Place a small cloth under the container, but away from the lit cigarette. Remove and extinguish the cigarette after it has burned almost completely. With glass cleaner and a white tissue, clean the residue off the glass. Cigarette smoke contains about 4,000 substances, including 200 poisons such as benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, ammonia, propane, and cyanide. For example, benzene is a volatile, flammable, toxic liquid derived from coal tar.
Many teens report that they have the same problems as adults in trying to quit cigarettes.
Students can investigate why habits are hard to break by trying to change an everyday behavior for a week. Assign one habit per student from a broad list. Have students discuss cancer risk factors. Point out that some risk factors are environmental, some are genetic, and some are behavioral. To help give these figures more meaning, challenge students with a math problem.