Effects of Chemicals Extracted from Cigarette Butts

on Mongo(“Vigna Radiata”) Plant

DANIELLE GRACIA Demavivas PANES

MARISTELLE Jimenez REGENCIA

Background of the StudyOur planet Earth is called green planet, mainly because it

contains life. Plants are sources of oxygen. They are also used as

medicine. Many other plant-based products shape our lives like lumber,

fuel, paper, fabrics, beverages, and spices. Nowadays, people mostly

grow plants like vegetables in their garden to reduce the expense they

spend in the market. But, some of these plant owners are cigarette

users. Sometimes, they throw their cigarette butts or their unfinished

lighted cigarette on the soil near the plant. This can cause soil pollution.

Over 4,000 chemicals are present in cigarettes which could have

various toxic and carcinogenic effects. Toxic substances of cigarettes

cause diseases among humans and harm the environment. The

researchers decided to study the effects of cigarette butts on plants by

extracting the chemicals of it in tap water and use it to contaminate the

soil and determine the physical changes of mongo plants.

Statement of the Problem Main Problem:

Can the chemicals present in the cigarette butts cause physical changes to mongo plants?

Sub-problems:

1) What are the physical characteristics of mongo plants exposed to tap water with no chemicals from the cigarette butts in terms of:

a) Leaf Color

b) Number of Leaves

c) Plant Height

d) Plant Weight?

2) What are the physical characteristics of mongo plants exposed to the chemicals from first extraction of cigarette butts in tap water as soil contaminant in terms of:

a) Leaf Color

b) Number of Leaves

c) Plant Height

d) Plant Weight?

3) What are the physical characteristics of mongo plants exposed to the chemicals from second extraction of cigarette butts in tap water as soil contaminant in terms of:

a) Leaf Color

b) Number of Leaves

c) Plant Height

d) Plant Weight?

4) What are the physical characteristics of mongo plants exposed to the chemicals from third extraction of cigarette butts in tap water as soil contaminant in terms of:

a) Leaf Color

b) Number of Leaves

c) Plant Height

d) Plant Weight?

5) What are the physical characteristics of mongo plants exposed to the chemicals from fourth extraction of cigarette butts in tap water as soil contaminant in terms of:

a) Leaf Color

b) Number of Leaves

c) Plant Height

d) Plant Weight?

6) Is there a significant difference in the physical characteristics

of mongo plants exposed to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th extraction of

chemical from cigarette butts in tap water as soil contaminant?

7) Is there a significant difference in the physical characteristics

of mongo plants exposed to tap water and mongo plants exposed

to the chemicals extracted from cigarette butts in tap water as

soil contaminant?

Methodology Research Design

The study will deal with the determination of the effects

of extracted chemicals from cigarette butts in tap water on the

physical characteristics of mongo plants such as the color and

number of leaves, height and weight of the plants. Five groups

will be prepared; one set-up will serve as the control group

and the other four set-ups as the experimental group that is

exposed to the extracted chemicals from cigarette butts in tap

water as soil contaminant.

Fifteen mongo plants will be tested in each set-up on

control and experimental group. Three weeks will be

spent to observe changes in the physical appearance of

the mongo plants. The data on the changes of physical

characteristics of mongo plants will be recorded on a

daily basis. Three repetitions will be conducted in this

experiment.

Flow ChartCOLLECTIO

N OF MATERIALS

3 Packs of Certified Mongo Seeds, 3150 Cigarette

Butts, 2 pairs of Gloves, 20 Racks, 2 sacks of

Gardening Soil, 75 Bamboo Sticks

EXTRACTION OF CHEMICALS

FROM CIGARETTE BUTTS

MONITORING OF PLANT

GROWTH

Four repetitions will be conducted in extracting the

chemicals from cigarette butts. The same cigarette butts from

the first chemical extraction will be used on the future

repetitions.

One liter of tap water will be measured for each set-up. The 1st set-up will only serve as the

control group. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th set-up will serve as the experimental group.

Leaf Color, Number of Leaves,

Plant Height, Plant Weight

Leaf Color Chart, Measuring Fresh

Weight

RECOR D LIST OF MEASUREMENTS

(PHYSICAL CHANGES TO

MONGO PLANTS)

Experimental Set-up

Control Group

Experimental Group

Set-ups

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

Amount of Tap Water

(ml)

1000 1000 1000 1000 1000

Number of Mongo Plants

15 15 15 15 15

Number of Cigarette

Butts(pieces)

50 50 50 50 50

Plants will be removed from the soil and any loose soil will be

washed off. It will blot gently with soft paper towel to remove

any free surface moisture then will be weighed immediately

to prevent some drying.

Leaf Color Chart -  (LCC) is a plastic, ruler-shaped strip

containing four panels that range in color from yellowish

green to dark green.

Gathering of DataFirst Week

Physical Changes of Mongo Plants

Leaf Color Number of Leaves Plant Height Plant Weight

Control

Group

Experimental Group

Control Group

Experimental Group

Control

Group

Experimental Group

Control Group

Experimental Group

Day 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Statistical Tool

To verify if there is a significant difference

among the effects of chemicals extracted from

cigarette butts on mongo plants, the Analysis of

Variance (ANOVA) will be conducted.

Rationale

BibliographyBOOKS Dr. Joel Dunnington,

Tobacco Almanac, Revised, May 1993

ONLINE DATABASE (JOURNALS)

Thomson Gale, 2005, Nicotine Summary www.bookrags.com

Peter de Vries, 2010 Mixture Behaviour of Tars www.soilandsystem.nl

Stuart M Bennett, 2001, DDT www.the-piedpiper.co.uk

WEBSITES Acetone, Water, and

Chromatography, 2006 www.newton.dep.anl.gov

Arsenic and water, 1998 www.lenntech.com

Cyanide Chemistry, 2006 www.cyanide.org

Formaldehyde, 2002 www.environmentwriter.org

Hydrogen Cyanide, 2002 www.chemicalland21.com

Matitolhttp://www.fao.org/docrep/W6355E/w6355e0j.htm

Methoprene http://usgs.wildlifeinformation.org/List_Vols/westnile/Chemicals/metho.

htm Physical properties of

freon, 1999 www.ehow.com/chem

Properties of Carbon Monoxide, (n.d.) in Wikipedia

Solubility of Ammonia, (n.d.) www.wikepedia.org

Solubility, newton.dep.anl.gov, 1995

Sulfuric Acid (H2SO4), 2000 www.chemicalland21.com

yahoo.com http://www.answers.com

/topic/nicotine http://www.longwood.ed

u/cleanva/ciglitterarticle.htm

http://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/cigbuttfilters.htm

http://www.oxygen.org.au/hardfacts/tobacco-and-the-environment

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/How+Cigarettes+Affect+the+Environment-a01074031076

http://www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity/biota/plants/importance_of_plants.htm