Chemicals Found in Cigarette Smoke
Cigarette smoke contains over 4000 chemical compounds. Many are toxic, and some are known carcinogens. Second hand smoke is dangerous air to breathe.
Articles & Resources
Ammonia in Cigarettes
Ammonia is added to cigarettes to enhance the absorption of nicotine.
Benzene
Benzene is present in cigarette smoke and accounts for half of all human exposure to this hazard to human health. While definitive conclusions have not yet been drawn, it is generally thought that smokers face an increased risk of leukemia over their nonsmoking counterparts.
Carbon Monoxide
Carbon Monoxide is present in cigarette smoke. Both smokers and nonsmokers inhale this toxic chemical when they breathe in smoke from a burning cigarette.
Formaldehyde in Cigarette Smoke
Formaldehyde is present in cigarette smoke as well as building materials and household products. Learn what physical symptoms to expect from formaldehyde, and what you can do to limit exposure to it.
Hydrogen Cyanide in Cigarette Smoke
One of the toxic byproducts of cigarette smoke is hydrogen cyanide. Smokers inhale it with every puff they take. This same chemical was used as a genocidal agent during World War II.
Nicotine
Nicotine is a colorless, poisonous alkaloid, derived from the tobacco plant.
Pesticides in Cigarette Smoke
We certainly wouldn't knowingly breathe pesticides into our lungs, yet that is exactly what smokers do every time they take a puff of a cigarette.
Tar in Cigarettes
"Tar" is the term used to describe the toxic chemicals found in cigarettes.
Chemicals Found in Cigarette Smoke
The Arizona Smokers' Helpline has put together this list of chemicals which are present in cigarette smoke. Click on the chemical name to find out what it is.
A Review of Cigarette Smoke and Its Toxilogical Effects
Steven Mulcahy authored this very in-depth college report on the toxic effects of cigarette smoke, both for the smoker and those affected by secondhand smoke.
6
