You do when you light up a cigarette!
Cigarette and tobacco smoke release 4,000 known chemicals, of which at least 43 are known carcinogens. Here’s a short list of what someone is inhaling when they smoke:
- Tar: A black, sticky
residue usually used to cover road surfaces. It sticks to lung walls, like
tar. Among its cancer-causing products are: Benzopyrene (emitted for burned
petroleum products; B-napthylamine (used in dye manufacturing); Cadmium
(poisonous chemical used in car batteries); Nitrosamine (an engine degreasing
agent).
- Nicotine: A powerful,
addictive drug. Can act as both stimulant and depressant. Nicotine increases
the "stickiness" of blood and decreases the size of blood vessels. Blood flows
more slowly and the heart has to work harder to pump blood through your body.
- Carbon Monoxide: Gas
found in car and exhaust smoke. Carbon monoxide corners the oxygen in your
muscles, bloodstream and tissues, making your heart work harder.
- Acetone: Used in nail
polish and paint stripper.
- Ammonia: Found in dry
cleaning fluids and nail polish remover.
- Formaldehyde: Highly
poisonous preservative – commonly associated with embalming fluid. Known to
cause cancer.
- Benzene: Hydrocarbon
produced from coal and petroleum. Used as a solvent in fuel and chemical
manufacturing. Known carcinogen – particularly leukemia.
- Arsenic: Rat poison.
- Hydrogen Cyanide: Gas
poison.
- Naphthalene: Mothball
ingredient.
- DDT: Pesticide used to
kill insects.
- Vinyl Chloride: Chemical
used in making plastics.
- Polonium-210: Radioactive substance.
A few of the more notorious cancer-causing chemicals in cigarette and tobacco smoke: lead, mercury, nitric acid, nitrogen oxides, phenol, toluene, and urethane. Sorry, we’re not able to provide "sick bags" on this site.
Source Credit: Health Promotion Board