Smoking is harmful to human health. The reason people give up bad habits is because they contain harmful nicotine in cigarettes. The influence of cigarettes on the processes in the body is great, but depends on the number of cigarettes used and their quality.
What is nicotine?
Nicotine belongs to alkaloids - nitrogen-containing substances. It is made from tobacco. The chemical formula of the substance is C 10 H 14 N 2 . Nicotine is a clear, oily liquid; upon storage, it oxidizes and becomes yellow or brown. When hit on the tongue, nicotine burns, has a sharp specific smell. It mixes well with water.
Nicotine is present in other plants of the nightshade family, but its proportion is too small to become dangerous. Man does not need nicotine for the body to work.
Nicotine content in cigarettes affects a person’s condition. Within 7 seconds after inhalation of smoke, this substance enters the brain. After 10 minutes, it reaches maximum concentration, and is excreted for a very long time. After 2 days, you can detect traces of nicotine in the urine.
Resins
Resin is the remnants of harmful substances formed during smoking and having varying degrees of toxicity. Part of the tar gets into the smoker's lungs and leaves a sticky residue.
The amount of tar in cigarettes does not show in reality the amount that enters the human lungs. The carcinogens in the resin cause lung diseases, including cancer. The most common harmful substances are benzopyrene and nitrosamine. There is no norm governing the amount of these substances in one cigarette. Moreover, the concentration of carcinogens does not directly depend on the amount of resins.
Tobacco contains about 300 chemicals, but when set on fire, this amount turns into the 4 most dangerous ingredients.
Tar and nicotine levels
There are hygiene standards that regulate the content of nicotine and tar in cigarettes. When using a smoking machine, the level of combustion products should give the following indicators:
- tar content in filter cigarettes according to Russian standards - 20 mg / sig;
- tar in cigarettes with a filter according to European standards - 15 mg / sig;
- in non-filter cigarettes according to the Russian standard, the tar content does not exceed 24 mg / sig;
- Nicotine should not exceed 1.3 mg / sig worldwide.
These norms were adopted in 1995. For a long time, Russians preferred strong tobacco. At the moment, the situation has changed, smokers prefer light cigarettes with a low content of nicotine and tar. It should be understood that when calculating the content of harmful substances, the volume of substances settled in the filter is taken into account. The amount of hazardous constituents when inhaled smoke was not taken into account. Therefore, a smoker consumes more nicotine than is indicated on the pack.
Are light cigarettes safe
Light cigarettes seem less harmful. Indeed, the nicotine content in cigarettes marked light is lower than in the rest, but the smoking mixture is exactly the same. There are methods that reduce the concentration of nicotine:
- The recovery process allows you to create a smoking mixture of stems, veins and leaf debris. This type is considered softer, but the combustion process is faster.
- Drying the smoking mixture at low temperatures with the addition of various additives.
These methods reduce the amount of tobacco leaves in the mixture, nicotine and resins. However, it is known that these types of cigarettes have a high level of carcinogens and nitric oxide.
Another type of cigarette is ultralight. Their main difference lies in the shape of the filter. It made a large number of pores that thin the smoke. All cigarettes have ventilation:
- standard ones contain up to 25% of pores;
- lungs - from 25% to 40%;
- ultralight - 50%.
It is established that the use of ultra-light cigarettes increases their daily quantity. This leads to greater consumption of harmful substances.
Low Cigarettes
Cigarettes that are low in nicotine and tar are called light. Five of the “safest” cigarettes:
- Reemtsma R1 KS - contains 1 mg of tar and 0.2 mg of nicotine.
- Reemtsma R6 KS - 2 mg resin and 0.4 nicotine.
- Davidoff slim classic - 4 mg resin and 0.8 mg nicotine.
- R1 slim line - contains 6 mg of resin.
- Davidoff slim lights - 7 mg resin.
According to the requirements of Russian GOST, all cigarettes can be divided into 7 types according to the amount of nicotine:
- Grades 1–4, “lungs” - up to 0.8 mg / sig;
- Grade 5 "medium" - 1 mg / sig;
- Grades 6–7 “strong” - up to 1.3 mg / sig.
According to scientists at Oxford, a person who uses cigarettes with the lowest nicotine content gets 8 times more harmful substances than the manufacturer indicates. Regular smokers have problems with their heart and lungs. A brain aneurysm appears, an erection decreases, and blood circulation is disturbed. Tobacco is considered the main cause of lung cancer.
High tar and nicotine cigarettes
Regardless of the nicotine content of cigarettes, filter products should be chosen. Cigarettes that contain the most resins:
- "Prima" - 24 mg;
- “Haze” - 21 mg;
- "Cosmos" - 20 mg;
- "Evening" - 19 mg;
- Java - 17 mg.
Modern tobacco products are aimed at reducing the amount of tar in one cigarette. At the moment, the norm is considered to be up to 14 mg / cigarette.
