How many chemicals in cigarette smoke are carcinogenic?

Answer 1

Here's all 81 of them:

Acetaldehyde Acetamide Acrylamide Acrylonitrile 2-Amino-3,4-dimethyl-3H-imidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (MeIQ) 3-Amino-1,4-dimethyl-5H-pyrido [4,3-b]indole (Trp-P-1) 2-Amino-l-methyl-6-phenyl-1H-imidazo [4,5-b]pyridine (PhlP) 2-Amino-6-methyldipyrido[1,2-a:3',2'-d]imidazole (Glu-P-1) 3-Amino-l-methyl-5H-pyrido {4,3-b]indole (Trp-P-2 2-Amino-3-methyl-9H-pyrido[2,3-b]indole (MeAaC) 2-Amino-9H-pyrido[2,3-b]indole (AaC) 4-Aminobiphenyl 2-Aminodipyrido[1,2-a:3',2'-d]imidazole (Glu-P-2) 0-Anisidine Arsenic Benz[a]anthracene Benzene Benzo[a]pyrene Benzo[b]fluoranthene Benzo[j]fluoranthene Benzo[k]fluoranthene Benzo[b]furan Beryllium 1,3-Butadiene Cadmium Catechol (1,2-benzenediol) p-Chloroaniline Chloroform Cobalt p,p'-DDT Dibenz[a,h]acridine Dibenz[a,j]acridine Dibenz(a,h)anthracene 7H-Dibenzo[c,g]carbazole Dibenzo(a,e)pyrene Dibenzo(a,i)pyrene Dibenzo(a,h)pyrene Dibenzo(a,i)pyrene Dibenzo(a,l)pyrene 3,4-Dihydroxycinnamic acid (caffeic acid) Ethylbenzene Ethylene oxide Formaldehyde Furan Glycidol Heptachlor Hydrazine Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene IQ 92-Amino-3-methyl-3H-imidazo[4,5-f]quinoline) Isoprene Lead 5-Methyl-chrysene 2-Naphthylamine Nitrobenzene Nitrogen mustard Nitromethane 2-Nitropropane N-Nitrosodi-n-butylamine (NDBA) N-Nitrosodi-n-propylamine (NDPA) N-Nitrosodiethanolamine (NDELA) N-Nitrosodiethylamine (DEN) N-Nitrosodimethylamine (DMN) N-Nitrosoethylmethylamine (NEMA, MEN) 4-(N-Nitrosomethylamino)-1-(3-pyridinyl)-1-butanone (NNK) N'-Nitrosonornicotine (NNN) N-Nitrosopiperidine (NPIP, NPP) N-Nitrosopyrrolidine (NPYR, NPY) Polonium-210 (Radon 222) Propylene oxide Safrole Styrene Tetrachloroethylene o-Toluidine (2-methylaniline) Trichloroethylene Urethane (carbamic acid, ethyl ester) Vinyl acetate Vinyl chloride 4-Vinylcyclohexene 2,6-Xylidine (2,6-dimethylaniline)

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You missed out ethanol (the same stuff as in a pint of beer or large glass of wine - around 16 grams of it). Unlike most of the above, which are probable or possible human carcinogens or only carcinogenic to rodents, ethanol is classified as a 'Known Human Carcinogen'. The amount of carcinogens in a pint of beer (2 units of alcohol) is equivalent to that taken in by an average smoker in around a year. So the recommended 30 units of alcohol a week for a male equates to about 15 years of smoking. (That's in terms of weight. In the more realistic terms of molar mass, it's over a lifetime of smoking.)

But then, ethanol is produced endogenously by the human body (along with at least two of the above). We're all doomed anyway!

Answer 2

There are thousands of chemicals (perhaps over 4,000) in cigarette smoke, but the main three (3) carcinogenic ones are:

*Nitrosamines: widely viewed as the most deadly

cancer-causing agents in tobacco smoke.

*Aldehydes: formed by the burning of sugar and

cellulose in tobacco.

*Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH'S): which

form in the cigarette behind the burning tip.

There are also traces of heavy metals present in tobacco as a result of fertilizers used on the plants.

Answer 3

Over seventy known carcinogens are present in cigarette smoke. Some of these are: carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen cyanide and ammonia.

Answer 4

Mostly the same ones found in the 'fresh air' we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink - but generally in lower concentrations.