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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A.
Background of the Study
Plants are important for human life in many ways. Everything we eat comes directly or
indirectly from plants. Plants are one of our natural sources of oxygen. Plants have also been
used as medicine. They are the source of many other products that shape our lives – lumber,
fuel, paper, fabrics, beverages, spices, etc. These make life on Earth possible.
Nowadays, people mostly grow plants like vegetables in their garden to reduce the
expense they spent when they buy in the market. But some of these plant owners are cigarette
users. Sometimes, they throw their cigarette butts or their unfinished lighted cigarette on the
soil of the plant. What they do not know is that it may release chemicals trapped in the filter
when mixed with water. Cigarette manufacturers and users are aware of the dangers posed by
smoking. The problem is that what is filtered is usually dumped in the soil when these butts are
just thrown.
There are over 4,000 chemicals in cigarettes which could have various toxic, mutagenic
and carcinogenic effects. Three of the most widely known chemicals are nicotine,carbon
monoxide, and tar. Nicotine is a mild stimulant found in tobacco plants. It is a strong poisonous
drug and it is the main ingredient in insecticides. Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas which is
also found in the exhaust of a car. Tar is the oily material which remains after tobacco passes
through the filter.
Cigarette filters are designed to absorb vapors and to accumulate particulate smoke
components. Filters also prevent tobacco from entering a smoker's mouth and provide a
mouthpiece. As the cigarettes contain many toxic substances that harm the environment
especially in land, the researchers aim to study the effects of chemicals extracted in tap water
specifically from the cigarette butt by squeezing since cigarette butt also contains chemical
components as the smoke passes through the filter as soil contaminant on mongo plants.
B.
Statement of the Problem
This study aims to answer the following questions:
Main problem:
Can the chemicals present in the cigarette butts cause physical changes to
mongo plants?
Sub-Problems:
1. What are the physical characteristics of mongo plants exposed in tap water
with no chemicals from the cigarette butts in terms of:
a.
Color of the leaves
b.
Number of leaves
c.
Height of the plant
d.
Weight of the plant
2. What are the physical changes of mongo plants exposed in the 1st squeezing
of the cigarette butts extracted in water as soil contaminant in terms of:
a.
Color of leaves
b.
Number of leaves
c.
Height of the plant
d.
Weight of the plant
3. What are the physical changes of mongo plants exposed in the 2nd attempt of
squeezing of the cigarette butts extracted in water as soil contaminant in terms of:
a.
Color of leaves
b.
Number of leaves
c.
Height of the plant
d.
Weight of the plant
4. What are the physical changes of mongo plants exposed in the 3rd attempt of
squeezing of the cigarette butts extracted in water as soil contaminant in terms of:
a.
Color of leaves
b.
Number of leaves
c.
Height of the plant
d.
Weight of the plant
5. What are the physical changes of mongo plants exposed in the 4th attempt of
squeezing of the cigarette butts extracted in water as soil contaminant in terms of:
a.
Color of leaves
b.
Number of leaves
c.
Height of the plant
d.
Weight of the plant
6. Is there a significant difference between the effects of monggo plants with the 1st
squeezing of the extracted cigarette butts in water and in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th squeezing of
the cigarette butts extracted in water as soil contaminant?
C.
Hypotheses of the Study
1. Chemicals from cigarette butts cannot cause changes in the physical charateristics of
mongo plants.
2. There are no physical changes of mongo plants exposed in tap water with no
chemicals from cigarette butts in terms of:
a.
Color of leaves
b.
Number of leaves
c.
Height of the plant
d.
Weight of the plant
3. There are no physical changes of mongo plants exposed in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th
squeezing of the cigarette butts extracted in water as soil contaminant in terms of:
a.
Color of leaves
b.
Number of leaves
c.
Height of the plant
d.
Weight of the plant
4. Is there a significant difference between the effects of monggo plants with the 1st
squeezing of the extracted cigarette butts in water and in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th squeezing of
the cigarette butts extracted in water as soil contaminant?
D.
Objectives
This study aims to:
1. Determine if the chemicals present in cigarette butts can cause physical changes in
mongo plants in terms of:
a.
Color of leaves
b.
Number of leaves
c.
Height of the plant
d.
Weight of the plant
2. Compare the physical changes of mongo plants exposed to the extracted cigarette
butts from tap water with the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th attempt of squeezing.
3. Determine the significant difference in the physical changes on mongo plants
exposed to tap water in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th attempt of squeezing.
E.
