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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Our planet Earth is called a green planet, mainly because it contains life..
Everything we eat comes directly or indirectly from plants. Plants are sources of oxygen.
They are also used as medicine. Many other products, come from plants and shape up our
lives like lumber, fuel, paper, fabrics, beverages, and spices.
Nowadays, people mostly grow plants like vegetables in their garden to reduce
the expense they spend 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
near the plant. This can cause soil pollution.
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. These chemicals which
cause soil pollution, also cause diseases among human beings who are directly or
indirectly affected with cigarette filters which are designed absorb vapor 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 the soil, the researchers decided to study
the effects of extracted chemicals from cigarette butts in tap water since cigarette butts
also contain 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
to tap water with no chemicals from the cigarette butts in terms
of:
a.
Leaf Color
b. Number of leaves
c.
Plant Height
d. Plant Weight
2. What are the physical characteristics of mongo plants exposed
to the 1st squeezed cigarette butts in tap water as soil
contaminant in terms of:
a.
Leaf Color
b. Number of leaves
c.
Plant Height
d. Plant Weight
3. What are the physical characteristics of mongo plants exposed
to the 2nd squeezed cigarette butts in tap water as soil
contaminant in terms of:
a.
Leaf Color
b. Number of leaves
c.
Plant Height
d. Plant Weight
4. What are the physical characteristics of mongo plants exposed
to the 3rd squeezed cigarette butts in tap water as soil
contaminant in terms of:
a.
Leaf Color
b. Number of leaves
c.
Plant Height
d. Plant Weight
5. What are the physical characteristics of mongo plants exposed
to the 4th squeezed cigarette butts in tap water as soil
contaminant in terms of:
a.
Leaf Color
b. Number of leaves
c.
Plant Height
d. Plant Weight
6. Is there a significant difference in the physical characteristics
of mongo plants exposed to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th squeezed
cigarette butts in tap water as soil contaminant?
7. Is there a significant difference in the physical characteristics
of mongo plants exposed to tap water and squeezed cigarette
butts in tap water as soil contaminant?
C. Objectives of the Study
This research aims to:
1. determine if the chemicals present in cigarette butts can cause physical changes in
mongo plants in terms of:
a. Leaf Color
b. Number of leaves
c. Plant Height
d. Plant Weight
2. compare the physical changes of mongo plants exposed to tap water from the
extracted chemicals from cigarette butts with the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th attempt of
squeezing exists.
3. determine if a significant difference in the physical characteristics of mongo
plants exposed to tap water in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th attempt of squeezing exists.
4. determine if a significant difference in physical characteristics of mongo plants
exposed to tap water and squeezed cigarette butts in tap water as soil contaminant
exists.
D. Hypotheses of the Study
1. There is no significant difference in the physical characteristics of mongo plants
exposed to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th squeezed cigarette butts in tap water as soil
contaminant.
2. There is no significant difference in the physical characteristics of mongo plants
exposed to tap water and squeezed cigarette butts in tap water as soil contaminant.
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 of the Study
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. There will be 15
mongo plants to be tested on each set-up, one exposed to t the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th
squeezed cigarette butts in tap water 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
Cigarette
It is 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
It is 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 squeezed from the cigarette butts are the
contaminants.
Mongo (Vigna radiata)
It is a fast growing plant, also known as green bean. This
plant will be used in this study.
Biomass
It is a biological material derived from living, or recently
living organisms, in the context of biomass for energy that
is often used mean plant based material, but biomass can
equally apply to both animal and vegetable derived
material.
