Tobacco Education:
KS3 Science Experiments and Activities
1.
Nicotine
Simulated Blood Vessel Restriction/Heart Rate Increases
Simulated Blood Vessel Restriction
2.
Tobacco – Tar
Tar accumulation
Tar accumulation over a One-Year Period
Tar’s paralyzing Effects on Bronchial Cilia
Obstructive properties of Tar
Effects of Tar on plants
3.
Carbon Monoxide and Other Poisons
Oxygen/Carbon Monoxide Simulation
Poisons in Tobacco Smoke
How Cigarette Smoke Affects Mould Growth on Bread
4.
Lung capacity
5.
Smokeless Tobacco
Tobacco juice
Tobacco juice stains
The purpose is to demonstrate the effects of the poisons in tobacco, focusing primarily on nicotine, Tar, and
carbon monoxide.
1. Nicotine
Nicotine is a poisonous, water-soluble alkaloid found in tobacco leaves and used as an insecticide. One cigarette
contains approximately 8 milligrams of nicotine. Nicotine increases heart rate, and blood pressure rises when the
blood vessels constrict. Nicotine affects the body in only three-and-a-half seconds, and the effect lasts
approximately 90 minutes.
Simulated Blood Vessel Restriction/Heart Rate Increases
Purpose -- To simulate the effect of nicotine on the blood vessels.
Equipment
� Small C-clamp
� Bicycle pump
Procedure
One child pumps the bicycle pump. Another child tightens the C-clamp on the pump hose. As the clamp tightens,
it will get harder to pump. A third child continually tells the first child to “pump faster.”
Key Points
Nicotine makes the heart beat faster and blood vessels smaller, which causes blood pressure to rise.
NC Ks3 Science 1.1b, 1.2a, 1.4, 2.1, 3.3c
Simulated Blood Vessel Restriction
Purpose -- To simulate the effect of nicotine on the blood vessels.
Equipment
� 6 or more plastic or Styrofoam cups
� 3 or more large diameter straws
� 3 or more very small diameter straws (such as plastic coffee stirrers)
� Water
� Stopwatch
Procedure
�
Fill all six glasses with equal amounts of water. Put the large diameter straws in three of the glasses. Put
three very small diameter straws in the other three glasses.
�
On the word “GO,” have six children begin to drink as fast as they can (as if it were a race).
�
Time them using the stopwatch.
Key Points
�
It should take much longer to drink the water using small straws.
�
Nicotine constricts the blood vessels which, in turn, decreases the blood flow and
makes the heart have to work harder.
NC Ks3 Science Science 1.1b, 1.2a, 1.4, 2.1, 3.3c
2. Tobacco – Tar
Tar is a sticky substance found on tobacco leaves. Tar coats the lungs and air sacs in smokers, preventing them
from getting enough oxygen. Tar paralyzes the cilia in a smoker’s windpipe so that dust particles and pollen are
not swept out of the air passages.
Tar contains more than 40 cancer-causing chemicals.
Organs affected by these poisons include not only the mouth, vocal chords, throat, and lungs, but also the
kidneys, bladder, and uterus and ovaries (in women).
Tar Accumulation
Purpose -- To demonstrate the amount of tar that can accumulate from one or more cigarettes.
Equipment
�
Filterless cigarettes and matches
�
Cotton balls
�
“Smoking Machine”: A Turkey baster or empty ketchup bottle or Large syringe
�
Smoke cabinet to capture fumes.
Procedure
�
Stuff cotton balls into the end of the smoking machine.
�
Tape an unfiltered cigarette onto the end of the smoking machine.
�
Light the cigarette and draw the smoke back through the cotton balls by pulling back on the syringe or by
squeezing the bottle or baster. This could be done inside a smoke cabinet as with other gas experiments
in science sessions.
�
Examine the tar accumulation by looking, smelling, and touching.
�
Video clip shows how 7.2g of tar accumulates in your lungs after smoking 400 cigarettes
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/914475/still_smoking_watch_this/
Key Points
�
Not all of the tar was caught.
�
Smell the inside of the “smoking machine” to see what a smoker’s breath smells like.
�
The accumulation was from only one or two cigarettes. Imagine what the tar accumulation would be
from a whole pack of cigarettes.
Teaching Point: Can use the resource “Evidence bag” tar from a single cigarette here.