Significance of the Study
Many hazardous substances are present in cigarettes that are frequently disposed of by
pouring them down drains, or even dumping them directly into the ecosystem, that can allow
chemicals to seep into land or water supply that plants depend on. This study relates to the
important issue of pollution and of caring the environment. The study aims to determine and
identify the effects of cigarette butts to plants. Future researchers can use the data and results
as basis to support their study. Furthermore, environmentalist, household members, students
and smokers can acquire knowledge and be aware of the effects of cigarette butts to the
environment especially to plants.
F.
Scope and Limitations
The researchers will focus on the physical changes of mongo plants such as the color of
the leaves, number of leaves, height of the plant, and weight of the plant This study will limit to
the use of cigarette butts, mongo plants and tap water used to extract the cigarette butts alsoy
by squeezing. There will be 15 mongo plants to be tested on each set-up, one exposed to water
with the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th attempt of squeezing of extracted cigarette butts while the
other is only exposed to tap water. Each mongo plant will be watered with 100ml of tap water.
The researchers will determine the mongo plants' biomass to get the weight of the plants. The
experimentation will be held on the researchers' residences.
G.
Definition of Terms
Cigarettes - are a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves cylinder of thin paper for
smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to burn slowly without flame;
its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some
cases a cigarette holder may be used as well.
Cigarette butt- The remains of cigarette after smoking. It consists of a tissue tube which
holds a filter. It typically comprises about 30% of the cigarette’s original length. In this
study, chemicals extracted from the cigarette butts are the contaminants.
Mongo- (“Vigna radiata”) a fast growing plant, also known as green bean. The plant that
will be used in this study.
Biomass- is a biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms, in the
context of biomass for energy that is often used to mean plant based material, but
biomass can equally apply to both animal and vegetable derived material.
Contaminant- biological, chemical, physical, radiological substance (normally absent in
the environment) which, in sufficient concentration, can adversely affect living
organisms through air, water, soil, or food.
Chapter II
Review of Related Literature
Plants are everywhere and are essential to our lives in the form of food, drugs, and fibers for
cloth, and wood for energy and building materials. All of our food either comes directly or
indirectly from animals which exist only by eating plants or by eating other animals, which in
turn ultimately depend on plants. Plants also provide essential habitat and food for many
species of animals, and animal species often have strong preferences for, or even an absolute
dependence on specific plants. Plants produce oxygen which is necessary for many forms of life
on earth and they are an important link in the global budget for carbon dioxide, which plays a
major role in the "greenhouse effect" associated with global warming. Plants are an important
part of our aesthetic experience. We use them to decorate our streets, parks, yards and homes
and many people find great pleasure and recreation in observing wildflowers and natural plant
communities. Plants are also popular subjects for photographers and artists. ( The Cofrin Center
for Biodiversity and the University of Wisconsin Green Bay, 2006)
Tobacco is really harmful for some plants. The plants in the tobacco family, like tomato, potato
and several flowering plants like Nicotiana, can get a leaf blight-any blight causing a browning
and falling of the leaves of a plant- from coming in contact with cigarettes, butts, or even hands
that have recently touched cigarettes.( Yahoo.com , 2008)
Every time a smoker lights up, they are not only filling their lungs with over four thousand
chemicals, but the air around them as well. While the smoke of one cigarette may not
contribute much to air pollution, when you consider the amount of smokers in the world and
the number of cigarettes they smoke a day, the problem becomes far more serious. The
cigarette’s contribution to pollution does not end with the air. Discarded cigarette butts again
may seem like a small problem until you consider how many there are. It’s estimated that there
are millions of them lying on the ground and in the water – each one taking an estimated
twenty-five years to decompose. When cigarette butts wind up in the water, small animals and
waterfowl mistake them food. This often causes them to die. Furthermore, while in the water,
the chemicals leak directly out into the body of water. Most effective drug that helps you to
control the cigarette cravings is Chantix, the product of Pfizer that not just helps to quit
smoking however as well helps to control cravings thus making your whole process easier than
expected. (How Cigarettes Affect the Environment, Articlesbase.com, 2010)
Among the volatile gaseous phase of tobacco are niotrosamines, sulfur containing compounds,
and hydrocarbons. Nicotine is a colorless volatile liquid alkaloid found in smoking and
smokeless tobacco which turns brown and acquires the odor of the tobacco upon exposure to
the air. (website: http://tobacco.yaia.com/composition.html)
Cigarettes are made from four components, each of which is describe below.
