Hydrogen Cyanide in Cigarette Smoke..

Cigarettes can contain up to 599 possible additives, all of which are approved for use by the various researches.

When the ingredients in cigarettes are burned, they produce a whole host of chemical compounds, many of which are poisonous and/or carcinogenic. Hydrogen cyanide, a colorless, poisonous gas, is one of the toxic byproducts present in cigarette smoke.


Hydrogen cyanide was used as a genocidal agent during World War II. While no one would willingly breathe hydrogen cyanide into their lungs, smokers do it multiple times with every cigarette they inhale. And because hydrogen cyanide is present in secondhand smoke, nonsmokers are also at risk of breathing in this poison when they are exposed to cigarette smoke. Smoking cigarettes is probably a major source of cyanide exposure for people who do not work in cyanide-related industries.

In manufacturing, cyanide is present in the chemicals used to make numerous products such as paper, textiles and plastics. In gaseous form, cyanide is used in pesticides to exterminate rats and other undesirable vermin.

While it is unlikely that a person would suffer cyanide poisoning from cigarette smoke, breathing in small amounts of hydrogen cyanide may cause:

• headache
• dizziness
• weakness
• nausea
• vomiting

 Larger amounts may cause:

• gasping
• irregular heartbeats
• seizures
• fainting
• rapid death

Generally, the more serious the exposure, the more severe the symptoms. Similar symptoms may be produced when solutions of cyanide are ingested or come in contact with the skin.

Treatment for hydrogen cyanide poisoning includes breathing pure oxygen, and in the case of serious symptoms, treatment with specific cyanide antidotes. Persons with serious symptoms will need to be hospitalized.

Menthol ciggrettes

A menthol cigarette is a cigarette flavored with the compound menthol, a substance which triggers the cold-sensitive nerves in the skin without actually providing a drop in temperature. Menthol cigarettes have also been shown to inhibit nicotine metabolism, causing "systemic enhancement in exposure to nicotine".

Menthol cigarettes were first developed by Lloyd “Spud” Hughes in 1925, though the idea did not become popular until the Axton-Fisher Tobacco Company acquired the patent in 1927, marketing them nationwide as "Spud Menthol Cooled Cigarettes". Spud brand menthol cigarettes went on to become the 5th most popular brand in the U.S. by 1932,and it remained the only menthol cigarette on the market until the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company created the Kool brand in 1933. R.J. Reynolds Company launched the first menthol filter-tip cigarettes in 1950 under the Salem brand..


Menthol versus regular cigarettes: Which is more harmful?

Menthol, a mint-derived substance, causes skin to feel cooler by arousing nerve endings that sense cold temperatures. Cigarette manufacturers use menthol because it mellows the taste of burning cigarettes. Interestingly, intake of menthol is pretty safe. Animal studies indicate that high doses of menthol distributed over a long period of time do not cause observable organ toxicities. Even when burned, menthol doesn't produce carcinogens. Menthol ingestion from cigarettes is carried to the liver, where it is broken down into harmless chemicals that are then excreted from the body.

Some research suggests that those who smoke menthol cigarettes take in a higher concentration of carcinogens and experience more smoking-related illnesses than do people who smoke regular cigarettes. This may be because when smoking menthol cigarettes, the pleasant, cooling sensation causes the user to inhale more tobacco smoke with each drag. This extra intake of carcinogenic substances by menthol smokers may be the cause of higher incidences of smoking-related sicknesses. As a result, menthol cigarette smokers may become more quickly addicted and also may smoke more cigarettes than those who smoke non-mentholated cigarettes. The cycle repeats, with smokers continuing to smoke more cigarettes to feed the addiction. Thus, smokers of menthol cigarettes have a higher rate of smoking-related ailments than smokers of regular cigarettes

This theory includes variables on a person-to-person basis, since the amounts of smoke per drag differs, as do the types and brands of cigarettes smoked. The design of the cigarette can even change how much smoke people can inhale each time (i.e., filtered vs. unfiltered). Regardless of these variables, the bottom line still stands: any type of smoking is harmful to one's health, even if someone is not inhaling, or if s/he is inhaling second-hand smoke. People can develop mouth or throat cancer as easily as lung cancer or other smoking-related illnesses.

Interestingly, some studies indicate that menthol cigarette users are more apt to be minorities. For example, one study shows that 65 percent or more of African-American smokers choose to use menthol cigarettes, compared to only 25 - 30 percent of Caucasian smokers. Marketing plays a major role in influencing people to choose menthol cigarettes to smoke.

