Where is tar extracted from?

tar

Tar is a mixture of hydrocarbon materials produced during the oil distillation process, as tar is considered a highly viscous material, so we find it at the bottom of the refining tower mixed with some elements such as sulfur, nitrogen, lead, etc., and tar was known since ancient times, as the Arabs used to put this substance on Cattle to protect them from scabies, and to keep insects away from them, and they used tar to paint utensils and goblets so that insects would not enter them.

In the past, women used to anoint their heads so as not to be infected with lice, as tar has the ability to expel it, just as people used to paint their wooden houses with it in order to protect them from termites that eat wood. The Qumran Jewish sect used tar to paint the pottery jars in which its manuscripts were placed, because tar has the ability to preserve materials from damage. Some of them then fill the contents in a vial and put it on the hair to intensify it, lengthen it and make it shiny.

However, tar had negative effects when it was introduced as one of the components of a cigarette or what is known as a tobacco roll, as the presence of tar in it disrupts gas exchange in the alveoli because tar is a very viscous substance, which may be one of the causes of chest diseases and cancers as a result of inhaling this substance. Some countries have also forced companies that manufacture tobacco rolls to write down the percentage of tar that enters the cigarette, and its percentage can be known in the laboratory, as cigarette smoke contains microscopic substances that can be collected and weighed, with the necessity of removing the percentage of water and nicotine that are mixed with tar.

There is what is known as coal tar, and it is produced as a secondary substance when coal is formed, and it appears in the form of a dark-colored liquid with a pungent odor similar to the smell of naphthalene, as it was used in the treatment of skin diseases such as psoriasis because of its ability to reduce inflammation and itching, so it sterilizes the place Which is painted in it and the skin regains its shape again.

You should pay attention to the occurrence of some side effects when using coal tar in the treatment of skin diseases such as redness and sensitivity of the skin, and it should not be used on the face or areas that have wounds, or bacterial diseases, and the Food and Drug Organization has determined that the percentage that should be present in coal tar products Between 0.5 – 5% in terms of concentration to ensure that the products are safe and do not cause skin cancers.