Cigarettes consist of finely cut tobacco leaves rolled within a thin piece of paper for smoking. Cigarettes are lit at one end that continues to burn until all the tobacco is gone, while its smoke is inhaled through the mouth from the other end. Most commercial cigarettes produced today are filtered. They include reconstituted tobacco along with additives.http://www.jeffreywigand.com/WHOFinal.pdfWhile the term cigarettes commonly refers to tobacco cigarettes, it may also apply to cigarettes composed of other herbs, such as marijuana.
While the rate of cigarette smoking has either leveled off or declined in developed society, incidence of smoking continues to rise in developing nations. Smoking rates in the United States, for example, dropped from 42% to 20.8% of adults between 1965 and 2006.http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5644a2.htm#fig
The Dangers of Cigarettes
Cigarettes are estimated to statistically shorten a smoker's lifespan by eleven minutes for each cigarette smoked. On average, smokers who die of tobacco-related conditions have lost approximately fourteen years of life.http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/chi/chi24-4-pktguide.pdfAdditionally use of cigarettes during pregnancy has been proven to cause birth defects, including both physical and mental disabilities.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060106122922.htmAs a result of these health hazards, some countries require cigarette packaging to contain warnings about health. These countries include the United States, Canada, and Australia, as well as most European nations.
It has been determined that secondhand smoke from cigarettes is also damaging to nearby non-smokers.http://www.who.int/tobacco/framework/WHO_FCTC_english.pdf This determination has led to legislation banning smoking from many public areas and work spaces.
E-Cigarettes
A new innovative device, called e-cigarettes have become an alternate drug to regular cigarettes. Advertised as cigarettes that are not harmful like tobacco ones, these e-cigarettes do not have the addictive chemicals regular cigarettes do. This has caused the e-cigarette companies to advertise them as a way to stop smoking.http://www.ecigaretteschoice.com/ However, the FDA is cracking down on this illegal advertising of e-cigarettes and is looking to officially classify them as a drug as well.http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6893B720100910
Popular Commercial Cigarette Brands
Generic Brands
- 305's
- Alpine
- Barclay
- Basic
- GPC
Name Brands
- Belair
- Benson & Hedges
- Camel
- Capri
- Doral
- Eve
- Kent
- Kool
- Lucky Strike
- Marlboro
- Merit
- Misty
- More
- Now
- Newport
- Pall Mall
- Parliament
- Salem
- Virginia Slims
- Winston
What's inside a cigarette?
This History Channel video explains that while nicotine is the primary ingredient in a cigarette, tobacco is only half of the present ingredients. The remaining ingredients, including some lethal chemicals, are add-ons. These add-ons include reconstituted tobacco, stems, tobacco dust swept from the factory floor and reclaimed cigarettes sent back to the factory. All of these ingredients are mixed in a giant vat to remove all of the chemicals. Once stripped, they are transferred to another vat for mixing into what is called the mother liquor. They are then mixed with additional chemicals such as ammonium hydroxide and urea.