1. Filters
2. Tobacco
3. Additives
4. Cigarette wrapper
1. Filters:
Cigarette filters are specifically designed to absorb vapors and to accumulate particulate smoke
components. Filters also prevent tobacco from entering a smoker's mouth and provide a
mouthpiece that will not collapse as the cigarette is smoked. Filters generally have the
following components:
A "plug" of acetate cellulose filter tow
95% of cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate (a plastic), and the balance are made from
papers and rayon. The cellulose acetate tow fibers are thinner than sewing thread, white, and
packed tightly together to create a filter; they can look like cotton. Other materials have been
tried and rejected in favor of the taste that acetate produces. Filters vary in filtration efficiency,
depending on whether the cigarette is to be "light" or regular.
An inner paper wrapper (plug wrap) and glue
The paper used to wrap the acetate cellulose plug is impervious to air for regular cigarettes, or
is ventilated and very porous in "light" cigarettes, allowing more air to enter the smoke mix. A
polyvinyl acetate emulsion is used as the glue to attach the plug to the wrapper, and to seam
the wrapper.
An outer paper (tipping paper)
The tipping paper, often printed to look like cork, covers the filter plug and attaches the filter to
the column of tobacco. Tipping paper is formulated to not adhere to the lips of smokers.
2. Tobacco and Nicotine in Cigarettes:
Cultivated tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum, is a member of the nightshade family of plants. It is a
broadleaf native of tropical America that is cultivated as an annual. Depending on the type of
tobacco and its growing location, the leaves of the tobacco plant have different tastes, burning
properties, aromas, color, and nicotine content. Tobacco leaves contain several alkaloids (see
below), including the highly toxic alkaloid nicotine. Nicotine is the drug in tobacco that causes
addiction in smokers according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Nicotine is a powerful insecticide and among the deadliest of all plant products in its pure form.
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, it raises blood pressure, affects
the central nervous system, and constricts blood vessels in humans. Nicotine is a colorless liquid
that is highly soluble in water, and is readily absorbed through the skin in its pure form.
3. Additives to tobacco:
Potentially hundreds of additives are mixed with tobacco during the manufacturing process.
Additives to smoking tobacco include flavorings and humectants that are used to keep tobacco
moist. According to a publication written for the tobacco industry, additives can constitute ten
percent of the weight of the "tobacco" portion of a cigarette, and four per cent of the entire
cigarette.
The complete list of 1,400 potential tobacco additives, which include sweeteners and flavors
such cocoa, rum, licorice, sugar, and fruit juices is considered a trade secret. Since tobacco is
not classified as a food or drug, there are no legal maximums on agricultural chemicals or
chemical additives cigarettes may contain.
A widely used cigarette additive is menthol with its ability to provide flavor and to serve as an
anesthetic. When burned, many additives form new compounds, possessing unique properties.
For example, glycerol produces acrolein, a chemical which has been found to interfere with the
normal clearing of the lungs (Whelan, 1984)
"Tar" in cigarette filters:
The "tar" often referred to in connection with cigarettes is not a black petroleum tar product,
but instead refers to the hundreds of substances and additives found in tobacco. Tar, when
cool, is a sticky yellow-brown substance and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
states that it is composed of organic and inorganic chemicals, including some carcinogens. The
U.S. Federal Trade Commission defines tar as "total particulate matter…less nicotine and
water."
About Alkaloids:
According to The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Botany (editor: Michael Allaby, 1992), alkaloids
are … "A group of basic, nitrogenous compounds of a complex nature. Alkaloids are derived
from plants and have powerful pharmacological effects. More than 1000 alkaloids are known
from 1200 plants species. Their function is uncertain but in some species, they confer a degree
of protection from insect attack. Pharmacologically powerful alkaloids derived from plants
include cocaine, morphine, and strychnine."
