Cigarettes are much more than chopped up tobacco leaves wrapped in paper.
Cigarettes release thousands of dangerous chemicals when they burn.
Rolling tobacco is not any safer; it contains the same cancer-causing chemicals as manufactured cigarettes.
What’s in tobacco smoke?
Tar
Tar is a sticky-brown substance that collects in the lungs when you breathe in cigarette smoke. It stains fingers and teeth a yellow-brown colour.
Tar contains cancer-causing chemicals. But it can cause more than just lung cancer. It also increases the risk of other lung diseases. This includes emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Carbon Monoxide
Cigarette smoke contains a poisonous gas called carbon monoxide. You can’t smell, see or taste it.
Carbon monoxide stops your blood from carrying as much oxygen. This means your heart must work harder, and your organs don’t get the amount of oxygen they need. This increases your risk of heart disease and stroke.
What ingredients in cigarettes cause cancer?
According to Cancer Research, up to 70 of the chemicals found in tobacco smoke can cause cancer.
These cancer-causing chemicals are referred to as carcinogens. Some of the chemicals found in tobacco smoke include:
- Acetic acid—an ingredient in hair dye
- Ammonia—a common household cleaner
- Arsenic—used in rat poison
- Benzene—found in rubber cement and gasoline
- Butane—used in lighter fluid
- Cadmium—active component in battery acid
- Carbon monoxide—released in car exhaust fumes
- Formaldehyde—embalming fluid
- Hexamine—found in barbecue lighter fluid
- Lead—used in batteries
- Naphthalene—an ingredient in mothballs
- Methanol—a main component in rocket fuel
- Radioactive material
Radioactive materials in tobacco smoke
Radioactive materials are in the tobacco leaves used to make cigarettes and cigars. These materials come from the fertilizer and soil that is used to grow tobacco leaves, so the amount in tobacco depends on the soil the plants were grown in and the type of fertilizers used. These radioactive materials are given off in the smoke when tobacco is burned, which people who smoke take into their lungs as they inhale.
Filtered cigarettes are not a safer option!
There is no such thing as safe tobacco!
Smoking filtered cigarettes doesn’t reduce overall risk of disease!
599 Ingredients and Additives in Cigarettes!
I’m not going to bore you with a list of chemicals and additives but a full list can be found here;
https://www.verywellmind.com/big-tobaccos-list-of-599-cigarette-additives-2824422
12 ways smoking affects the body
- Lung damage
- Heart disease
- Fertility problems
- Risk of pregnancy complications
- Risk of type 2 diabetes
- Weakened immune system
- Vision problems
- Poor oral hygiene
- Integumentary system
- Risk of other cancers
- Digestive system
- Central nervous system
Summary
Smoking cigarettes harms a person’s health and increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and different types of cancer.
Other effects of smoking include fertility problems, poor oral hygiene, skin problems, and an increased risk of neurological disorders.
Quitting smoking reduces the risk of health problems such as stroke and heart disease and improves a person’s overall health.
Still DYING for a cigarette?