NC Ks3 Science Science 1.1b, 1.2a, 1.4, 3.3c
Tar Accumulation Over a One-Year Period
Use the “Jar of tar”
Eight ounces of tar can accumulate in the lungs of a person who smokes one pack of cigarettes per day for one
year.
NC Ks3 Science Science 1.1b, 1.2a, 1.4, 3.3c
Tar’s Paralyzing Effects on Bronchial Cilia
Purpose -- To graphically show how tar affects bronchial cilia.
Equipment
�
Balls of various sizes
�
Use phlegm jar
Procedure
�
Have children form two rows facing each other, with hands stretched out and barely touching each others’
finger tips. Fingers should be wiggling gently and slowly like cilia.
�
One end of the line represents the lungs; the other end represents the mouth.
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The teacher places a ball in the hands of children at the “lungs” end of the line. The ball is
slowly passed through the “mouth.”
�
Do the procedure while saying that the balls represent dust, dirt, pollen, and airborne particles that healthy
cilia are able to carry out of the airways.
�
Then tell children that the cilia have been exposed to tobacco smoke and are now paralyzed and covered
with sticky tobacco tar.
�
The teacher again places the balls in the hands of the children at the “lungs” end of the line, but the
balls stay there because the cilia are paralyzed (do not move) and sticky.
Key Points
�
Children who are around smokers have a higher rate of respiratory problems because dust and
allergic particles stay in the lungs due to cilia paralyzed by tar accumulation.
Adult smokers must cough forcefully to get the dust and dirt out of their lungs.
Use phlegm jar to show what smokers cough up to clear lungs
NC Ks3 Science Science 1.1b, 1.2a, 1.4, 3.3c
Obstructive Properties of Tar
Purpose -- To demonstrate how an accumulation of tar can inhibit the absorption of oxygen.
Equipment
� 2 coffee filters
� Water
� Funnel
� Beaker or jar
� tar-like substance (such as treacle)
Procedure
�
Place the funnel in the jar. Line the funnel with filter paper, and pour in the water. Note how
quickly it flows through. Remove the wet paper.
�
Coat another piece of filter paper with tar-like substance (treacle) and place it in the
funnel. Pour water into the filter, noting how slowly the water flows through the coated paper.
Key Points
�
The filter paper represents lung tissue.
�
The water represents oxygen.
�
The tar represents tobacco tar.
�
The lungs coated with tar do not exchange oxygen as well as healthy lungs without tar.
NC Ks3 Science Science 1.1b, 1.2a, 1.4, 2.1 a, c, 3.3 c
Effects of Tar on Plants
Purpose -- To demonstrate the harmful effects of tar.
Equipment
� Smoking machine described in Tar Accumulation activity
� 5 – 6 cigarettes and matches
� Smoke cabinet
� Cotton balls
� Several plants
� Latex gloves
Procedure
�
Using the “smoking machine” inside the smoke cabinet, collect the tar accumulated from four to five
cigarettes.
�
Wearing latex gloves, wipe the tar on the leaves and stems of several plants. Put a few plants aside to act
as controls.
�
Record changes taking place with plants over a period of time. Plants should still be watered and have a
source of sunlight or UV light. Period of time can ne in days and weeks.
Key Points
�
What happened to the plants? Is one healthy and the other not?
�
What parts of the human body would tar touch?
�
What are some diseases humans could get from tar?
NC Ks3 Science Science 1.1b, 1.2a, 1.4, 2.1, 3.3c
3. Carbon Monoxide and Other Poisons
Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odourless, colourless gas that reduces oxygen levels in the blood. CO lessens night
vision and hearing and is the same deadly gas found in car exhausts.
Tobacco smoke is full of dozens of other poisons, such as arsenic, cyanide and lead.
Oxygen/Carbon Monoxide Simulation
Purpose – To provide an analogy of how CO mixes easier in the bloodstream than oxygen.
Equipment
� About ½ tsp. of ground coffee
� Food colouring (blue or green is best)
� Eye dropper or small straw to pipette a drop of food colouring
� Small, clear bottle with lid, 2/3 full of water
� CO monitor
Procedure
�
Place the coffee grounds in the bottle of water and shake it up. The coffee colours the water very slowly.
This represents oxygen in the blood.
�
Now add one drop of food colouring to the same bottle. Note how quickly it colours the water. This
represents CO as it enters the blood.
