Cigarette filter which removes carcinogens and toxic chemicals

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a filter for use with tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars, and pipes, which selectively absorbs toxic compounds and carcinogenic polynuclear aromatic compounds passing through it, but which permits most low molecular weight species, and in particular nicotine, to pass through. The filter is made from a middle-density polyurethane foam which is pre-treated to increase the number of binding sites for polynuclear aromatic compounds.

1 . A filter for removing a low molecular weight organic compound from air comprising: 
 a polyurethane foam pretreated by using an organic extraction to extract contaminants originally contained in the polyurethane foam so as to form a plurality of binding sites for binding the low molecular weight organic compound.    
     
     
         2 . The filter of  claim 1  wherein the low molecular weight organic compound can be polynuclear aromatic compounds, cyanide, carcinogenic compounds, 2-methylnaphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, dibenzofuran, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, carbazole, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo(a) anthracene, or chrysene.  
     
     
         3 . The filter of  claim 1  wherein the low molecular weight organic compound is from cigarette smoke.  
     
     
         4 . The filter of  claim 1  wherein the form is a middle-density cellular polyurethane foam having a density of between about 0.01 g/ml to about 0.05 g/ml.  
     
     
         5 . The filter of  claim 1  wherein the organic extraction is Soxhlet extraction.  
     
     
         6 . The filter of  claim 5  wherein the Soxhlet extraction uses a solvent containing 6% ether in hexane to extract contaminants contained in the polyurethane foam so as to form the plurality of binding sites.  
     
     
         7 . The filter of  claim 5  wherein the Soxhlet extraction method uses a solvent containing methylene chloride, hexane, light hydrocarbon based solvents, or mixtures of the foregoing to extract the contaminants contained in the polyurethane foam so as to form the plurality of binding sites.  
     
     
         8 . The filter of  claim 1  wherein the organic extraction can be supercritical fluid extraction, steam distillation or hot solvent extraction.