Nicotine acts on a person as a drug. To reduce its amount on the body, cigarettes with a high content of nicotine should be avoided:
- "Astra" - 1.3 mg;
- "Three" - 1.26 mg;
- Davidoff magnum - 1.2 mg;
- "Rhodope" - 1.15 mg;
- Magna, 84 mm - 1.11 mg.
Studies have shown that women who smoked during pregnancy are more likely than others to give birth to children with developmental abnormalities. The main deviations are a violation of the maxillofacial development. Smokers have a lower life expectancy than those who do not have a craving for smoking. Each smoked cigarette shortens its life by 5 minutes.
Since 2018, consumers have a question why the nicotine content has ceased to be indicated on cigarettes, because the same brand has cigarettes of different contents. The buyer is forced to draw conclusions based on the color of the pack:
- strong cigarettes are produced in packs of red or black;
- the lungs are blue;
- super light - blue, silver;
- ultralight - white.
How to reduce the harm from cigarettes
The use of light cigarettes allows you to get less nicotine and tar, but this does not protect against exposure to harmful substances. There is an opinion that the nicotine content in cigarettes will not affect the body when smoking cigars or if you do not draw smoke into the lungs. In this case, smoke lingers in the nasopharynx and causes laryngeal cancer. Smoking a hookah also causes severe harm to the body, the amount of carcinogens has a detrimental effect on humans.
To maintain health, you should completely stop smoking. For those who are not ready to quit addiction, the following rules have been developed:
- give up home tobacco;
- give preference to cigarettes of the same brand;
- buy products with a filter that partially protects the lungs from harmful effects;
- Do not smoke flavored cigarettes;
- reduce daily cigarettes.
Tobacco refers to narcotic substances, so the dependence on it is primarily psychological. It is more difficult to get rid of it than physical. To combat smoking, you can use anti-nicotine gum or patches.
E-Sigs
The nicotine content of electronic cigarettes depends on its concentration in the liquid. There is an opinion that vape will gradually get rid of addiction. For electronic cigarettes, a special nicotine liquid is bought. Nicotine content may vary depending on the type of mixture and the manufacturer.
On the packaging of an electronic cigarette, the strength in mg / ml is determined. Thus, you can understand how much nicotine is contained in one milliliter of liquid. Choosing the best option, the smoker can quit smoking, but in practice such a theory is questioned. The harm from electronic cigarettes is no less than from ordinary ones.
The nicotine content in the liquid for electronic cigarettes is written on the package:
- 0 mg / ml - without nicotine;
- 8 mg / ml - light content;
- 12 mg / ml - small content;
- 18 mg / ml - strong;
- 24 mg / ml - increased strength;
- 36 mg / ml - the maximum level of strength.
When smoking a vape, the dosage should be strictly observed, otherwise you can cause significant harm to your health. Beginners believe that vape should be smoked just like cigarettes, and taking this into account, they choose the best option for themselves. Before using the vial with liquid, you should carefully study the concentration of nicotine.
Comparison of cigarettes sold in Russia
According to the results of opinion polls in Russia, the most popular brands were Kent, Marlboro, and Parliament. They belong to premium cigarettes.
The company "Kent" is loved by smokers for its assortment, reduced resin content and a carbon-acetate filter.
Marlboro cigarettes were originally designed for women, part of the filter was covered with red paper so lipstick was not visible. At the moment, they are distinguished by a wide range and excellent quality.
The smoking mixture of "Parliament" has a different degree of filtration and a tart taste. A feature of the brand is a filter that protects tooth enamel and cools the smoke.
Medium class cigarettes:
- Chesterfield
- Winston
- "Camel."
Economy class:
Almost 20% of smokers prefer Winston cigarettes.
Why Tobacco Companies Increased Nicotine Levels
Over the past 15 years, tobacco companies have increased their nicotine content by almost 10%. Perhaps this was the reason explaining why they stopped writing nicotine content on cigarettes. It is noted that an increase in the share of nicotine occurred in youth brands. It is likely that increased nicotine levels are addictive.
When measured using a method that simulates real smoking, the amount of nicotine deposited increased by 9.9%. The amount of nicotine per 1 gram of tobacco increased by 11.3%. For this reason, tobacco products should be subject to greater control by the government to prevent intentional increases in harmful substances in tobacco products.
Studies have shown that there were no significant differences in the nicotine content in lungs and ordinary cigarettes. Moreover, the standard method showed significant differences. There is currently no single standard for cigarette comparison. This was another reason explaining why the content of nicotine and other substances was no longer indicated on cigarettes.
Pack changes
Since 2018, the first packs of cigarettes in a new design went on sale. According to the requirements of the EAEU, the following changes appeared on the packages:
- frightening warning signs occupy 50% of the front and back;
- the sign of product circulation has changed, which is now the same for the CU member states;
- an inscription on the possibility of developing cancer is added to the side;
- the inscription about the content of nicotine and tar disappeared.
These changes did not make significant changes in the tobacco market, but explain why the nicotine content is no longer indicated on cigarettes. In the future, it is planned to increase excise duties on tobacco and a ban on all types of tax-free sales of tobacco products.