Source
r/cigars•
DarkSayed

Question from a new cigar smoker: Carbon Monoxide

I am not a smoker (i.e., I don't smoke cigarettes). I had my first cigar a couple of days ago, and it got me wondering about Carbon Monoxide.

When things burn, carbon dioxide is created, but if they don't burn properly, carbon monoxide (CO) can be created instead. This is a poisonous gas. When I light a cigar, it burns on a low intensity, in that there is smoke and redness if puffed or blown, but it is not burning with a flame in the same way a piece of paper would burn if you put a lighter to it.

My question is, why does smoking not cause carbon monoxide poisoning? We have CO detectors at home because the stuff is so dangerous,, but here you are actually inhaling a low intensity burn (so presumably creating a lot of CO).

Posted Mar 29, 2014, 10:24 PM UTC

87
evilmunkey8[Medford, MA]•

From this 1999 paper, the conclusion being that average concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) at the cigar social events were comparable to, or larger than, those observed on a freeway during rush hour traffic. That was up to 18 cigars in one room so the amount of CO created from 1 cigar is probably negligible.

8
Immortalmortician[BIONIC DOG ARCTIC MICHIGA]•

You shouldn't be inhaling cigar smoke. If you don't then the already negligible amount is even less significant.

7
chiuta[Essex, Ontario]•

I'll throw a guess out before the real experts show up: not enough CO is produced to cause any damage. Like being in a room with a smoldering piece of paper.

3
rbksmart1[Santa Barbara]•

You misunderstand what combustion conditions cause CO over CO2. As you might be able to guess, CO is produced in an Oxygen deficient environment. Thus, CO is actually produced in very HOT flames that burn rapidly depleting the local oxygen concentration quickly and producing larger volumes of CO. A slow smoldering burn like a cigar will not even closely approach the ppm values needed to cause toxicity in humans. If it is that much of a concern for you, smoke in the open and you will have 0 issues.

3
DarkSayedOP•

Thanks for clearing that up. Chemistry was always my weakest science.

1
DarkSayedOP•

Thanks for your responses guys.

I don't inhale the smoke, I learnt to specifically not do that from youtube videos. I take it this is different to smoking cigarettes, where you do, in fact, inhale.

2
morkman100[San Fernando Valley, CA]•

Also, a great deal of the dangers posed by CO is that it is heavier than air and displaces it. When you have a CO leak in a home, the CO "floods" the room from the bottom up and can lead to unconsciousness as it pushes fresh air up and above sleeping people.

I'd guess that this could be an issue only if you are smoking in a unventilated room with perhaps a fireplace or propane heater running.

2