[paul.fr]

are the filters on cigarettes cutting out the nasties you would inhale without it? If they are, would a longer filter make a healthier cigarette? If not, why are they there?

[Bored chemist]

The filters remove some of the trash but I think their main effect is on flavour rather than toxicity.
The way to make a healthier cigarette is to not smoke it.

[neilep]

What about herbal ciggys ?

[eric l]

What about herbal ciggys ?

You will have cigarettes without nicotine, but not without tar and other nasties - or maybe even with some other nasties.

[Cut Chemist]

This experiment might not be scientific enough for this website, but it is a visual representation of how much tar comes from even a "light, and filtered" cigarette.  You would have to be a smoker to actually do the experiment but ... here it is

 http://208.65.153.253/watch?v=IQ4n7g31RlE

[paul.fr]

This experiment might not be scientific enough for this website, but it is a visual representation of how much tar comes from even a "light, and filtered" cigarette.  You would have to be a smoker to actually do the experiment but ... here it is

 http://208.65.153.253/watch?v=IQ4n7g31RlE

how things jog your memory. i remember doing something similar, with cotton wool though. The cigarette was lit and drawn through a great big wad of cotton woll, i can picture the effect now.

Thanks CC for helping me remember that experiment.

[eric l]

If you want an effective filter, you have to switch to the hookah (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookah), but I can hardly see you (or anyone else) walking in the streets with one of those.
The filtrating action of the water and the cooling effect will remove 99 % of the tar - at least that's what I was told.

[paul.fr]

If you want an effective filter, you have to switch to the hookah (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookah), but I can hardly see you (or anyone else) walking in the streets with one of those.
The filtrating action of the water and the cooling effect will remove 99 % of the tar - at least that's what I was told.

thanks eric, i tend not to walk down the street with my hooker...oops, you said hookah [:I]

[Bored chemist]

Not smoking removes 100% of the tar and the other toxins.

[eric l]

Not smoking removes 100% of the tar and the other toxins.

How about "passive smoking" ?  Of course, you won't have the same concentration of pollutants to deal with.  But is passive smoking so much more dangerous than breathing the air in a road tunnel with heavy traffic ?

[Bored chemist]

If nobody smokes the cig then it cuts down the passive smoking too.