Key Points
CO is picked up in the blood 240 times faster than oxygen. The oxygen level drops when carbon monoxide is
present.
Teaching point: can use Pico CO monitor here – showing the amount of CO in a persons lungs
NC Ks3 Science Science 1.1b, 1.2a, 1.4, 2.1c, 3.3c
Poisons in Tobacco Smoke
Purpose -- To show the effects of tobacco smoke on a living object.
Equipment
� 2 small potted plants of the same variety (marigolds work well)
� Aquarium with some type of lid
� Smoke cabinet
� 6 – 8 cigarettes
� Ashtray
� “What’s in tobacco smoke?” display cabinet
Procedure
�
Place one plant and the ashtray in the aquarium, Inside the smoke cabinet. Keep the other plant out of the
aquarium for control comparison.
�
Light a cigarette and set it on the ashtray inside the aquarium, in the smoke cabinet. Cover the aquarium
to prevent the smoke from escaping. Leave the lid on the aquarium until the smoke dissipates,
approximately 30 minutes.
�
Have the plant “smoke” twice a day for duration of three to four days.
�
After one week, compare the smoking plant to the non-smoking plant.
Key Points
� The smoking plant will look shrivelled and sickly compared to the non-smoking control plant.
How Does Cigarette Smoke Affect the Growth of Plants?
Nutrients
Like humans and other animals, plants need sufficient nutrients to function and to grow. If the plant is deprived
of these nutrients, it is unable to go through the chemical processes related to its survival and growth.
Cigarettes contain more than 4,000 different chemicals, including arsenic (used as rat poison), butane (lighter
fluid) and formaldehyde (fluid used in embalming). Some of these chemicals actually may benefit the plant.
Carbon monoxide, for example, is able to be converted by the plant into carbon dioxide, which the plant can
use readily for photosynthesis.
In general, however, most chemicals released during smoking contaminate the soil and air surrounding the
plant to such a degree over time that the plant eventually cannot absorb sufficient amounts of the nutrients
needed to sustain itself and to grow.
Microorganisms
Plants are aided in growth by various microorganisms. Scientists believe these microorganisms produce
enzymes and hormones that encourage plant growth. The chemicals found in cigarettes and cigarette smoke
can harm or kill these microorganisms. If these microorganisms are reduced in number or are killed off
altogether, the plant will not receive the enzymes and hormones that the microorganisms produce and thus
won't be able to grow as well. It is much like depriving a person of a vitamin pill.
Respiration and Photosynthesis
Plants contain openings called stomata, which are part of the plant's respiratory system. These openings are
at least partially responsible for the plant's absorption of CO2 and subsequent conversion into the glucose that
the plant uses as food. Smoking can leave a residue on plants that effectively plugs up these stomata, which
essentially causes the plant to "choke" and to starve. Plant growth thus is slowed because the plant cannot
get what it needs for photosynthesis to take place.
Molecular Change
Like humans and other animals, plants cells are made up of proteins, enzymes and other components.
Chemicals have an impact on the stability of these components, including the plant DNA. The chemicals can
break down molecular bonds, for instance, or they can cause mutations in the genetic material. These
breakdowns and changes mean that the plant cell cannot function as was originally intended, which can
impact everything from water absorption to seed production. Repeated exposure to the chemicals in smoke
thus may hinder plant growth and health on the molecular level.
Read more: How Does Cigarette Smoke Affect the Growth of Plants? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/howdoes_4937678_cigarette-smoke-affect-growth-plants.html#ixzz1kSlA8R4e
Teaching point: Use “What’s in tobacco smoke?” display for examples and discussion
How Cigarette Smoke Affects Mould Growth on Bread
Purpose
To examine the effects of cigarette smoke exposure on the rate of mould growth on bread. The objective
is to find out whether or not cigarette smoke effects natural growth processes such as bacteria.
Equipment
� Smoking chamber
� Plastic jar with lid
� Slices of bread
� Cigarettes
Procedure
Place one or two slices of white bread in a clear, plastic jar with lid. Cut a hole into the jar lid and plug with an
air mattress pump. Every day, twice a day, pump fresh air into the jar. The other pieces of bread are
exposed to cigarette smoke inside the smoke chamber. Have the bread “smoke” twice a day.