So please quit Smoking and Save Life,,

Passive Smoking

 

Passive smoking is the inhalation of smoke, called second-hand smoke (SHS), or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), by persons other than the intended 'active' smoker. It occurs when tobacco smoke permeates any environment, causing its inhalation by people within that environment. Exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke causes disease, disability, and death.The health risks of second-hand smoke are a matter of scientific consensus^. These risks have been a major motivation for smoke-free laws in workplaces and indoor public places, including restaurants, bars and night clubs, as well as some open public spaces..

 

Risk To Childrens..

• Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).In his 2006 report, the US Surgeon General concludes: "The evidence is sufficient to infer a causal relationship between exposure to secondhand smoke and sudden infant death syndrome." Secondhand smoking has been estimated to be associated with 430 SIDS deaths in the United States annually.

• Asthma

• Lung infections also including more severe illness with bronchiolitis and bronchitis and worse outcome, as well as increased risk of developing tuberculosis if exposed to a carrier In the United States, it is estimated that second hand smoke has been associated with between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children under 18 months of age, resulting in between 7,500 and 15,000 hospitalizations each year.

• Impaired respiratory function and slowed lung growth.

• Diggerent types of allergies.

• Crohn's disease.

• Learning difficulties, developmental delays, and neurobehavioral effects. Animal models suggest a role for nicotine and carbon monoxide in neurocognitive problems.

• An increase in tooth decay (as well as related salivary biomarkers) has been associated with passive smoking in children.

• Increased risk of middle ear infections.

Copyright: Medical News Today

In the U.S about 500,000 deaths per year are attributed to smoking-related diseases.

Written by Catharine Paddoc.... 

By using gene therapy to create a novel antibody that gobbles up nicotine before it reaches the brain in mice, scientists say they may have found a potential smoking vaccine against cigarette addiction. However, there is still a long way to go before the new therapy can be tested in humans.

In a study reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine this week, Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City show how a single dose of the vaccine protected mice, over their lifetime, against nicotine addiction.

The addictive properties of the nicotine in tobacco smoke is a huge barrier to success with current smoking cessation approaches, say the authors in their paper.

Previous work using gene therapy vaccination in mice to treat certain eye disorders and tumors, gave them the idea a similar approach might work against nicotine.

The new anti-nicotine vaccine is based on an adeno-associated virus (AAV) engineered to be harmless. The virus carries two pieces of genetic information: one that causes anti-nicotine monoclonal antibodies to be created, and the other that targets its insertion into the nucleus of specific cells in the liver, the hepatocytes.

The result is the animal's liver becomes a factory continuously producing antibodies that gobble up the nicotine as soon as it enters the bloodstream, denying it the opportunity to enter the brain.

 

The researchers write:

"In mice treated with this vector, blood concentrations of the anti-nicotine antibody were dose-dependent, and the antibody showed high specificity and affinity for nicotine."

 

Regular blood measurements showed the vaccine was being produced at high levels continuously for at least 18 weeks.

 

The researchers found that the antibodies shielded the brain from nicotine they systematically gave to the mice, reducing brain nicotine levels to 15% of those of mice that had not been vaccinated.

Using infrared beams in the animal cages, the researchers measured the physical activity of mice treated with nicotine and the vaccine, and another group that received nicotine but no vaccine.

 

The nicotine plus vaccine group showed no change in physical activity, from before the treatment to after. The nicotine only group showed a marked change: they relaxed and their blood pressure and heart rate lowered, signs that the nicotine had reached the brain and cardiovascular system to produce the "chilled out" effect familiar to smokers.

 

The authors write that treatment with the vaccine, "blocked nicotine-mediated alterations in arterial blood pressure, heart rate, and locomotor activity".

 

Lead investigator Dr Ronald G Crystal , chairman and professor of Genetic Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, told the press:

 

"As far as we can see, the best way to treat chronic nicotine addiction from smoking is to have these Pacman-like antibodies on patrol, clearing the blood as needed before nicotine can have any biological effect."

 

"Our vaccine allows the body to make its own monoclonal antibodies against nicotine, and in that way, develop a workable immunity," he added.

 

Other groups have developed nicotine vaccines, but they failed in clinical trials because they deliver nicotine antibodies directly. These only last a few weeks and the injections, which are expensive, have to be given again and again, said Crystal.

 

The other disadvantage of these previous approaches, which use a passive vaccine, is that the results are not consistent, and different people may need different doses, especially if they start smoking again, he added.

 

Crystal said although so far they have only tested their new vaccine in mice, they are hopeful it will help the millions of smokers who have tried to stop, but find their addiction to nicotine is so strong, none of the cessation methods currently available can overcome it.

