Cigarette Smoke

IQAir Gc MultiGas | IQAir HealthPro 250 | Allersearch ODRX Odor Eliminator 

Top Products for fighting Cigarette Smoke:

Cigarette Air Purifier

Cigarette smoke is difficult to filter out of the air. It consists out of toxic chemicals, ultra fine particle and lingering odours. It is not realistic to achieve a perfect result, however, the IQAir GC MultiGas is as good as it gets. Reviewed and recommended by the Cigar Aficionado Magazine:  Cigarette Air Purifier

ODRX Odor Eliminator

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FAQ about Cigarette Smoke:

• What chemicals are there in cigarette smoke?
• What is second hand smoke?
• What are the health effects of second hand smoke?
• What is third hand smoke?
• What are the health effects of third hand smoke?
• What is the best type of air purifier for getting rid of cigarette smoke?

What chemicals are there in cigarette smoke?

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There are around 7,000 different chemicals in cigarette smoke. Some of those which are known to be hazardous to your health include:

• Tar. This is actually a collection of solid particles that goes straight into the lungs of smokers when they inhale. When it settles out of the smoke, tar forms a sticky brown residue that stains a smoker's teeth and fingers. It's also responsible for the brown colour of walls and ceilings in buildings, like pubs, where there has been a lot of cigarette smoking. Tar is a complex mixture of chemicals, many of which are known to cause cancer. The tar content of a brand of cigarettes is listed on the packet. But don't think that a low-tar cigarette is necessarily less harmful – because there are plenty of other chemicals in the smoke.
• Arsenic. Long known as a potent poison, arsenic is a carcinogen and also damages the heart.
• Benzene. A cyclic hydrocarbon used as an industrial solvent and another known carcinogen. Cancer Research UK states benzene in cigarette smoke is the culprit in up to half of all deaths from leukaemia caused by smoking. A smoker inhales about ten times more benzene than a non-smoker.
• Formaldehyde. There are many sources of formaldehyde in our inner and outer environment, and smoking is just one of them. Formaldehyde is also a carcinogen and places where people smoke tend to have much higher levels of this chemical.
• Cadmium. A heavy metal found in batteries, but most of the cadmium in our bodies comes from cigarette smoke. Cadmium is a listed carcinogen and also damages the kidneys.
• Acrolein. A gas with a very irritating smell and one of the most abundant chemicals in cigarette smoke. Recent experiments suggest that acrolein is a carcinogen with the ability to damage DNA. Researchers believe that  acrolein plays a major role in lung cancer, researchers believe.
• Polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAH). A group of powerful carcinogens, related to benzene. One PAH, benzopyrene, is probably the most widely studied of the tobacco smoke toxins and is known to damage a tumour suppressor gene, which would normally protect against cancer.
• Metals. Nickel, lead, cobalt and beryllium are inhaled in tobacco smoke. They are also carcinogens.
• Acetaldehyde. This is the chemical that causes hangover symptoms. More seriously, it also causes cancer.
• Hydrogen cyanide. One of the best known poisons, cyanide damages the airways and makes carcinogens more potent by increasing the lungs' exposure to them (but cyanide is not actually a carcinogen itself).
• Carbon monoxide. An odourless, colourless gas which is a product of burning, carbon monoxide makes up 3-5% of cigarette smoke. It binds to red blood cells in place of oxygen and therefore results in oxygen deprivation that can be harmful, particularly to those with heart or lung disease.
• Nitrogen oxides. Also found in car exhausts, nitrogen oxides damage lung tissue.

What is second hand smoke?

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Also known as environmental tobacco smoke, second hand smoke is the smoke emitted from smoking cigarettes, cigars, and pipes to which non-smokers nearby are exposed.   There are two types of second hand smoke  – the mainstream, which is the smoke the person smoking exhales, and the sidestream, which is the smoking coming from the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar. Sidestream smoke actually has higher concentrations of toxic compounds than the mainstream smoke. Sidestream smoke tends to contain smaller particles, which are the ones most likely to lodge deep in your lungs when inhaled. In a smoke-filled room, 85% of second hand smoke is of the sidestream variety, putting the health of the non-smokers present at risk (but they are still less at risk than the smoker who is actually inhaling the smoke directly).

What are the health effects of second hand smoke?

