As smokers, we don't think about the chemicals in cigarettes. We think
about how cigarettes help us cope with the stress of daily life, how
they calm us down when we're angry, help us relax at the end of a long
day, comfort us when we're sad or lonely. Harmful chemicals in
cigarettes? No, we don't think much about that.
The truth of the matter is that smoking does the opposite of just
about everything we give it credit for. When the chemicals in
cigarettes are inhaled, they put our bodies into a state of physical
stress by sending literally thousands of poisons, toxic metals and
carcinogens coursing through our bloodstream with every puff we take.
And those chemicals affect everything from blood pressure and pulse
rate to the health of our organs and immune system.
While researchers are still working to uncover all of the hazards
cigarettes present to human life, we do know that air tainted with
cigarette smoke is dangerous for anyone who breathes it -- smoker or
not.
Let's take a closer look at some of the harmful chemicals in
cigarettes and how they affect our health.
Chemicals in Cigarettes: Carcinogens
A carcinogen is defined as any substance that can cause or aggravate
cancer. Approximately 60 of the chemicals in cigarettes are known to
cause cancer.
TSNAs
Tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines (TSNAs) are known to be some of the
most potent carcinogens present in smokeless tobacco, snuff and
tobacco smoke.
Benzene
Benzene can be found in pesticides and gasoline. It is present in high
levels in cigarette smoke and accounts for half of all human exposure
to this hazardous chemical.
Pesticides
Pesticides are used on our lawns and gardens, and inhaled into our
lungs via cigarette smoke.
Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is a chemical used to preserve dead bodies, and is
responsible for some of the nose, throat and eye irritation smokers
experience when breathing in cigarette smoke.
Chemicals in Cigarettes: Toxic Metals
Toxic / heavy metals are metals and metal compounds that have the
potential to harm our health when absorbed or inhaled. In very small
amounts, some of these metals support life, but when taken in large
amounts, can become toxic.
Arsenic
Commonly used in rat poison, arsenic finds its way into cigarette
smoke through some of the pesticides that are used in tobacco farming.
Cadmium
Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal that is used in batteries. Smokers
typically have twice as much cadmium in their bodies as nonsmokers.
Chemicals in Cigarettes: Radioactive Toxic Metals
There are a couple of toxic metals in cigarette smoke that carry an
extra punch of danger for anyone breathing it in: they are
radioactive.
Radioactive Cigarette Smoke
Lead-210 (Pb-210) and polonium-210 (Po-210) are poisonous, radioactive
heavy metals that research has shown to be present in cigarette smoke.
Chemicals in Cigarettes: Poisons
Poison is defined as any substance that, when introduced to a living
organism, causes severe physical distress or death. Science has
discovered approximately 200 poisonous gases in cigarette smoke.
Ammonia
Ammonia compounds are commonly used in cleaning products and
fertilizers. Ammonia is also used to boost the impact of nicotine in
manufactured cigarettes.
Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide is present in car exhaust and is lethal in very large
amounts. Cigarette smoke can contain high levels of carbon monoxide.
Hydrogen Cyanide
Hydrogen cyanide was used to kill people in the gas chambers in Nazi
Germany during World War II. It can be found in cigarette smoke.
Nicotine
Nicotine is a poison used in pesticides and is the addictive element
in cigarettes.
A Word About Secondhand Smoke
Also known as environmental tobacco smoke, secondhand smoke is a term
used to describe cigarette smoke that comes from two sources: Smoke
that is exhaled by the smoker (mainstream smoke) and smoke produced by
a smouldering cigarette (sidestream smoke). Secondhand smoke is known
to contain at least 250 toxic chemicals, including 50 cancer-causing
chemicals. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, there is no
risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. That means if you can
smell cigarette smoke in the air, it could be harming your health.
If you smoke...
There is no time like the present to stop the madness that cigarette
smoking is. You'll be rewarded with benefits beyond what you can
probably imagine and they'll start to occur faster than you think.
Within 20 minutes of your last cigarette, your body will begin to heal
and improvements to your mental and physical health will continue to
grow with time invested in smoking cessation.
It is never too late to quit smoking!
