Cigarettes and e-Cigarettes

This is a lesson that completely enraptured the students. I have never had students so enthralled in a topic before.

Prior to the lesson, I took an empty oatmeal tube and turned it into a cigarette using large sheets of construction paper (thanks to the art department!). I made a label that said "What is Inside of a Cigarette?". I also copied and pasted pictures from Google into a document and then cut out and laminated the pictures. Each picture is something that shares a chemical component with cigarettes. You can access that list here: http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/about-smoking/facts-figures/whats-in-a-cigarette.html

Among other things, cigarettes contain a ton of harmful chemicals. With each puff, smokers are taking these chemicals into their bodies via their delicate lungs. The list includes:

• Acetone – found in nail polish remover
• Acetic Acid –  an ingredient in hair dye
• Ammonia – a common household cleaner
• Arsenic – used in rat poison
• Benzene – found in rubber cement
• Butane – used in lighter fluid
• Cadmium – active component in battery acid
• Carbon Monoxide – released in car exhaust fumes
• Formaldehyde – embalming fluid
• Hexamine – found in barbecue lighter fluid
• Lead – used in batteries
• Naphthalene – an ingredient in moth balls
• Methanol – a main component in rocket fuel
• Nicotine – used as insecticide
• Tar – material for paving roads
• Toluene - used to manufacture paint

Gross.

AS I taught the lesson, I pulled item after item out of the cigarette. With each new item, students became increasingly grossed out. I heard many comments like "I will NEVER smoke one of those things!" and "Why do they put so many awful things in cigarettes? Shouldn't that be against the law?"

It was a very effective way to teach about the dangers of smoking.

When talking about e-cigarettes, many students thought they were safer than regular cigarettes. But, if you notice from the list, Nicotine is listed as being "used as an insecticide". Since e-cigarettes are used to "smoke" vaporized liquid nicotine, it is clear to see that e-cigarettes are far from safe.

To finish the lesson, I utilized some videos from the Mississippi Youth Tobacco Prevention campaign. The videos go together but are linked in three parts. I actually downloaded the videos and edited them together to make one continuous video.

"One Smokey, Chokey Night" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiZLR5tv2Zo

"Something Roachie Around Here" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ac2vDbT0EQ

"No Thanks, Smoking Stanks" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5US7kr1uV4