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8,400 - 10,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke!

Cigarettes Harmful Chemicals - WorldOfChemicals

How many chemicals could possibly be packed in one tiny cigarette that you so casually smoke every hour?

Its 8,400 -10,000 chemicals present in cigarettes

Cigarettes look deceptively simple, consisting of paper tubes containing chopped up tobacco leaf and it will deliver a steady dose of nicotine. In addition to nicotine the following components also present

Tobacco blend
Paper
PVA glue and
Cellulose acetate-based filter

Additives are used to make tobacco products more acceptable to the consumer.

Humectants [glycol or glycerol]
Cocoa solids
Licorice
Tobacco extracts

Some of the above components are harmless, but along with that 600 permitted additives are burned in cigarettes.

Every smoker should see the following list of chemicals that are present in smoke

How much can these dangerous chemicals harm you?

Nicotine

Positive effects

In low doses stimulates

Central nervous system
Increases the heart beat rate and blood pressure which further leading to the heart needing more oxygen

Adverse effects

Stimulate abnormal proliferation of vascular endothelial cells
Induces potentially atherogenic genes in human coronary artery endothelial cells
It causes microvascular injury

Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide is the main poisonous gas in car exhausts as well as present in cigarette smoke

It binds to haemoglobin much more readily than oxygen, thus causing the blood to carry less oxygen.

Not just tobacco, there are several harmful chemicals in cigarettes, some of which are poisonous

Other chemicals effect include

Chemicals	Normal usage
Arsenic	Used in rat poison
Methane	It is a component of rocket fuel
Ammonia	It is a component of rocket fuel
Cadmium	Used in batteries
Formaldehyde	Body tissue preservation chemical
Butane	Lighter fluid
Hydrogen Cyanide	the poison used in gas chambers

First, Second & Third hand smoking types

Firsthand smoke

The inhalation of smoke of burning tobacco encased in cigarettes, pipes, and cigars.

Smoking will shorten life and leads to cancer as it blackens lungs

Secondhand smoke

Secondhand smoke is the combination of smoke from the burning end of a cigarette and the smoke breathed out by smokers. Secondhand smoke contains more than 7000 chemicals.

It has immediate adverse effects on

Cardiovascular system
Blood and blood vessels
Lungs

Thirdhand smoke

Thirdhand smoke is contamination by tobacco smoke that lingers following the extinguishing of a cigarette. Studies show that thirdhand smoke clings to hair, skin, clothes, furniture, drapes, walls, bedding, carpets, dust, vehicles and other surfaces, even long after smoking has stopped. Thirdhand smoke residue builds up on surfaces over time and resists normal cleaning.

Reference

[1] © From http://www.buzzle.com/articles/chemicals-in-cigarettes-list.html

[2] © From http://www.tricountycessation.org/tobaccofacts/Cigarette-Ingredients.html

Image reference