Along with Tobacco, Nicotine, and artificial flavorings, cigarettes contain over 4000 chemicals. Of these, more than 50 are known poisons or carcinogens. When we think about quitting, we often wonder what’s in a cigarette that makes it so bad for us? Following are some of the most deadly chemcicals in cigarettes…

Acetone

A Solvent commonly used as nail polish remover

Ammonia

Used commonly in fertilizers and as a cleaning agent – in cigarettes it helps free nicotine from tobacco.

Arsenic

A deadly poison used in rodent traps

Benzene

A very common solvent used in everything from detergents to gasoline, it has also been directly associated with increased risk of leukaemia.

Cadmium

A metallic substance which causes damage to several major organs include the liver, kidney, and brain. It subsists in the body for years.

Carbon Monoxide

A deadly gas that results as the byproduct of burning. In large quantities it causes rapid asphyxiation.

DDT

A highly poisonous synthetic pesticide which has been banned in the United States since 1972.

Hydrogen Cyanide

One of the world’s most deadly poisons, used by the Nazi’s in World War 2 Gas Chambers

Formaldehyde

Highly poisonous liquid used to preserve dead tissue

Freon

A gas commonly used in refridgeration with a reputation for damaging the ozone layer.

Methoprene

A pesticide which also causes changes in growth

Sulfuric Acid

A strong mineral acid commonly used in car batteries.

Tar

Tar is the byproduct of burning tobacco combined with all the carcinogens which accumulates in your lungs.

With all these chemicals it’s no wonder that cigarettes remain the leading cause of preventable death, and one of the top causes of death world wide. The chemicals within cigarettes perform a range of functions, from slowing the burn rate to altering the flavor. In all cases, they’re just part of the design to kill – to make smoking cigarettes more addictive.

It wasn’t too long ago that tobacco companies actually touted the ‘benefits’ of cigarette smoking. Things like: “Breath more oxygen!” or “Tobacco is natural!” Today, however, it’s all too obvious that cigarettes kill. Or is it? That’s the problem. Despite decades of scientific research which talks about the damage done to our bodies by smoking – many of us still think we can escape this trauma. So let’s talk about this damage, and its exacting collateral.

To start with, Nicotine is one of the deadliest poisons in existence. It exceeds the status of strychnine, rattlesnake venom, arsenic, and cyanide. As if this weren’t enough, cigarettes contain over 4,000 other chemicals, 200 known poisons. The process of inhaling replaces the oxygen content in your blood with deadly Carbon Monoxide (CO2) – the same byproduct of your car’s gasoline engine or your home furnace. In combination with the other chemicals, a whole host of problems then erupts. These include, but are not limited to:

• Significant brain damage resulting from lack of oxygen and direct exposure to poisons
• Annihilation of lung tissue and red blood cells, decimating your aerobic endurance
• Hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis), destruction of join tissue (arthritis, grout)
• Turning major organs including the pancreas, liver, and kidneys into toxic waste dumps
• Staining and corroding teeth, gums, taste-buds, and olfactory organs (smell)
• Collateral damage to the immune system and cellular DNA from carcinogen exposure
• A major contributor to the leading causes of death, including stroke, heart disease, and cancer

And these are just the deadly issues. They don’t even begin to address the physical appearance or social concerns. Things like stained hands, skin, clothing. Rotted gums and teeth. Aging and wrinkling of the skin. Repulsive odor. The fact that second hand smoke inhalation is worse for others around you. Induced allergic reactions. Stealing your time and money.

We learned to depend on this crap just to get through our days. But it’s nothing more than a bad nightmare created by ultra-greedy corporations trying to keep you confused. They want young people to think smoking is cool – so they start early and get hooked from peer pressure. They want older people to keep smoking so they can line their pockets. They want us to think a cigarette will make us feel better about our real problems – even though they really don’t. But brainwashing does work, unfortunately.. and cigarettes keep getting sold.

Please, if we choose to believe in ourselves, if we choose to care about something greater than ourselves, we can make a choice to stop the death and destruction before its too late. These companies are destroying our lives, destroying our world. Quit for yourself, for your friends, for humanity. You can make your life better.