Discretionary
Disclaimer:
The facts, figures, places, events depicted in
this articulate creation are purely a blend of non fictional & fictional instances
which are based on non fictional ideas & incidences. Any factual
resemblance, if found, to any of such facts, figures, places, events has to be
purely coincidental & also unintentional.
Also several smoky pictures depicted in this
article are for representational purpose & does not bear any commercial or
advertisement connection; nor any attempt of creating awareness, nor any
statutory warnings or some ‘issued in public interest’ kindda stuff on account
of ‘World No Tobacco Day’.
So off lately, quite after a
long time, again having struck off with an unusual theme while breathing the
filtered air; even for the sake of revolving thoughts around to write
something; so chewing, biting & churning the words, around thirty two times
in countless ways, so as to digest & to create yet again another articulate
creation!!..
In this world of smoke; some are active, some are passive; while rest
others are actively passive. It’s like, just as hardcore smokers & chain
smokers, at times, struggle for chillers, matchsticks, flame lighter, electronic
lighter & countless related accessories; more or less, am not relating or
comparing, but, just struggling to compile the smoky words from the burning ashes.
The creature of words inside me was restless after a long time; just as,
the itchy throat craves & is thirsty for smoke; so finally struggling to feel
the puff of words, throughout in the smoky paragraphs in ‘Puff of life’. As
usual having searched & researched from the remains of ashes lying in the
ash tray..
Going by the technicalities & specifications, a cigarette is
a small cylinder of finely cut tobacco leaves
rolled in thin paper for smoking; derived
from the French for "small cigar" & Cigar comes through the Spanish. Most
modern manufactured cigarettes are filtered &
include reconstituted tobacco & other additives.
Smoking is one of the most common forms of recreational drug, a practice in
which a substance, most commonly tobacco, is
burned & the smoke is tasted or inhaled. Several other smoking implements
include pipes, cigars, bidis, hookahs, vaporizers etc.
A cigarette is distinguished from a cigar by its smaller size, use of processed leaf
& paper wrapping, which is normally white. Cigars are typically composed
entirely of whole-leaf tobacco.
The key
ingredient that makes cigarettes more addictive is the inclusion of
reconstituted tobacco, which has additives to make nicotine more volatile as
the cigarette burns. Synthetic particulate filters remove some of the tar
before it reaches the smoker.
A recipe-specified combination of bright leaf, burley-leaf and
oriental-leaf tobacco will be mixed with various additives to improve its
flavours. Various additives are combined into the shredded tobacco product mixtures,
as well as flavouring products & enhancers such as cocoa, solids, licorics, tobacco extracts & various sugars, which are known collectively as
"casings".
Additionally, they replace lost flavours due to the repeated wetting and
drying used in processing the tobacco. Finally the blended tobacco mixture will
be filled into cigarettes tubes & packaged. This process of converting
bound nicotine molecules in tobacco smoke into free nicotine molecules, by use
of chemicals like ammonia, is known as “freebasing”, which enhances the
effect of the nicotine on the smoker.
The history of smoking can be dated
to as early as 5000 BC, & has been recorded in many different cultures
across the world. In the 19th century, the practice of smoking opium became
common. Previously it had only been eaten primarily for its medical properties.
The movement in Nazi Germany did
reach across enemy lines during the Second World War, as anti-smoking groups
quickly lost popular support. By the end of the Second World War, American
cigarette manufacturers quickly reentered the German black market. Illegal
smuggling of tobacco became prevalent & leaders of the Nazi anti-smoking
campaign were brutally assassinated.
The paper for holding the tobacco blend may vary to allow ventilation of
the burning ember or contain materials that control the burning rate of the
cigarette & stability of the produced ash. The papers used in tipping the
cigarette (forming the mouthpiece) & surrounding the filter stabilize the
mouthpiece from saliva & moderate the burning of the cigarette as well as
the delivery of smoke with the presence of one or two rows of small
laser-drilled air holes.
The burn rate of cigarette paper is regulated through the application of
different forms of micro crystalline cellulose to the paper. Cigarette paper has been specially
engineered, which have a reduced idle burning speed which allows them to
self-extinguish.
