Chemicals in Cigarettes

There are over 4000 different chemicals in cigarette smoke. Scientists have identified that at least 43 of these cause cancer.

The chemicals in cigarettes are not only dangerous for your health, but it also affects the people around the smoker.

The four most well-known and dangerous chemicals are:

Nicotine

Nicotine is the most well known chemical in cigarettes. It’s the chemical or drug that’s responsible for the addictive nature of cigarettes and tobacco.

Nicotine stimulates the central nervous system. It produces feelings of pleasure, anxiety relief and wakefulness, reduces appetite and improves short-term memory and task performance.

But that’s not all the effects of nicotine. Nicotine’s negative effects on the body far outweigh any positive effects. Nicotine makes your body more susceptible to a host of circulatory problems by:

• Increasing your heart rate
• Increasing your blood pressure
• Constricts your blood vessels, causing your heart and arteries to work harder
• Reduces blood flow to your hands and feet
• Increases the risk of blood clots that can cause strokes or pulmonary embolisms

Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide, the same chemical that comes out of your car is also in cigarettes and tobacco.

Carbon monoxide has a similar chemical structure as oxygen, and when inhaled, it takes the place of oxygen in the red blood cells. That leaves less oxygen circulating your blood stream and consequently, less oxygen for your body’s organs such as your muscles, heart and brain.

Your heart has to pump harder to supply the rest of your body with enough oxygen so your organs can function.

Carbon monoxide is the reason why smokers feel short of breath and easily over-exerted when exercising.

Tar

Tar is the given name for toxic, cancer-causing chemicals in cigarettes. Tar forms a thick, black coating in your lungs, inhibiting efficient oxygen transfer and increasing your risk of developing lung cancer.

So what if you smoke low tar or light cigarettes? Would the risk of cancer be reduced?

Studies show that it doesn’t matter what type of cigarettes you smoke, the risk of developing lung cancer is the same. It’s believed that smokers take deeper puffs of low tar or light cigarettes to get enough nicotine (the addictive chemical) to satisfy their addiction.

The only way to reduce the risk of lung cancer is to quit smoking completely.

Phenols

Phenols are a large group organic chemicals used in a broad range of products such as disinfectants, detergents and fungicides and found in many natural compounds such as clove oil, neurotransmitters, hormones and much more. Not all phenolic compounds are bad for your health, but the phenols found in cigarettes certainly are.

The phenols in cigarettes and tobacco have been found to damage and destroy the delicate small hairs lining the airways of your lungs. Consider these small hairs as your body’s janitor for your lungs. They continually sweep debris and other unwanted substances out of your lungs.

When these small hairs are destroyed or damaged, the cleansing of your lungs is severely impaired, leaving your lungs vulnerable to irritants and other cancer causing chemicals.