Cigarette Filters Facts
A cigarette filter has the purpose of reducing the amount of smoke, tar, and fine particles inhaled during the combustion of a cigarette. Filters also reduce the harshness of the smoke. In addition to tobacco, cigarettes contain paper made of cellulose laden with many added chemicals that serve to give it a whiter appearance, prettier ash, and a smoother burn. The paper is sealed with glue and often contains a monogram made of coloured ink.
The cigarette filter is in fact a very complicated structure that is made up of four parts. Basically, it consists of fibres bound together by glue, but there are also chemical additives that improve the taste and speed up the rate at which nicotine reaches the brain.
The cigarette filter is supposed to determine if a cigarette can be called a “light” or “ultra-light” brand. These low tar, low nicotine brands have filters that contain tiny holes in them. The holes allow outside air to be brought in with each puff of a cigarette, thus diluting the tar and nicotine to lower levels.
These cigarette filters were designed by the tobacco companies to filter out unhealthy particles in the cigarette smoke. These new filtered cigarettes were tested to see if they produced lower levels of tar and nicotine. Special machines were designed that could smoke cigarettes and measure the levels of tar and nicotine in the smoke. These machines proved that the holes worked and the filtered cigarettes delivered lower amounts of tar and nicotine.
The problem with this method – still used today – is that people don’t smoke like machines. People have lips and fingers that cover up the holes. Also, people can inhale deeper, take more frequent puffs, and hold the smoke in their lungs longer – which is, in fact, what smokers of “light” brands tend to do.
The brands of cigarettes that are “ultra low tar and nicotine” use a technique that involves tiny, invisible perforations in the filter. As smoke flows through the filter, quite a bit of air flows through the perforations and mixes in with the smoke. With each drag, the smoker receives a lot of air and much less smoke, and therefore less tar and nicotine.
The problem with filters is that they don’t actually produce the intended effect .Smokers have a reason for smoking: Their bodies need nicotine. It’s a physical addiction .Smokers will inhale the amount of smoke necessary to get the dose of nicotine their bodies need.
The easiest way to avoid all of these problems is to avoid smoking in the first place. In this way the body never becomes dependent on nicotine. Thus with the above stated facts about filters, there is no less smoking of cigarette. So it is time that people quit smoking for good and start a healthy life.