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Module 5

In this module we did two experiments to observe the unhealthy residue that cigarette smoking leaves in the lungs and other parts of the respiratory system.

Things we learned about tobacco:

1. Tobacco is VERY potent.
2. It contains more than 4000 chemicals, many of which are released into the air during smoking.
3. Tar and Carbon Monoxide are two particularly dangerous chemicals in cigarette smoke.
4. Tar causes lung cancer, emphysema, and bronchial diseases.
5. Carbon Monoxide can cause heart problems.
6. Other serious health problems linked to smoking include digestive cancers, gastric ulcers, and cancers of the throat, lip, esophagus, and pancreas.
7. The leaves of the tobacco plant contain a drug called nicotine. Nicotine is found in all tobacco products: cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, and snuff. It causes an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration. It is VERY addictive.
8. Nicotine enters the body very quickly. After the smoke is inhaled, it only takes EIGHT seconds to reach the brain. Within 40 minutes, half the effect of of nicotine is lost. This is the reason people feel the need to smoke another cigarette.
9. There are 1.1 BILLION smokers in the world!
10. They smoke 6 TRILLION cigarettes each year!!!
11. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 430,000 people die each year from tobacco use. Because people do have control over whether they begin to smoke, smoking can be viewed as the most preventable cause of death in the United States.

The first experiment we did was to give us a better understanding of what effect tar and nicotine have on the body. The lungs, for example, become blackened from excessive smoking.

We began with three glasses of water. We put cigarette leaves in  the first glass, a tree leaf in the second glass and nothing in the third glass (this was our control).

This experiment is supposed to be observed over the next few days, which we will do.

BUT, after only 15 minutes we could already see some results. Stay tuned for an update on this experiment next week.

We also did the following experiment to go along with this module. Again, it was to show how dangerous smoking can be.

**** Note: in order to minimize the harmful effects of this experiment, you may want to do it outside, like we did.

After the experiment was over, I did a very controversial thing. I let GB take a puff on the cigarette.  He didn’t really want to. But both my husband and I had had similar experiences when we were around his age. I had an aunt who smoked, and I thought she looked really cool when she was smoking. One day, she just handed me the cigarette and asked me if I wanted to try. Well, I wanted to look cool too. So, of course, I did try it. And she laughed so hard at my gasping, coughing, wheezing fit that she had tears in her eyes. The experience was so horrible for me that I never wanted to try them again. My husband had a similar experience with his Uncle Junior. In fact, when we are in restaurants, we can barely tolerate it when people around us smoke. And our older children have the same reactions. So maybe it’s just biological. Maybe we just have an extreme intolerance to cigarette smoke.

Anyhoo……… GB tried the cigarette and had the exact same reaction that I did. And kept trying to get me to admit, hours later, that it could still be affecting him. I doubt it, but that’s what he kept exclaiming.