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.