The Chemistry of Tobacco Charcoal: A Potentially Harmful Residue from Tobacco Burning
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.2200/aerj.v3i1.197Keywords:
Free Radicals, Particulate Inhalants, Thermal Char, TobaccoAbstract
The events occurring during tobacco burning are complex. Consequently, more than 7000 compounds are generated during cigarette smoking. Particulate inhalants including tobacco thermal emissions carrying with them aggressive free radicals are a serious health concern to tobacco researchers and public health authorities. This paper investigates tobacco charcoal as a source of thermal particulates and environmentally persistent free radicals considered deleterious to cigarette smokers and the natural environment. From a clinical perspective, free radicals and particulate emissions are capable of initiating carcinogens, mutagens, and ageing ailments. Standard procedures representative of cigarette smoking (ISO 3402:1999) were observed in this study. The particulate nature and surface morphology of tobacco thermal char was examined using a Field electron gun scanning electron microscope (FEG SEM) while Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) was used to explore the presence of free radicals on tobacco charcoal. On the other hand, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to investigate the surface functionality of tobacco char. At a pyrolysis temperature of 600 ºC, the mean size of small particulates from tobacco burning measured using image J was found to be 16.66±1.88 nm and that of the large particulates was found to be 26.90±2.52 nm. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) gave a g-value of 2.0029 typical of carbon-centred radicals such as the benzyl radical. A broad peak at 3460 cm-1 was due to –O-H absorption while the peak at 1630 cm-1 was attributed to –C=C stretching. This study has demonstrated that particulate size of tobacco emissions are ultrafine (PM0.1) and can possibly be deposited in the tracheobronchial and alveoli regions of the lungs thus precipitating serious harm to cigarette smokers as well as second hand smokers. Sensitization on the dangers of cigarette smoking will reduce the socio-economic burden associated with clinical problems arising from tobacco use.
References
Adam T., McAughey J., McGrath, C., Mocker, C. and Zimmermann Ralf. (2009). Simultaneous on-line size and chemical analysis of gas phase and particulate phase of cigarette mainstream smoke. Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry, 394: 1193-1203.
Babu, B. V. (2008). Biomass pyrolysis: a state-of-the-art review. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, 2: 393-414.
Baker, R. R. (2006). Smoke generation inside a burning cigarette: modifying combustion to develop cigarettes that may be less hazardous to health. Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, 32: 373-385.
Busch, C., Streibel, T., Liu, C., McAdam, K. G. and Zimmermann, R. (2012). Pyrolysis and combustion of tobacco in a cigarette smoking simulator under air and nitrogen atmosphere. Anal Bioanal Chem, 403.
Chaouachi, K. (2009). Hookah (Shisha, Narghile) smoking and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). A critical review of the relevant literature and the public health consequences. International journal of environmental research and public health, 6: 798-843.
Dellinger, B., Khachatryan, L., Masko, S. and Lomnicki S. (2011). Free radicals in tobacco smoke. Mini-Reviews in Organic Chemistry, 8: 427-433.
Dellinger, B., Pryor, W. A., Cueto, R., Squadrito, G. L., Hegde, V. and Deutsch, W. A. (2001). Role of free radicals in the toxicity of airborne fine particulate matter. Chemical research in toxicology, 14: 1371-1377.
Hands, J. R., Dorling, K. M., Abel, P., Ashton, K. M., Brodbelt, A., Davis, C., Dawson, T., Jenkinson, M. D., Lea, R. W. and Walker, C. (2014).
Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectral discrimination of brain tumour severity from serum samples. Journal of biophotonics, 7: 189-199.
Jebet, A., Kibet, J., Ombaka, L. and Kinyanjui, T. (2017). Surface bound radicals, char yield and particulate size from the burning of tobacco cigarette. Chemistry Central Journal, 11: 79.
Kawamoto, H., Murayama, M. and Saka, S. (2003). Pyrolysis behavior of levoglucosan as an intermediate in cellulose pyrolysis: polymerization into polysaccharide as a key reaction to carbonized product formation. Journal of Wood Science, 49: 469-473.
Keng, P. Y., Bull, M. M., Shim In-Bo, N., Kenneth, G., Armstrong, N. R., Sung, Y., Char, K. and Pyun, J. (2011). Colloidal polymerization of polymer-coated ferromagnetic cobalt nanoparticles into Pt-Co3O4 nanowires. Chemistry of Materials, 23: 1120-1129.
Kibet, J., Rono, N. and Mutumba, M. (2017). Particulate emissions from high temperature pyrolysis of cashew nuts. Eurasian J Anal Chem, 12.
Kleeman, M. J., Riddle, S. G., Robert M. A., Jakober, C. A., Fine, P. M., Hays, M. D., Schauer, J. J. and Hannigan, M. P. (2008). Source apportionment of fine (PM1. 8) and ultrafine (PM0. 1) airborne particulate matter during a severe winter pollution episode. Environmental science & technology, 43: 272-279.
Liu, C. G., McAdam, K. and Perfetti, T. A. (2011). Some recent topics in cigarette smoke science. Mini-Reviews in Organic Chemistry, 8: 349-359.
Moridani, M. Y., Siraki, A., Chevaldina, T., Scobie, H. and O’Brien, P. J. (2004). Quantitative structure toxicity relationships for catechols in isolated rat hepatocytes. Chemico-biological interactions, 147: 297-307.
Muramatsu, M. (2005). An approach to modeling a burning cigarette. Beiträge zur Tabakforschung International/Contributions to Tobacco Research, 21: 286-293.
Rodgman, A. and Perfetti T. A. (2016). The chemical components of tobacco and tobacco smoke: CRC press.
Russ, J. C. (2012). Computer-assisted microscopy: the measurement and analysis of images: Springer Science & Business Media.
Shafizadeh, F. (1982). Introduction to pyrolysis of biomass. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 3: 283-305.
Valko, M., Rhodes, C., Moncol, J., Izakovic, M. and Mazur, M. (2006). Free radicals, metals and antioxidants in oxidative stress-induced cancer. Chemico-biological interactions, 160: 1-40.
Wiebel, F. J. (2015). Chemistry and primary toxicity of tobacco and tobacco smoke. In The Tobacco Epidemic (Vol. 42, pp. 37-46): Karger Publishers.