Contaminant
It is a 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 AND STUDIES
Plants grow everywhere and are essential to our lives as we use them as food,
drugs, and fibers for cloth, and wood for energy and building materials. Other food either
comes directly or indirectly from animals which exist only because they feed on or 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. Plants
produce oxygen which is necessary for many forms of life on earth and they are
important link in the global budget for carbon dioxide, which plays a major role in the
"greenhouse effect" associated with global warming. Plants are 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. (University
of Wisconsin Green Bay, 2006)
With the many benefits that we get from plants, we need to see to it that our our
soil is healthy for our own plants to grow and to provide our needs. But one plant,
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. These are some evidences of
bad effects brought by tobacco plant on other neighbouring plants.( Contents of Cigarette
Butts, Yahoo.com , 2008)
Traditional butts are made of “synthetic polymer cellulose acetate” and never
degrade. These butts take up approximately 12 years to break apart. Yet within an hour of
contact with water cigarette butts can begin teaching chemicals such as cadmium, lead,
and arsenic into the marine environment. (One huge problem, Two solutions, August
2005)
Arsenic comes in two forms: Organic and Inorganic. It is the organic that can
cause health risks. Arsenic present in soil can prove to be dangerous to humans. (The
Effects of Arsenic on Plant Surrounding, January 2004)
In the case of cigarette smokers, 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 for planet earth. 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.
(Articlesbase.com, 2010)
There are so much more on the side effects of cigarette as there are harmful
chemicals in one cigarette butt. Among the volatile gaseous phase of tobacco are
nitrosamines, 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. (Tobacco, yaia.com, 2001)
Cigarettes are made from four components: 1. Filters; 2. Tobacco; 3. Additives;
and 4. Cigarette Wrapper.
Filters found in cigarettes are specifically designed to absorb vapors and to
accumulate 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. 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. 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.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. (Cigarette Butt Litter, longwood.edu, 2000)
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 nicotine, in machine measure analyses. (National Cancer Institute [NCI],
2001)
Tobacco and Nicotine in Cigarettes, the cultivated tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum, is
a member of the nightshade family of plants. It is a broad leaf 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. In tobacco, there is much nicotine component which
can also be found on other chemical forms. (Cigarette Butt Litter, longwood.edu, 2000)
There are 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. From the additives, a complete list of
1,400 potential tobacco additives, 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. One of the 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)
There is a need to create a filter to minimize harmful effects of cigarette. 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
nicotine, in machine measure analyses. (National Cancer Institute[NCL], 2001)
More so, 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. (Biologyonline.org, 2008)
There was a comparative study conducted comparing cigarette to other materials
as shown below:
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.
Another is the "tar" which is 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." A similarly affecting
chemical present in a cigarette, is the alkaloids, which according to the Concise Oxford
Dictionary of Botany, are.. “a group of basic nitrogenous compounds of a complex
nature. They are derived from plants and have powerful pharmacological effects. More
than 1000 alkaloids are known from 1200 plant 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, but
they are not good when they touch the soil, they could kill the plants.” (Cigarette Butt
Litter, longwood.edu, 2000)
Considering the harmful effects of cigarette on the soil, they also ruin the water,
even the human beings. Cigarette butts can take up to 12 months to break down in fresh
water 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)
With excessive pollution derived from cigarette, either the soil, or the whole
planet earth environment is greatly affected. Approximately 5 million hectares (600
million trees) of forest are destroyed each year to provide trees to dry tobacco. This is
same size of 3.6 million Aussie Rules Football fields. If butts from these cigarettes were
placed end to end, they would circle the planet 16 times. (Oxygen.org.au, 2006)
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Research Design
The study will deal with the determination of the effects of squeezed cigarette
butts on the 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 as an experimental group that is exposed to
squeezed cigarette butts in tap water 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/Equipment
Materials:
Equipment:
Mongo Seeds
Beaker
Deep containers
Gloves
Soil
Rack
Tap Water
Tape Measure
Cigarette Butts
C. General Procedure
Collection of Materials
Preparation of Squeezed Cigarette Butts in Tap Water
In preparing the squeezed cigarette butts in tap water, the researchers will
measure 100 ml of tap water for each set-up. Each set-up in the experimental group
will only have the same 100 cigarette butts that will be used. And these cigarette butts
in tap water will be squeezed 4 times only.
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 Number of Cigarette
Butts
A
Control Group
100 ml
15
none
B
1st Squeeze
100 ml
15
100 pieces
C
2nd Squeeze
100 ml
15
100 pieces
D
3rd Squeeze
100 ml
15
100 pieces
E
4th Squeeze
100 ml
15
100 pieces
E. Statistical Tools for Data Analysis