The process of blending, composed
mainly of shredded tobacco leaf, use a significant quantity of tobacco processing
by-products in the blend, gives the end product a consistent taste from batches
of tobacco grown in different areas of a country that may change in flavor
profile from year to year due to different environmental conditions.
The most common tobacco by-products include:
·
Blended Leaf (BL) Sheet: A thin, dry sheet cast from a paste made with tobacco dust collected
from tobacco stemming, finely milled burley-leaf stem etc.
·
Reconstituted Leaf (RL) Sheet: A paper-like material made from recycled tobacco fines, tobacco stems
& "class tobacco", which consists of tobacco particles less than
30 mesh in size (0.599 mm approx) that are collected
at any stage of tobacco processing.
·
Expanded (ES) or Improved Stems (IS): ES are rolled, flattened, & shredded leaf stems that are expanded
by being soaked in water & rapidly heated.
The common name for the remains
of a cigarette after smoking is a “cigarette butt”.
The butt typically comprises about 30 percent of the cigarette's original
length. It consists of a tissue tube which holds a filter &
some remains of tobacco mixed with ash. After a cigarette is smoked, the butt
is capable of retaining some of the chemicals & parts of them are
carcinogenic.
Cigarette filters are made from cellulose acetate & are
biodegradable. Accordingly, the duration of the degradation process is cited as
taking as little as one month to three years to
as long as 10 to 15 years. This
variance in rate and resistance to biodegradation in many conditions is a
factor in waste, debris & environmental damage. Smoldering cigarette butts
have also been prone for triggering fires from residential fires to major wildfires & bushfires.
The most popular type
of substance that is smoked is ‘Tobacco’. There are many different tobacco cultivars
which are made into a wide variety of mixtures & brands. Tobacco is often
sold flavored, often for use with water pipes, such as hookahs.
The second most
common substance that is smoked is ‘Cannabis’,
made from the flowers or leaves of Cannabis indica or sativa. The substance is considered illegal in most countries in the world. Since
cannabis is illegal or only tolerated in most jurisdictions, there is no
industrial mass-production of cigarettes, meaning that the most common form of
smoking is with hand-rolled cigarettes (often called joints) or with pipes. Water
pipes are also fairly common & when used for cannabis is called ‘Bongs’.
Whether tobacco,
cannabis, opium or herbs, some form of receptacle is required along with a
source of fire to light the mixture. The most common today is by far the
cigarette, consisting of a tightly rolled tube of paper, which is usually
manufactured industrially or rolled from loose tobacco, rolling papers which
can include a filter.
Other popular smoking
tools are various pipes & cigars. A less
common but increasingly popular form is through vaporizers, which operate using
hot air convection by heating & delivering the substance without
combustion; thereby decreasing health risks to the lungs.
Inhaling the vaporized gas form
of substances into the lungs is a quick and very effective way of delivering
drugs into the bloodstream (as the gas diffuses directly into the pulmonary
vein, then into the heart & directly to the brain) & kicks the smoker
within less than a second of the first inhalation.
The forms of automated cigarette-rolling apparatus can be
construed as follows:
·
Electronic Cigarette:
Electronic Cigarette are an alternative to tobacco smoking, although no
tobacco is consumed. It is a battery-powered device that provides inhaled doses
of nicotine by delivering a vaporized propylene glycol/ nicotine or vegetable glycerin/nicotine solution.
Most electronic cigarettes are designed to resemble actual tobacco
smoking implements, such as cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, but many take the
form of ballpoint pens or screwdrivers since those designs are more practical
to house the mechanisms involved. Most are also reusable, with replaceable
& refillable parts, but some models are disposable. Electronic cigarettes
are nicotine delivery devices which closely resemble cigarettes, but produce
vapour rather than smoke.
·
French Inhale
The French inhale is the action performed by smokers of expelling smoke
from the mouth & inhaling it into the nostrils.
·
Hookah
Hookah is a single or multi-stemmed (often glass-based)
water pipe for smoking. Originally from India!!.. The hookah was a symbol of
pride & honour for the landlords, kings & other such high class people.