 

Research shows that 70 to 80% of quitters start smoking again within 6 months, said Crystal.

 

The team is getting ready to test the new vaccine in rats and primates. If those trials are successful, then they can start working towards human trials.

 

If the vaccine successfully completes this long journey, Crystal thinks it will work best for smokers who are really keen to quit.

 

"They will know if they start smoking again, they will receive no pleasure from it due to the nicotine vaccine, and that can help them kick the habit," he said.

 

He said they would also be interested in seeing if the vaccine could be used to prevent nicotine addiction in the first place, but that is only a theory at this point, he noted.

 

1 in 5 adult Americans smokes. Cigarettes contain 4,000 chemicals harmful to health, leading to diseases that are responsible for 20% of deaths in the US. But it is only one of them, nicotine, that keeps smokers hooked..

 

To Quit is to live...

Its easy to Quit Smoking..

There are many different ways to give up smoking. Some experts advocate using pharmacological products to help wean you off nicotine, others say all you need is a good counselor and support group, or an organized program. To add to the confusion, you may find there is a study that says this way works better than that one, and then when you look again, you find there is another study that says, no, that one works better than this one.

But one thing most experts agree on is that a combination works best. For example, nicotine replacement therapy on its own, or counseling on its own is not as effective as a combination of the two..

Pharmacological quit smoking products..Try them..

There are more than 4,000 harmful chemicals in tobacco. Nicotine is the one that makes you addicted to smoking. The idea of nicotine replacement products is to help you gradually wean yourself off nicotine. They deliver a small amount of nicotine to relieve the symptoms of withdrawal. Giving up the replacement product is easier than giving up smoking.

Nicotine replacement products come in many forms, the main ones being:

• Nicotine gum,

• Nicotine patch,

• Nicotine nasal spray  and

• Nicotine inhaler.

Proper use of such products can often be the key to successfully quitting for good. Here is an example of how it works:

Stage 1: Stop smoking (NEVER use nicotine replacement products if you are still smoking).

Stage 2: Use nicotine replacement therapy (having first consulted an expert about the best product and dose for you) to help manage your cravings. Gradually reduce the dose in line with the program you are following.

Stage 3: Meanwhile, seek out and start on a support program, such as counseling or group therapy. Make sure you discuss your use of nicotine replacement products in your counseling so the two therapies work with each other.

Aim to be free of both cigarettes and the nicotine replacement product within three to six months.

To decide which product is most likely to help you, talk to a qualified expert. Go and see your doctor, he or she may advise you, or refer you to a smoking cessation expert who knows about appropriate use of nicotine replacement products.

Knowing how dependent you are on nicotine can help you decide whether you wish to use replacement products..

Social Smokers

Who are Social Smokers???

Today’s smoking culture includes a subpopulation of smokers called “social smokers”. Although there may be different explanations of what a social smoker is, many college students define “social smokers” as those who use tobacco in more social activities and find it essential for socializing, rather than using tobacco on a regular basis, dictated by nicotine dependence . Social smokers don’t believe that they are addicted to smoking, or worried about the social acceptability of their smoking habits . In a study conducted in 2004, 51% of current college smokers stated that they primarily smoked with other people and in social activities. 71% of occasional smokers smoked in a social situation, compared to daily smokers, 19% of which smoke in social environment. Students who started smoking within the past two years of the study were more than twice as likely to be social smokers than students who had been smoking for a longer period of time prior to the study. Characteristics of social smokers have been found to include more females and non-Hispanic whites, than other demographic characteristics and spent more time socializing with friends, were binge drinkers and had a high importance for the arts. Lastly, social smokers don’t perceive themselves at risk to tobacco related illnesses, nor believe they will ever become nicotine dependent. Since social smokers don’t think they’ll become dependent on nicotine, they don’t plan on quitting during college, but have intentions to quit once they graduate.

 

Smoking and perceived gender disparities...

Studies have shown that there are social differences in the smoking behaviors of males and females in college. In a 2006 study, qualitative analysis data showed that males and females have certain perceptions of their sex or the opposite sex smoking. From both male and female students’ perspectives, there were negative feelings towards women smoking and it was considered “unlady like”. However, if men were smoking, the perception was positive, and they were considered cool or gave off a tough-guy image. In addition to drinking alcohol at parties, male students appeared in control if they had a cigarette in the other hand. Even though there were negative perceptions of female students smoking, smoking at parties is considered more of a female behavior rather than a male behavior. Despite negative perceptions of females smoking, students thought that when females smoke in groups of girlfriends it wasn’t trashy. Rather, when female students smoked in groups of girlfriends it appeared as though individual’s smoking habits were regulated by the group, instead of the individual’s dependence on nicotine. These perceived gender differences are inextricably linked with social environments where smoking and alcohol consumption occur. The perceptions of cigarette smoking in male and female students reflect similar perceptions of alcohol use in college students.

