What's in a cigarette?Do you know that there are about 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke?These poisonous chemicals include:
Tar - a mixture of chemicals (formaldehyde, arsenic and cyanide to name a few). About 70% of the tar is left in smokers' lungs when they inhale cigarette smoke and this causes many serious lung diseases.
Tar - a mixture of chemicals (formaldehyde, arsenic and cyanide to name a few). About 70% of the tar is left in smokers' lungs when they inhale cigarette smoke and this causes many serious lung diseases.
Carbon Monoxide (CO) - An odourless, tasteless and poisonous gas. It makes breathing more difficult as it combines with the body's blood which carries oxygen around the body. Oxygen is essential for our bodies to work properly. Up to 15% of a smoker's blood may be carrying CO instead of oxygen, which means the heart has to work harder, which can cause coronary heart disease and circulation problems.
Acetone - widely used as a solvent, for example in nail polish remover.
Ammonia - is found in cleaning fluids. Arsenic - a deadly poison, used in insecticides.
Formaldehyde - used to preserve dead bodies.
Cadmium - a highly poisonous metal used in batteries.
Shellac - becomes a wood varnish when mixed with a form of alcohol.
Benzene - used as a solvent in fuel and chemical production.
Cyanide - a deadly poison.