A hookah operates by water filtration & indirect heat, used for smoking
herbal fruits, tobacco, or cannabis.
·
Kretek
Kretek are cigarettes made with a complex blend of
tobacco, cloves & a flavoring
"sauce". It was first introduced in the 1880s & the quality &
variety of tobacco plays an important role in kretek production, from which
kretek can contain more than 30 types of tobacco. Minced dried clove buds
weighing about 1/3 of the tobacco blend are added to add flavoring.
·
Pipe smoking
Pipe Smoking typically consists of
a small chamber (the bowl) for the combustion of the tobacco to be smoked &
a thin stem (shank) that ends in a mouthpiece (the bit). Shredded pieces of
tobacco are placed into the chamber & ignited. Tobaccos for smoking in
pipes are often carefully treated & blended to achieve flavour nuances not
available in other tobacco products.
·
Roll-Your-Own
Roll Your Own or hand-rolled
cigarettes, often called "rollies" or "Roll-ups", are very
popular particularly in European countries & the UK. These are prepared
from loose tobacco, cigarette papers & filters separately. They are usually
much cheaper than ready-made cigarettes and small contraptions can be bought
making the process easier.
·
Vaporizer
A Vaporizer is a device used to
sublimate the active ingredients of plant material. Rather than burning the
herb, which produces potentially irritating, toxic, or carcinogenic by-products; a
vaporizer heats the material in a partial vacuum so that the active compounds
contained in the plant boil off into a vapor. This method is often preferable
when medically administrating the smoke substance, as opposed to directly paralyzing
the plant material.
‘Passive Smoking’ is the inhalation of
smoke, called Second-Hand Smoke (SHS) or Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS), by persons other than
the intended 'Active' smoker. It occurs when tobacco smoke permeates any
environment, causing its inhalation by people within that environment. Passive Smoking is usually
involuntary consumption of smoked tobacco.
Second Hand Smoke from cigarettes has been shown to be
injurious to bystanders, which has led to having banned the smoking in
many workplaces & public areas. Second-hand
smoke causes many of the same diseases as direct smoking, including cardiovascular diseases, lung cancer & respiratory diseases. The
term "Third Hand Smoke" was recently coined to identify the residual
tobacco smoke contamination that remains after the cigarette is extinguished
& second-hand smoke has cleared from the air.
Several baseless yet countless reasons of smoking comprises of Addictive
Smoking, pleasure from smoking, tension reduction, relaxation, social smoking, stimulation,
casual habit etc. Some smokers argue that the depressant effect of smoking
allows them to calm their nerves, often allowing for increased concentration.
However, "Nicotine seems to provide both a stimulant & a depressant
effect & it is likely that the effect it has at any time is determined by
the mood of the smoker, the environment & the circumstances of consumption.
Statistically, about half of cigarette smokers die of tobacco-related
disease & lose on average 14 years of life expectancy. Cigarette consumption
by pregnant women has also been shown to cause birth defects, including
mental & physical disabilities.
The inherent health hazards of smoking have been diseases including: Cancer (General, Lung, Breast, Pancreatic); Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC); Brain Tumor; Asthma; Cognitive Impairment &
Dementia; during Pregnancy (low birth weight, premature weight, skin disorders);
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS); Chronic diseases & Allergies; Impotency
& infertility; Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) etc etc.
Environmental Tobacco Smoke can be evaluated
either by directly measuring tobacco smoke pollutants found in the air or by
using biomarkers, an indirect measure of exposure. Carbon Monoxide monitored through
breath, nicotine, cotinine, thiocyanates & proteins are the most specific
biological markers of tobacco smoke exposure.
Tobacco smoke
exposure has immediate & prolonged substantial effects on blood & blood
vessels in a way that increases the risk of a heart attack. Exposure to tobacco
smoke for 30 minutes significantly reduces coronary flow velocity reserve in
healthy nonsmokers.
Cotinine
Cotinine, the metabolite of nicotine, is a biomarker of second-hand smoke
exposure. Typically, cotinine is measured in the blood, saliva & urine.
Hair analysis has recently become a new, noninvasive measurement technique.