4. Cigarette Wrapper and Glue
Generally, the paper used to wrap the tobacco is made form flax or linen fiber. Manufacturers
add various chemicals to the paper, including salts, monoammonium phosphate and sodium
and potassium citrates to accelerate or control the burning rate. The burn rate has an
important effect on the number of puffs that can be obtained by the smoker, and the smoke
yield. A whitening pigment—calcium carbonate—is added to the paper, partly to ensure the
creation of an attractive ash as the cigarette burns (Browne, 1990). The wrappers' seams are
glued with an adhesive that is a modified starch or natural gum (Browne,
1990).http://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/cigbuttfilters.htm
Cigarette butts can take up to 12 months to break down in freshwater and up to 5 years to
breakdown in seawater. These include chemicals such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen, cyanide,
nitrogen oxides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, ammonia, acetaldehyde, formal dehyde,
benzene, phenol, argon, pyridines, and acetone, over fifty of which are known to be
carcinogenic to humans.( Elli Slaughter, Fall 2010)
The cigarette was redesigned and a new filter was added to most cigarettes. Filters were found
to absorb and remove vapors and various constituents of cigarette smoke, such as tar and
nictone, in machine measure analyses. ( National Cancer Institute [NCI], 2001)
Chemical fertilizing is a process that provides nitrogen and potassium to plants for nutritional
growth and development. Chemical fertilizers are formulated to work fast. They can make a bad
garden or lawn look good quicker than organic fertilizers. Too much fertilizing can harm plants
and cause damaging effects on growth. Plants forget how to get nutrients naturally from the
soil and rely on artificial fertilizers. When growing plants for food consumption, certain
amounts of the chemical fertilizer can remain in the plant, resulting in contamination. Physical
contact, inhalation or consumption may cause severe injuries, allergies and possible death.
Gloves and a clean cloth or mask over the nose and mouth should be worn when handling
chemical fertilizers. (Department of Horticulture and Crop Science of Ohio State University,
2001)
Nicotine is a mild stimulant found in tobacco plants, and can be smoked or chewed. It contains
thousands of carcinogenic substances, most notably carbon monoxide and tar. Carbon
monoxide is poisonous and found to be around 200 times more absorb-able into the blood
stream than oxygen, therefore reducing the amount of oxygen available to the body through
the bloodstream. Tobacco has been found to cause cancer, narrow the arteries and generally
leads to a declining health due to its numerous substances taking their toll on the body.
Nicotine is smoke to produce a mild relaxing effect and is believed to induce a feeling of
psychological dependence. (Biology-online.org, 2008)
Pollution is not the only way cigarettes damage the environment. Approximately 5 million
hectares (600 million trees) of forest are destroyed each year to provide trees to dry tobacco.
This is the same size of 3.6 million Aussie Rules Football fields. If the butts from these cigarettes
were placed end to end, they would circle the planet 16 times. (Oxygen.org.au, 2006)
Familiar Chemicals in Cigarettes
Chemical
Found in:
carbon monoxide
car exhaust
nicotine
bug sprays
tar
material to make roads
arsenic
rat poison
ammonia
cleaning products
hydrogen cyanide
gas chamber poison
cyanide
deadly poison
acetone
nail polish remover
butane
cigarette lighter fluid
DDT
insecticides
formaldehyde
to preserve dead bodies
sulfuric acid
car batteries
cadmium
used to recharge batteries
freon
damages earth's ozone layer
geranic acid
a fragrance
methoprene
a pesticide
maltitol
a sweetener not permitted to be used in
foods in the U.S.
Sources: Dr. Joel Dunnington, Tobacco Almanac,
Revised, May 1993.
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Research Design
The study will deal with the determination of the effects of cigarette butts extracted in
water by squeezing to physical characteristics of mongo plants such as the color and number of
leaves, height and weight of the plants. Two set-ups will be prepared, one will serve as the
control group and the other one as an experimental group that is exposed to cigarette butts
extracted in water that has been squeezed as soil contaminant. Each set-up will have 15 mongo
plants to be tested. The amount of water that will be used to every attempt of squeezing will be
the same. The researchers will spend three weeks to observe changes in the physical
appearance of the mongo plants. The data on the changes of physical characteristics of mongo
plants will be recorded on a weekly basis.
B. Materials and Equipment
Materials Equipment
C. General Procedure
Gathering of Cigarette Butts
Preparation of Extracted Cigarette Butts in Tap Water by Squeezing
In preparing the extracted cigarette butts in tap water by squeezing, the researchers measured
100 ml of tap water for each setup. Each setup will be extracted with 100 cigarette butts but
with continuous attempt of squeezing, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th attempt of squeezing.
Monitoring of Plant Growth
D. Experimental Setup
Table 1 Table on the Different Set-ups Used
Set-ups
Amount of Tap Water Number of Mongo Plants
A
Control Group
100 ml
15
B
1st Squeeze
100 ml
15
C
2nd Squeeze
100 ml
15
D
3rd Squeeze
100 ml
15
E
4th Squeeze
100 ml
15
E. Statistical Tools for Data Analysis