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There is no risk-free level of exposure to second hand smoke. The health problems it can cause are many:

• Second hand smoke triggers asthma attacks in many and makes the condition worse in the long term.
• Asthmatic children of all ages – from the unborn to teenagers – suffer more from attacks if their parents smoke. A severe asthma attack may put a child's life in danger.
• If you had asthma as a child and ‘grew out’ of it, it is likely to reappear if you take up smoking as an adult.
• Irritation of the eyes, throat and lungs is a common effect of smoke exposure.
• Lung problems and makes kids more prone to bronchitis, wheezing and coughing. In general, children whose parents smoke are more likely to get sick.
• Children whose parents smoke around them are more likely to get an ear infection. They also tend to have fluid in their ears and may need surgery to correct this.
• Exposure to second hand smoke has been linked to a 25-30% increased risk of heart disease and a 20-30% increased risk of lung cancer.
• Research shows that chemicals in second hand smoke affect the brain in ways that interfere with breathing control linked to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Babies who die of SIDS have more nicotine in their lungs than babies who die of other causes.

What is third hand smoke?

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The problem of third hand smoke came to notice in 2009 with a publication in the journal Pediatrics. Lead author Jonathan Winickoff, a paediatrician at Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center in Boston explained 'Third hand smoke is tobacco smoke contamination remaining after a cigarette has been extinguished.' Ever noticed how the hair and clothes of a smoker smell of smoke? You are smelling third hand smoke contamination, which is a complex mixture of toxins which builds up on carpets, soft furnishings, and furniture, as well as on clothes, for days after a cigarette has been put out.  Even if the smoker has been smoking outside, they bring third hand smoke back indoors with them. Third hand smoke builds up over time, with each cigarette, cigar, or pipe of tobacco adding to the toxic deposit.

Tests carried out by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, showed significant levels of various toxins on materials that had been exposed to cigarette smoke. Furthermore, they discovered that third hand smoke can react with another pollutant, nitrous acid, to form a toxin called tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNs). Nitrous acid is emitted from car exhausts and, indoors, from poorly vented gas appliances.  

What are the health effects of third hand smoke?

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So far, the health impact of third hand smoke hasn't really been quantified but there is concern that children may be more at risk than adults. They get closer to surfaces that might be contaminated by third hand smoke and tend to touch things and put things in their mouths (think of a crawling toddler). A young child's brain is still developing and is extremely susceptible to environmental toxins, such as lead. There needs to be much more research, clearly, on the potential health hazards of exposure to third hand smoke.

How can I get rid of the smell of smoke and reduce my exposure?

Cigarette smoke really does get everywhere – it's in the air and then it settles on walls, curtains, carpets, and furniture. But there are several ways of tackling the problem if you, or someone you live with, is a smoker, or if you have guests who smoke. Try these tips:

• Ventilate your home – a good idea, anyway, to tackle any kind of indoor air pollution. Just open the windows regularly and get some fresh air into your home every day.
• Place little bowls of odour-absorbing materials around the house – vinegar, cat litter, baking soda are all good for this.
• Use aromatherapy – scented candles, light-bulb rings, and diffusers all impart a pleasant (and even mood-enhancing) fragrance to rooms affected by cigarette smoke.
• Use pot-pourri – place bowls filled with it on tables and simmer a handful in some water on the stove.
• Get rid of third hand smoke in the carpet by steam-cleaning it once a year.
• A vinegar and water mix is good for mopping hard floors affected by smoke build up.
• Dry clean curtains once a year and spray with a smoke neutraliser spray regularly.
• Spray the room with smoke neutraliser and then air freshener once a day (make sure no-one in the house is allergic to the chemicals in these products, though).
• Wash down walls, doors, and ceilings once a year with baking soda and vinegar to get rid of smoke build up.

What is the best type of air purifier for getting rid of cigarette smoke?

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There are several models of air purifier which will trap noxious particles and absorb gaseous molecules in cigarette smoke. For instance, the IQAir ® GC MultiGas ®  can trap particulate pollution and absorb gaseous molecules in second hand smoke. The high efficiency particulate (HEPA) traps 99% of particles down to 0.3 microns and the system also contains 17 pounds of gas phase filter media in four cartridges to remove the gaseous element.

Further information

http://www.helpwithsmoking.com/passive-smoking/contents-of-tobacco-smoke.php

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on secondhand smoke. http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/health_effects/

More on third hand smoke. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-is-third-hand-smoke