Cotinine accumulates in hair during hair growth, which results in a measure of
long-term, cumulative exposure to tobacco smoke.
Urinary cotinine
levels have been a reliable biomarker of tobacco exposure & have been used
as a reference in many epidemiological studies. However, cotinine levels found
in the urine only reflect exposure over the preceding 48 hours. Cotinine levels
of the skin, such as the hair and nails, reflect tobacco exposure over the
previous three months and are a more reliable biomarker.
Carbon
Monoxide (CO)
Carbon Monoxide (CO) via breath is also a reliable biomarker of second-hand smoke exposure as well as tobacco consumption. With high sensitivity & specificity, it not only provides an accurate measure, but the test is also non-invasive, highly reproducible. Breath CO monitoring measures the concentration of CO in an exhalation in parts per million, and this can be directly correlated to the blood CO concentration (Carboxyhemoglobin).
Cigarette Smoking for
weight loss is a practice dating
to early knowledge of nicotine as an ‘Appetite Suppressant’. Tobacco use was
associated with appetite suppression. Though smoking is widely discouraged by
public health professionals for its countless negative health consequences, nicotine has been proven to be an appetite suppressant.
Nicotine reduces appetite & can influence an individual’s eating habits.
Nicotine’s effects on appetite
demonstrate that “net effects of nicotine include elevated blood pressure,
heart rate, & gastric motility while eliciting a sustained decrease in food
intake. Autonomic, sensory & enteric neurons each constitute potentially
important for nicotine-mediated changes in feeding behavior.
Nicotine also can
lower insulin levels in a person’s
bloodstream, which can reduce cravings for sugary foods. Furthermore, “nicotine-triggered
effects of adrenaline on the stomach’s musculature” lead to temporary feelings
of subsided hunger. Other studies
have shown that smokers expend more calories while engaged in activity, which concludes
that smokers experience heightened metabolic rates.
Weight Gain as a side effect of Smoking Cessation remains a major aspect of smoking
& weight control. People can be discouraged by weight gain experienced
while quitting smoking. Weight gain is a common experience during smoking
cessation, with roughly 75% of smokers gaining weight after quitting. As nicotine is an appetite suppressant
& smokers expend more energy, weight gain due to smoking cessation is
generally attributed to increased caloric intake & a slowed metabolic rate.
Weight gain can be a deterrent in the smoking
cessation process, even if many smokers did not smoke for weight control
purposes. Those in the process of
quitting smoking are recommended to follow a healthy and to exercise regularly. Most quitting advice encourages people
to not be discouraged should they experience weight gain while quitting
smoking, as the health benefits of quitting almost always exceed the costs of
weight gain. Weight gain during the smoking cessation process can often be lost
eventually through diet and exercise.
In the bottom line; World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is observed around the
world every year on ‘May 31’; since 1987. It is intended to encourage a 24-hour
period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption across the globe. The
day is further intended to draw global attention to the widespread prevalence
of tobacco use & negative health effects.
World Health Organization (WHO) has earmarked
May 31 as 'World No Tobacco Day', to highlight the risks associated with
tobacco usage and reduce its consumption; which is causing irreparable damage
to our society and economy.
The day has also been used as a
springboard for discussing the current and future state of a country as it
relates to tobacco. For example, in India, (with 120 million smokers, has one
of the highest rates of tobacco consumption in the world)
The theme of this year's 'World
No Tobacco Day' is "Ban tobacco
advertising, promotion & sponsorship." The ban on any promotion of
tobacco usage can bring down the incidence of diseases associated with tobacco
usage significantly. It prohibits tobacco companies from sponsoring
sports, music & other cultural events & also prevents the display of
their logos or products on T-shirts, hats or other apparels.
One might have pride on the style
of holding with two fingers; experimenting countless shapes & sizes of smoky
rings, circles, chains, heart etc etc; but the ‘burnt ash coated fact’ lies, that having a puff, once, single or
just countless times; will end off burning the ‘puffy life’ into ashes.
~Thank
You~
P.S.: After
this ‘heavy dose’ of ‘puff’….Better don’t look out for mouth fresheners,
chewing gum etc to rinse out the ‘smoky words’!!...
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