The New Straits Times, July 22, 2001
By Professor Dzulkifli Abdul Razak
ONE can't help but chuckle at the news that British American Tobacco (M) Bhd has received the British American Tobacco Environment, Health and Safety Merit Award 2000 (Malay Mail, July 3). This self-acclaimed award announced recently, apparently is for the sixth unbroken year presented to one of its plants.
The company reportedly invested RM2 million to ensure its workplaces complied with global environment, health and safety standards, according to the company's managing director.
What is not mentioned, however, is that the tobacco company spends many more millions to promote and sustain the habits of smoking, especially among teenagers. Consequently this leads not only to ill- health, but it also pollutes the environment, including many workplaces.
It is ironic that a company that claims it complies with global standards in certain aspects, at the same time defies other global standards, polluting and causing the death of millions of its own customers.
When tobacco is ignited it generates volatile gases and the residual, carbonised char. The char reacts with oxygen in the air during puffing and smouldering, producing poisons such as carbon monoxide.
That tobacco and tobacco smoke poison and kill is no longer disputed. The former is estimated to contain more than 2,000 chemical constituents, some deadly. And almost twice that number is present in smoke when tobacco is burned incompletely during puffing. In fact at least three types of smoke could be identified based on various characteristics, for example, the concentration of toxic substances and size of particles found in the smoke.
One type is called mainstream smoke, from the butt end of a smoked cigarette or from the "puffs" themselves. The burning zone of the lit cigarette generates a highly concentrated vapour drawn down the cigarette to form mainstream smoke.
Another is sidestream smoke, that is, smoke from the lighted end of a cigarette, emitted especially in between puffs. The last is environmental tobacco smoke, namely, smoke that lingers in the air made up of the exhaled mainstream and sidestream smoke. All types are deadly.
The smoke also contains particles of various sizes, influenced by the temperature of the lighted cigarette. Particle size is particularly important because it can influence the location within the respiratory airways where a toxin is deposited.
This could range from the bronchial region or deep in the alveolar region. In general, the smaller the size, the deeper down the lung the particle can be lodged. It has been reported that measurements in humans suggest that particle deposition can be higher by 50 to 95 per cent as compared to modelling predictions.
Deposition in the respiratory airways reportedly is also influenced by the size of the person. Smaller individuals seem have greater deposits in the trachea and bronchial parts. Smaller individuals also have greater minute ventilation normalised for body weight. This is especially so for sidestream. It is because of this that infants are said to be more vulnerable especially to environmental tobacco smoke.
On hazy days, as now, the pollutant effect of cigarette smoke becomes even more relevant and worrying. After all, it is a form of "open" burning, with thousands of cumulative hotspots ignited simultaneously by the addicts.
The temperature of a burning cigarette can reach 800 Celsius in the centre of the burning zone. At the periphery it can be even higher. This can greatly influence the formation of toxicants.
So one wonders at the significance of the award given by the company to itself when it promotes a different behaviour outside its workplace. One wonders even more at the managing director's statement: "We support the Malaysian Government's drive to instill a safety-at-the-workplace culture."
The Malaysian Government is also promoting a culture of health, and cleaner and safer indoor and outdoor environment. Why then isn't the company supporting these moves too and comply with other global standards?
Recommended websites: http://www.nap.edu/books/0309072824/html/