Do this consecutively for several days. After two to three days you will see mould growing at an alarming rate
on the bread exposed to the cigarette smoke.
This displays how unhealthy cigarette smoke is to the body and natural organisms.
NC Ks3 Science Science 1.1b, 1.2a, 1.4, 2.1, 3.3c
4.Lung Capacity
Purpose -- To demonstrate and discuss the effects of cigarette smoke on lung capacity.
Equipment
� measuring jug
� 2-litre or 1-gallon jug filled with water
� Basin 2/3 full of water
� A bendable straw
� Permanent pen
� COPD lung age monitor
Procedure
�
Fill bottle with water from measuring jug and mark levels on side of bottle with permanent pen.
�
Hold your thumb over the end of the 2-liter bottle and turn it upside down in the basin. Pressure
will keep the water in the bottle.
�
Insert the short end of the bendable straw into the end of the bottle.
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Ask a child to take a very deep breath and blow into the straw, emptying their lungs into the bottle.
The child blows just one long breath.
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Remove the straw, place your thumb over the end of the bottle, and turn it right-side up.
Key Points
�
You've just made a spirometer - a device that doctors use to measure lung capacity. Blowing air from
your lungs into the bottle displaces some of the water.
�
The amount of air in the bottle is the amount the child had in their lungs.
The amount of air you can hold in your lungs is called lung capacity.
Smoking and environmental tobacco smoke reduces lung capacity.
Blowing air from your lungs into the bottle forces a measurable amount of the water out of the bottle, which
adds to the volume of water in your pan. This method of measuring uses displacement – you're displacing a
volume of water with a volume of air.
The average total lung capacity of an adult human male is about 6 litres of air, but only a small amount of this
capacity is used during normal breathing.
Patients with COPD have little or no reserve capacity in their lungs
Tips
• Check for variations in lung capacity in people of different sizes (older students,you). Ask your class to look for a
correlation between body size and lung capacity.
• Have each participant test for a difference between a "normal" breath of air and an "expanded" deeper breath.
�
Teaching point: Use COPD lung age monitor to show varying lung ages of class, compare to spirometer readings.
NC Ks3 Science Science 1.1b, 1.2a, 1.4, 2.1 c, 3.3 c
5.Smokeless Tobacco
Chewing tobacco and snuff are not safe alternatives to smoking. A can of snuff has three times the nicotine as a
pack of cigarettes.
Smokeless tobacco causes heart disease and mouth and throat cancers. It stains the teeth and destroys the
gums.
Making Tobacco Juice
Purpose -- To show how tobacco juice stains the teeth.
Equipment
� Clear glass jar with a lid
� Water
� Chewing tobacco
Procedure
�
Fill the jar half full with water.
�
Place a wad of tobacco in the jar.
�
Pass the jar around the room, allowing the children to shake it.
Key Points
�
Tobacco juice is not only full of nicotine and cancer-causing poisons but also stains the teeth and
destroys the lips and gums.
Tobacco Juice Stains
Purpose -- To demonstrate how tobacco juice stains the teeth.
Equipment:
� 1 hard-boiled egg (preferably with a few cracks in it)
� Enough tobacco juice to cover the egg
� Toothbrush
� Toothpaste
� Latex gloves
Procedure
�
Soak the egg in tobacco juice in a refrigerator for two days.
�
Wearing latex gloves, remove the egg and observe how stained it is.
�
With the toothbrush and toothpaste, brush the egg as if it were a tooth with eight or 10 strokes.
Note that brushing is not able to remove all of the stain, especially in the cracks.
Key Points
�
Over time, tobacco juice badly stains teeth.
�
Tobacco juice causes gums to recede and damages lips.
�
Tobacco use also causes bad breath.
NC Ks3 Science Science 1.1b, 1.2a, 1.4, 2.1a,c, 3.3 c
Sources:
Some of these activities and experiments have been used extensively in classrooms throughout Trumbull County, Ohio.
They have been compiled from many sources by the Trumbull County Health Department’s Health Education Department,
and used in the TarWars Program Curriculum.
The purpose is to demonstrate the effects of the poisons in tobacco, focusing primarily on nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide.
Tryscience – Lung capacity www.tryscience.org/teachers/files/handout_lung.pdf
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lung_volumes
Still smoking? Watch this video http://www.metacafe.com/watch/914475/still_smoking_watch_this/