Table of contents:
- What are filter cigarettes made of?
- What is the function of the cigarette filter?
- The impact of cigarette filters on the human body
For most people, cigarettes have become the fourth staple necessity after clothing, food and shelter even though they know very well what the dangers are. Therefore, cigarette factories and manufacturers began creating cigarettes with filters in the early 1950s with the aim of reducing harmful substances that enter the body. But is it true that filter cigarettes are safer for the body than unfiltered cigarettes?
What are filter cigarettes made of?
Filters are generally made from cellulose acetate, which is usually obtained from processed wood. This material is used because of its ability to filter tar and nicotine from cigarettes.
One cigarette filter can contain 12,000 fibers made of cellulose acetate, and these fibers can be sucked into the lungs along with cigarette smoke.
In addition, filters also have a negative impact on the environment because cellulose acetate is not biodegradable. It is estimated that 845,000 tonnes of filtered cigarettes are thrown away each year. The filters scattered in the oceans also have a negative impact on living things that ingest them accidentally.
What is the function of the cigarette filter?
Filters can significantly reduce tar and nicotine from each puff. This is believed to reduce the negative effects of smoking on the body.
The high tar content in cigarettes can increase the risk of developing lung cancer in smokers. Several studies have also revealed that non-filtered cigarettes can increase the risk of developing lung cancer compared to those with filters.
The impact of cigarette filters on the human body
Even though filters have been believed to filter out the amount of nicotine and tar, in fact they also have a negative impact on our bodies.
One of them is that the fibers in the filter can be inhaled together with the smoke. These fibers can also contain the tar from cigarette smoke, which contains harmful cancer-causing substances.
In addition, many smokers think that filtered cigarettes are much safer than unfiltered cigarettes, so they tend to increase the number of cigarettes consumed per day.
Filter smokers also tend to inhale cigarette smoke more deeply than non-filter smokers. So in fact, more and more of the harmful content of cigarettes is inhaled into the lungs.
Ultimately, cigarettes will still have a negative impact on the human body, whether with or without filters. Therefore, we should limit the use of cigarettes due to the negative impact of smoking on the body and on the environment and endanger living things around us.
