QUIT SMOKING

Some Harmful Components of Cigarette Smoke

If you thought that nicotine is the only harmful component of cigarettes, you are sadly mistaken. There is a whole array of them present to harm your body. Cigarette smoke is a complex mixture of compounds produced by the burning of tobacco and additives. Apart from the usual stimulant nicotine, cigarette smoke contains tar, which is made up of more than 4000 chemicals including around 60 known carcinogenic chemicals. Nearly all of them are deadly. Some are also the cause of lung & heart disease and emphysema.

Some are known for their adverse effects on bones and skins. You might be surprised to find the names of some of the deadly chemicals in your cigarette smoke.

Some of them are as follows:
Cyanide: It is a chemical compound that contains a cyano group.
Benzene: also known as Benzol is an organic chemical compound that is a flammable and colorless liquid.
Methanol (wood alcohol): is the simplest alcohol that is also known as methyl alcohol.
Acetylene (the fuel used in welding torches): is an unsaturated chemical compound that is also the simplest alkyne hydrocarbon.
Ammonia : is found everywhere in the environment but is very toxic in combination with certain elements.
Formaldehyde: is a compound in the form of gas that has a very pungent smell.

Cigarette smoke also contains some of the deadly and poisonous gases such as nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide which can be very harmful for a person’s health.

The above given list gives a clear picture that no threat dimension is left when it comes to the components of smoke. Anything and everything that is bad for health is a part of smoke. So, just beware when you light your next cigarette.