What are some chemicals in cigarettes?

Answer 1

CHEESE

Benzene (petrol additive)
A colourless cyclic hydrocarbon obtained from coal and petroleum, used as a solvent in fuel and in chemical manufacture - and contained in cigarette smoke. It is a known carcinogen and is associated with leukaemia.

Formaldehyde (embalming fluid)
A colourless liquid, highly poisonous, used to preserve dead bodies - also found in cigarette smoke. Known to cause cancer, respiratory, skin and gastrointestinal problems.

Ammonia (toilet cleaner)
Used as a flavouring, frees nicotine from tobacco turning it into a gas, found in dry cleaning fluids.

Acetone (nail polish remover)
Fragrant volatile liquid ketone, used as a solvent, for example, nail polish remover - found in cigarette smoke.

Tar
Particulate matter drawn into lungs when you inhale on a lighted cigarette. Once inhaled, smoke condenses and about 70 per cent of the tar in the smoke is deposited in the smoker's lungs.

Nicotine (insecticide/addictive drug)
One of the most addictive substances known to man, a powerful and fast-acting medical and non-medical poison. This is the chemical which causes addiction.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) (car exhaust fumes)
An odourless, tasteless and poisonous gas, rapidly fatal in large amounts - it's the same gas that comes out of car exhausts and is the main gas in cigarette smoke, formed when the cigarette is lit. Others you may recognize are :

Arsenic (rat poison), Hydrogen Cyanide (gas chamber poison)

Answer 2

There are over 4,000 chemicals in cigarettes, 50 of which are toxic and known to cause cancer. Here is a summarized list of some of the most well known chemicals found in cigarettes:

-Benzene

-Formaldehyde

-Ammonia

-Acetone

-Tar

-Nicotine

-Carbon Monoxide

-Arsenic

-Hydrogen Cyanide

Answer 3

A carcinogen is defined as any substance that can cause or aggravate cancer. Approximately 60 of the chemicals in cigarettes are known to cause cancer.TSNAs

Tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines (TSNAs) are known to be some of the most potent carcinogens present in smokeless tobacco, snuff and tobacco smoke.

Benzene

Benzene can be found in pesticides and gasoline. It is present in high levels in cigarette smoke and accounts for half of all human exposure to this hazardous chemical.

Pesticides

Pesticides are used on our lawns and gardens, and inhaled into our lungs via cigarette smoke.

Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is a chemical used to preserve dead bodies, and is responsible for some of the nose, throat and eye irritation smokers experience when breathing in cigarette smoke.

Chemicals in Cigarettes: Toxic MetalsToxic / heavy metals are metals and metal compounds that have the potential to harm our health when absorbed or inhaled. In very small amounts, some of these metals support life, but when taken in large amounts, can become toxic.

Arsenic

Commonly used in rat poison, arsenic finds its way into cigarette smoke through some of the pesticides that are used in tobacco farming.

Cadmium

Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal that is used in batteries. Smokers typically have twice as much cadmium in their bodies as nonsmokers.

Radioactive Cigarette Smoke

Lead-210 (Pb-210) and polonium-210 (Po-210) are poisonous, radioactive heavy metals that research has shown to be present in cigarette smoke.

Ammonia

Ammonia compounds are commonly used in cleaning products and fertilizers. Ammonia is also used to boost the impact of nicotine in manufactured cigarettes.

Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide is present in car exhaust and is lethal in very large amounts. Cigarette smoke can contain high levels of carbon monoxide.

Hydrogen Cyanide

Hydrogen cyanide was used to kill people in the gas chambers in Nazi Germany during World War II. It can be found in cigarette smoke.

Nicotine

Nicotine is a poison used in pesticides and is the addictive element in cigarettes.

*******

To put the above answer in perspective:

Formaldehyde is produced endogenously by the human body. So is ammonia. It is essential in the body as a building block for making proteins and other complex molecules.

The benzene, arsenic, cadmium and radioactive lead and polonium (along with several other 'nasties') are absorbed from the atmosphere and soil. They are also absorbed by 'healthy' fruit and vegetables.

Are pesticides not also used on fruit and veg? (Nicotinic pesticide is one of the few approved for organic farming!) Cyanide is present naturally in many nuts and some vegetables.

Nicotine and the dreaded TSNAs are allelochemicals produced by the tobacco plant. These are chemicals produced naturally by the plant to protect it from predators. (The tobacco plant is in the Solanum genus of plants, which also includes potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers and egg-plants.) Very little research has been performed on allelochemicals (apart from those from one specific plant!). How safe are those produced by curly kale or bananas?

Bring back science!

Answer 4

Chemicals found in tobacco are over 4,000, but some of the most known are: butane (lighter fluid), ammonia (toilet cleaner), carbon monoxide (car exhaust), and acetone(nail polish remover).

Answer 5

Carbon monoxide rat poison cyanide and many other dangerous chemicals

Answer 6

Hi. Check out this link. You'l be very suprised! http://www.tobaccofreeutah.org/chemicals.htm

Answer 7

nicotein, a very addicting drug. that's all i know of but there's probably more!

Answer 8

Tobacco contain nicotine, aldehydes, aromatic hydrocarbons, nitrosamines, etc.