes were known to be present in tobacco as early as 1968.[6] The theory that radioisotopes are one of the primary carcinogens responsible for lung cancer was popularized by NCAR radiologist Edward Martell and presented in a Newscript article in 1980. Internal documents from Philip Morris indicate that they conceded Martell's recommendation to switch to ammonium phosphate fertilizer in order to eliminate the radioactive compounds is a "valid but expensive point". [7]
In 1982, Winters et al. published a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine which showed skeletons of cigarette smokers contained deposits of lead-210 and polonium-210. [8]
In 1983 Martell published a follow-up paper in which he experimentally demonstrated that smokers who die of lung cancer have been exposed to 80-100 rads of radiation. [9]
Consumption
Approximately 5.5 trillion cigarettes are produced globally each year by the tobacco industry, smoked by over 1.1 billion people.
| Smoking Prevalence by Gender | ||
|---|---|---|
| PERCENT SMOKING | ||
| REGION | MEN | WOMEN |
| Africa | 29 | 4 |
| United States | 35 | 22 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | 35 | 4 |
| Europe | 46 | 26 |
| Southeast Asia | 44 | 4 |
| Western Pacific | 60 | 8 |
| (2000, World Health Organization estimates) | ||
History
The cigarette was born some time in the 18th century: beggars in Seville began to pick from the ground the cigar ends left by the señoritos (rich young men), wrapped the tobacco remains with paper and smoked them. The first attested use of this habit can be seen in three 18th century paintings by Francisco de Goya: La cometa (The kite), La merienda en el Manzanares (Picnic by the river Manzanares) and El juego de la pelota a pala (The ball and paddle game).
The use of tobacco in cigarette form became increasingly popular after the Crimean War. This was helped by the development of tobaccos that are suitable for cigarette use. During World War I and World War II, cigarettes were rationed to soldiers. During the second half of the 20th century, the adverse health effects of cigarettes started to become widely known and severe health warnings became commonplace on cigarette packets.
References
- ^ Dr. C. Everett Koop. "Smoking and smokeless tobacco". Retrieved July 15.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Sumner; et al. "Retrofitting Tobacco Curing Barns". Retrieved June 9.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Explicit use of et al. in:|author=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ United States Environmental Protection Agency. "Understanding Radiation: Alpha Particles". Retrieved June 9.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Lenntech Water Treatment & Air Purification. "Polonium (Po) - Chemical properties, Health and Environmental effects". Retrieved June 15.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Fluoride Action Network. "The Phosphate Fertilizer Industry: An Environmental Overview". Retrieved June 15.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ T.C. Tso; et al. (1968). "Agronomic Factors Affecting Polonium-210 and Lead-210 Levels in Tobacco, Soil, and Fertilizer". Agronomy Journal.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite journal requires|journal=(help); Explicit use of et al. in:|author=(help) - ^ Philip Morris (1980). ""Newscript" - Radioactive Cigarettes". Retrieved June 9.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|year=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Winters; et al. (1982). "Radioactivity in Cigarette Smoke". New England Journal of Medicine.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite journal requires|journal=(help); Explicit use of et al. in:|author=(help) - ^ E. A. Martell (1983). "Radiation Dose at Bronchial Bifurcations of Smokers from Indoor Exposure to Radon Progeny". Retrieved June 9.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|year=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help)
See also
- List of additives in cigarettes
- Chain smoking
- Famous cigarette smokers
- List of slang terms for cigarettes
- Lung cancer
- Oral cancer
- Luther Leonidas Terry
- Jeffrey Wigand
External links
- Mortality in relation to smoking: 50 years' observations on male British doctors
- US Center for Disease Control - Smoking and Health Database
- Encyclopedia of Cigarettes
- GLOBALink
- INGCAT - International Non Governmental Coalition Against Tobacco
- National Clearinghouse on Tobacco and Health - Canada
- Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco