Cigarette smoke

Cigarette smoke

Cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco are made from dried tobacco leaves, but contain other ingredients for flavor. Over 4000 known chemicals have been identified in tobacco and tobacco smoke. Of these, 60 are known as carcinogens:

"Tar - viscous liquid containing most carcinogens
»Benzene - industrial solvent that comes from crude oil
»Arsenic - known specifically as the cause of skin cancer and lung. It seems that arsenic from tobacco leaves is a major carcinogens in cigarettes.
»Cadmium - used to manufacture batteries
"Formaldehyde - used to preserve corpses
"Polonium-210 - radioactive element
»Chrome - used to manufacture paint and alloys
»1,3-butadiene - used to manufacture rubber
»Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
»Acrolein - previously used as a chemical weapon
Cigarette smoke
Concentration of these substances

Most dangerous substances in tobacco smoke are found in low levels. But over the months and years they accumulate, reaching high amounts in the body.
For this reason, the risk of cancer and other diseases increase with the amount of tobacco consumed daily and the number of years a person smokes.

Compared with nonsmokers, smokers levels in blood is:
 - 2 times more cadmium
 - 4 times more radioactive polonium-210
 - 10 times more benzene
 - 10 times more arsenic
Cigarette smoke
Substances present in cigarette smoke can be more dangerous when they are associated. They can interact with each other, increasing the risk of cancer in addition.

Thus, certain substances in cigarette smoke directly affects cellular DNA, including genes that protect against cancer. These substances include benzo (a) pyrene, polonium-210, benzene, acrolein and nitrosamines.

But their effect is aggravated by other substances. Arsenic, cadmium and nickel affects the body's ability to repair damaged DNA.


Cigarette smoke constituents

Tar

Present in cigarette smoke tar is a black viscous residue, consisting of hundreds of chemicals, many of which are considered carcinogenic. These include especially polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, aromatic amines and inorganic compounds.
Cigarette smoke
Arsenic

Arsenic is one of the most dangerous substances in cigarettes. Can cause cancer and affect the heart and blood vessels.
Small amounts of arsenic can accumulate in the smoker, and over the years, the concentration becomes higher. Besides direct effects, arsenic can worsen the effects of other chemicals.
Fish and seafood are a food source for arsenic, but in a form less toxic and easier to remove from the body. In contrast, cigarette smoke contains arsenic in a more dangerous form.

Nicotine

Nicotine is the substance naturally present in tobacco leaves and is responsible for tobacco addiction. It affects cardiovascular and endocrine system.

Carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide (CO) is found in tobacco smoke due to incomplete combustion. It reduces the ability of red blood cells to carry oxygen to tissues, heart, brain and skeletal muscle requires the greatest amount of oxygen and are therefore most affected by the effects of carbon monoxide.

Formaldehyde

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States ranked among the elements that formaldehyde may pose a moderate risk of cancer in humans. Formaldehyde can have severe effects on the health of smokers and people exposed to tobacco smoke.
Formaldehyde is a chemical with irritating odor, used to destroy bacteria, conservation bodies and the manufacture of other chemicals. It is one of the substances present in cigarette smoke with the greatest potential for damage to the lungs and airways.
Tobacco smoke is one of the main sources of exposure to formaldehyde. Places where smoking shows a level 3 times higher than normal formaldehyde.
Cigarette smoke
Hydrogen cyanide

Hydrogen cyanide is considered one of the most toxic agents found in cigarette smoke. Numerous toxic effects and short-term cigarette smoke can be attributed to this substance. Frequent exposure to low concentrations of hydrogen cyanide train one general weakness, headache, nausea and vomiting, increased respiratory rate and skin and eye irritation.

Benzene

Considered as toxic in some countries, benzene can have negative effects on health, regardless of the level of exposure. International Center of Cancer Research included on list of carcinogens benzene group 1 (reserved for substances with the highest risk).
Benzene is a solvent used in the production of other substances, including gasoline. It is shown that benzene can cause some forms of cancer, especially leukemia.
Tobacco smoke contains large amounts of benzene and is responsible in large part by exposure to this toxin. Regular smoker inhales 10 times more benzene than a nonsmoker.
Some studies show that inhalation of benzene by passive smoking throughout life may increase the risk of cancer.
Cigarette smoke
Cadmium

Cadmium is a metal used mainly in the manufacture of batteries. Most cadmium in the human body comes from exposure to cigarette smoke. The amount of cadmium in the blood of smokers is twice higher than that of non-smokers blood.
According to studies, the amount of cadmium present in cigarette smoke can affect health. Cadmium is a known cause of cancer, but it can affect the kidneys and arteries.

Polonium

Poland is a rare radioactive substance that emits a very harmful type of radiation (alpha radiation). Cigarette smoke contains traces of polonium, which is deposited in the airways and emit radiation directly to neighboring cells.
Lungs of smokers are 4 times more likely to polonium than those of a nonsmoker. One study estimated that a person who smokes a pack and a half of cigarettes a day, is exposed to a radiation dose equal to the dose given if a person performing chest X-ray radiography 300 per year.