BY JOSHUA DISU

Cigarette Fume Reduction Project

Introduction

My name is Joshua Disu. I’m 16 years of age, and I was born and grew up in the south east of London. Growing up as a sufferer of asthma, smoking has been a subject that deeply affects me, and is a topic that deeply concerns me, and I’m sure many others across the UK. I’m not against people smoking, since it’s their own personal choice and I know it’s something difficult to break free from, for those who a smokers but want to or intend to quit. What I am against, however, is that other people are forced to smoke without smoking, and are therefore facing the consequences of smoking. This project is to turn third party smoking around.

The Distribution of Smokers

9.6 million adults in the United Kingdom smoke. With the population of the country expected to increase, this number is expected to grow.

Now as I began my investigation, I expected London to have the highest number of smokers in the UK, with the high number of people, the number of commuters who work in the city and smoke during their lunch breaks etc., and because every high street I go to in the suburbs of the city, I always sense a smell of strong cigarettes. However, Blackpool has the highest number of smokers with 26.9% and London with 13.3%.

The Outdoor Tobacco Smoke Study by Stanford

This study’s purpose was to quantify the potential level of exposure to outdoor tobacco smoke that could occur in everyday locations such as parks, outdoor cafes, sidewalks, and outdoor pubs.

Findings were: 1. the average levels of smoking can be comparable

to those measured indoors when people smoke. 2, A person near an outdoor smoke could breathe in

wisps of smoke that could be 10s 100s of times more concentrated than normal background air pollution levels.

The Dangers

Toxins and odors from tobacco smoke can drift in the air. Third hand smoking can accumulate on hair, skin, clothing and personal effects of smokers. A single cigarette is home to over 4000 chemicals. Here is a list of 3rd hand cancer causes:-Ammonia-Arsenic-Butane-Cadmium-Chromium-Lead-Hydrogen Cyanide-Toluene-Radioactive Polonium-210

Even at low levels, these compounds can effect nerve and brain tissue. Cancer is something that causes our hearts to grow cold, and its also costing the NHS and the government tonnes of money, and more importantly – is killing us. I could write a book about the effects of smoking, since it’s exactly the same as third part smoking, and I know many have, but what’s the point preaching about it, when we are actually doing it ourselves, and we are ignoring the impacts it’s having on our own lives.

The Plan

Outdoor air purifiers are the cure to the dilemma of third party smoking.

First surveys need to be done of where people are most likely to smoke, this could be bus stops, pubs, parks, cafes, high streets etc. Then we’ll be able to see where the air purifiers are required to be set up. An example of an area that has been able to accomplish this is Hong Kong, located in Asia. A region suffering from the increased concentration of air borne emissions and smog. This idea can be replicated in city bus stops as a resolve to reduce third part smoking at bus stops.

The Plan

High streets dotted across the country have a number of these. The purpose, not many people know. However, these could be converted to good use. These can be converted to mini air purifiers dotted along high streets, as they are, in order to improve air quality on our streets.