/oss/taxonomy/term/920/all en /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/concerns-about-smoked-foods-heat <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-concerns-about-smoked-foods-heat-up">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>Cavemen in the Stone Age didn’t have many luxuries. They had, however, learned to make fire by banging together flintstones or rubbing two sticks together, and that at least made their cold and dingy dwellings more comfortable.</p> Fri, 12 Jul 2024 17:01:14 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10000 at /oss /oss/article/student-contributors-health-and-nutrition-environment/where-there-smoke-there-are-air-quality-indices <p>I woke up from a nap to see a doomsday-esque picture outside the car window. My friends and I were driving back to Montreal during the <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/wildfire-smoke-montreal-has-worlds-worst-air-quality-today">poorest air quality day of the summer</a>, and the city looked near apocalyptic. The sky was orangey grey, the sun was invisible, and the air smelt strongly of smoke. As someone who lived in Ontario and Quebec most of my life, I’m unaccustomed to bad air quality caused by forest fire smoke.</p> Fri, 21 Jul 2023 14:37:26 +0000 Maya McKeown, B.Sc. 9571 at /oss /oss/article/technology-general-science/smoke-alarms-are-not-created-equal <p>Earlier this week, a fire broke out in a rowhouse in Philadelphia, killing<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/philadelphia-house-fire-01-05-22/index.html"> </a><a href="https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/philadelphia-house-fire-01-05-22/index.html">at least 13 people</a>. The deputy fire commissioner stated during a news conference that there were four smoke alarms but none of them apparently worked during the fire.</p> Sat, 08 Jan 2022 09:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8973 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-environment/under-microscope-cannabis <p><img height="2489" width="2399" style="width: 600px; height: 623px;" class="file-original " src="/oss/files/oss/img_1559.jpg" alt="" /></p> <p><img height="2657" width="2613" style="width: 600px; height: 610px;" class="file-original " src="/oss/files/oss/img_0597.jpg" alt="" /></p> Wed, 06 Mar 2019 18:34:37 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7632 at /oss /oss/article/its-time-bbq <p><span>The word “barbecue” derives from the ancient Caribbean tradition of supporting food over a fire with a scaffolding made from green wood which in Spanish was called "barbacoa." </span><span>The technique itself was referred to as "boucan." </span><span>Shipwrecked sailors and runaway servants who found themselves on Caribbean islands picked up the method and came to be called "boucaniers," or in English, "buccaneers." </span><span>Many of us still turn into summertime buccaneers, brandishing our long forks and spatulas as we grill, roast, broil, and of course, burn food to our stomach'</span></p> Thu, 12 Jul 2018 18:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7166 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/its-not-smoke-joint-makes-your-eyes-red <p><span>The familiar red and glassy-eyed stare of someone who’s high was previously thought to be due to the irritation of eyes by </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_(drug)">pot</a> smoke. But, now we know that weed makes your eyes red for the same reason it makes you dizzy- <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_cannabis#Biochemical_mechanisms_in_the_brain">vasodilation</a>.</p> Thu, 12 Jul 2018 18:00:00 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7164 at /oss /oss/article/health-technology/safety-and-chemistry-self-cleaning-oven <hr /> <p>Si vous voulez lire cet article en français, <a href="https://www.sciencepresse.qc.ca/actualite/detecteur-rumeurs/2018/12/06/four-autonettoyant-securitaire-deux-choses-savoir">cliquez ici! </a></p> Thu, 21 Jun 2018 15:49:24 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 7143 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-environment-health-toxicity-you-asked/wood-burning-stoves-should-be-extinguished <p style="text-align:justify"><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/?p=5917"><img alt="wood smoke" height="150" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2013/11/wood-smoke-150x150.jpg" width="150" /></a>Wood burning stoves are a health hazard. Period. Not debatable. To understand, we first have to examine what combustion is all about. When cellulose and lignin, the major components of wood, burn completely, they produce carbon dioxide, water, heat and light. The heat of combustion also allows oxygen and nitrogen in the air to form various oxides of nitrogen. But combustion is rarely complete. Smoke is a sign of incomplete combustion…and of a health risk. It is actually composed of tiny particles of unburned hydrocarbons which are packed with carcinogens such as the notorious polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Incomplete combustion also signals the formation of carbon monoxide.</p> <p style="text-align:justify">Inhalation of carbon monoxide reduces the blood’s ability to supply oxygen to the body. Nitrogen oxides directly impair the respiratory system and also contribute to ozone formation, which causes breathing problems. Ozone is formed when nitrogen oxides are mixed with some of the volatile organic compounds such as formaldehyde that are also produced when wood burns.</p> <p style="text-align:justify">According to the California Environmental Protection Agency, the particulate matter emitted from wood burning is usually 10 or 2.5 microns in diameter. In order to put this into perspective, a human hair diameter is roughly 60 microns! Due to their miniscule size, these tiny particles can easily lodge in the lungs causing asthmatic attacks, severe bronchitis, cardiovascular diseases and respiratory illnesses.</p> <p style="text-align:justify">Cooking indoors on a wood burning smoke is particularly dangerous. However, some studies have suggested that HEPA (high efficiency particulate arresting) filters may be a viable option for reducing particle concentrations in homes. But HEPA filters cannot filter out volatile organic compounds.</p> <p><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2013/11/11/wood-burning-stoves-should-be-extinguished">Read more</a></p> Tue, 12 Nov 2013 04:31:03 +0000 Alexandra Pires-Ménard, OSS Intern 2032 at /oss /oss/article/news/chemistry-vatican <p>The new Pope, Francis, we now learn, has a degree in Chemistry. He received a Master’s from the University of Buenos Aires.  It is interesting then to note that his selection was signaled through some nifty chemistry. The smoke signals used during the conclave are either black, to indicate that the cardinals have failed to elect a pope, or white if they have been successful.  The smoke is produced by burning the ballots used in the voting. In the 2005 conclave there was some confusion as to the color of the smoke that emerged after Pope Benedict was elected.</p> Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:39:05 +0000 Ariel Fenster 1897 at /oss