Cigarette smoking finally has an up side

Cigarette smoking finally has an upside.

But not for smokers. Smokers (and I was one of you for a long time), be honest…you already knew that.

Enterprising Chinese researchers soaked cigarette butts in water and extracted a mix of chemicals that protect steel pipes from rusting. Oil pipes were used in the experiment because rusted and corroded pipes are a constant and expensive problem in the oil industry.

Researchers say it was difficult to come up with a practical use for cigarette butts.

I’ll bet!

Party confetti? Fail. Mattress stuffing? Epic fail. Pipe rust-proofing? Win!

The good news for oil companies is that the raw materials are abundant. Reuters Health notes that 4.5 trillion cigarette butts “find their way into the environment” every year.

That’s a nice way of saying 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are tossed from cars and dropped on sidewalks.

I have to say, I wouldn’t mind seeing guys in BP jumpsuits out picking up cigarette butts from roadsides and rest stops.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson

Source:
“China Scientists Find Use for Cigarette Butts” Reuters Health, 5/13/10, reutershealth.com