What's in a Cigarette..?
Tobacco smoke contains 69 identified carcinogens (cancer-causing chemical agents) and many other chemicals, here are just a few of the more well known.
Carbon Monoxide - The result of incomplete burning of carbon-containing fuels makes a colourless odourless gas. This gas makes it harder for your blood to carry oxygen around your body causing tiredness, dizziness and headaches.
TAR – tar is released when a cigarette burns, it coats the inside of your lungs and increases the chances of lung and throat cancer. More than half a cup of tar will be inhaled every year if you smoke only one packed of cigarettes a day.
Hydrogen cyanide – this chemical, at room temperature is a blue/clear liquid. Hydrogen cyanide is used to make plastics, fibres, other chemicals, and as a fumigant to kill rats. This causes tiredness, dizziness and headaches.
Benzene – Also known to increase the chances of cancer, benzene is also used to make types of rubber, detergents and pesticides.
Formaldehyde – colourless and flammable, formaldehyde can causes eye and nasal irritation as well as being used for industrial fungicide, germicide, disinfectant, and as a preservative in mortuaries and medical laboratories.
Ammonia – ammonia can be very irritating to the skin, eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. When added to nicotine it enhances the effect by making the nicotine vaporise easier causing it to deposit directly on your lung tissue.