By now you’re crossing a dangerous taboo by smoking a cigarette indoors. The judgment is fair, though. Secondhand smoke makes everything stink of stale tobacco. It’s also bad for you, of course, but you knew that already.
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The American Ceramic Society recently wrote about new technology that, for better or worse, could bring cigarettes back indoors. Judge for yourselves whether this is a good or bad thing. From the Society:
“Researchers at Korea Institute of Science and Technology have developed a non-smokers dream—a nanocatalyst that alleviates air of carcinogens and particulates from cigarette smoke.
“According to the KIST press release, the catalyst removes 100% of the carcinogens acetaldehyde and nicotine and 100% of particle substances (such as tar) from a room filled with cigarette smoke.
“Although acetaldehyde is the predominant carcinogen in smoke, cigarette smoke contains over 7,000 other chemical compounds. Of those, 10% are known carcinogens. [Considering other compounds aren’t mentioned in the press release, I’m doubting that 100% of those are removed from smoky air, too.]
“The filter, a ceramic-based media encased with a Mn/TiO2 nanocatalyst powder coating, uses oxygen free radicals to break down the harmful compounds in cigarette smoke.
“Ozone decomposition on the nanocatalyst generates oxygen free radicals, which then react with compounds in cigarette smoke to oxidize and neutralize them, generating harmless water and carbon dioxide in the process.”
Click here to read the full story.
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