How a Motorist Can Pass Out from Cigarette Smoke

Published at 4:45 am, February 25, 2015

EastIdahoNews.com Staff

iStock/Thinkstock(LEICESTER, England) — A lot of smokers in England aren’t particularly happy with a new law going into effect this October that will make it illegal to smoke inside cars where children are passengers.

Naturally, it comes down to the eternal conflict between civil liberties and public health although science seems to have won this argument based on studies that show the harm that can be caused to others by second- and even third-hand smoke.

Some of the most ardent opponents of smoking also point to the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning since the smoke from cigarettes contain that toxic gas.

So in the interest of science, students from the University of Leicester Department of Physics and Astronomy developed a model to determine how much one would have to smoke inside a sealed car before they become unconscious by CO.

The results of the study probably give smokers some measure of satisfaction because the students figured out it would take a person smoking 15 cigarettes over the course of 75 minutes to pass out from carbon monoxide. Even the most addicted chain smoker would probably get sick before reaching that point.

Still, the study doesn’t let smokers off the hook entirely because CO molecules linger in cars even when the windows are open, meaning they pose a health threat to anyone riding inside a smoky vehicle.

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