 

List of Chemicals and there quantity per Cigarette..

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the following are known human carcinogens found in cigarette smoke:-

Chemical	Amount (per cigarette)
Acetaldehyde:-	980 micrograms to 1.37 milligrams
Acrylonitrile:-	formerly 1 to 2 milligrams. This product was used as a fumigant in tobacco. Its use has since been discontinued.
4-Aminobiphenyl:-	0.2 to 23 nanograms per cigarette
o-Anisidine hydrochloride:-	unknown
Arsenic:-	unknown
Benzene:-	5.9 to 75 micrograms
Beryllium:-	0.5 nanograms
1,3-Butadiene:-	152 to 400 micrograms
Cadmium:-	1.7 micrograms
1,1-Dimethylhydrazine:-	unknown
Ethylene oxide:-	unknown
Formaldehyde:-	unknown
Furan:-	unknown
Heterocyclic amines:-	unknown
Hydrazine:-	32 micrograms
Isoprene:-	3.1 milligrams
Lead:-	unknown
2-Naphthylamine:-	1.5 to 35 nanograms
Nitromethane:-	unknown
N-Nitrosodi-n-butylamine:-	3 nanograms
N-Nitrosodiethanolamine:-	24 to 36 nanograms
N-Nitrosodiethylamine:-	up to 8.3 nanograms
N-Nitrosodimethylamine:-	5.7 to 43 nanograms
N-Nitrosodi-n-propylamine:-	1 nanogram
4-(N-Nitrosomethylamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone:-	up to 4.2 micrograms
N-Nitrosonornicotine:-	14 micrograms
N-Nitrosopiperidine:-	unknown
N-Nitrosopyrrolidine:-	113 nanograms
N-Nitrososarcosine:-	22 to 460 nanograms
Polonium-210:-	depends on soil and fertilizer used to grow tobacco
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons:-	28 to 100 milligrams
o-Toluidine:-	32 nanograms
Vinyl chloride:-	5.6 to 27 nanograms

About Nicotine

 

Nicotine is an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants (Solanaceae); biosynthesis takes place in the roots and accumulation occurs in the leaves. It constitutes approximately 0.6–3.0% of the dry weight of tobacco and is present in the range of 2–7 µg/kg of various edible plants.It functions as an antiherbivore chemical; therefore, nicotine was widely used as an insecticide in the past and nicotine analogs such as imidacloprid are currently widely used

 

In low doses (an average cigarette yields about 1 mg of absorbed nicotine), the substance acts as a stimulant in mammals, while high amounts (30–60 mg) can be fatal.This stimulant effect is the main factor responsible for the dependence-forming properties of tobacco smoking. According to the American Heart Association, nicotine addiction has historically been one of the hardest addictions to break, while the pharmacological and behavioral characteristics that determine tobacco addiction are similar to those determining addiction to heroin and cocaine. The nicotine content of popular American-brand cigarettes has slowly increased over the years, and one study found that there was an average increase of 1.6% per year between the years of 1998 and 2005. This was found for all major market categories of cigarettes.

 

Research in 2011 has found that nicotine inhibits chromatin-modifying enzymes (class I and II histone deacetylases) which increases the ability of cocaine to cause an addiction.

 

Classic Filter Kings is a premium brand of cigarettes launched in India by ITC Limited in 1979. At the time the Indian cigarette market was mainly dominated by plains and Regular Size Filter Tipped, with king size contributing barely 5% of the total market.

The Classic cigarette was initially 83 mm in length and 24.55 mm in diameter with the pack. Later ITC increased the cigarette length from 83 mm to 84 mm, the diameter increased from 24.5 mm to 24.75 mm. Imported cigarette paper, better board and therefore better pack quality, embossed name and crest added to the value of the brand.

The years 1993-95 saw the growth of Classic from 1.5 mnc to 5.4 mnc. This was possibly a result of the brand’s enhanced international appearance. And Classic took further strides towards internationalism with the introduction of Classic Milds and Classic Menthol. In 1996, Classic Ultra Milds was added to the Classic family.The trademark was promoted not only by launching new variants but also through designing new packaging.

 

    List of Varieties

• Classic Full Flavour

• Classic Milds

• Classic Ultramilds

• Classic Menthol

• Classic Riviera Whiff

• Classic Taste Treasures

• Classic Kafeato

• Classic Menthol Rush