Facts About the Chemical Acrylonitrile in Cigarette Smoke

Legislators across the country have been enacting new laws to decrease smoking in public. A major thrust of this movement is a heightened awareness of the harmful chemicals found in cigarettes such as acrylonitrile.

Amount

• Chemicals in cigarettes have been linked to causing cancer in smokers.

  According to the World Health Organization, smoking is likely the largest source of nonoccupational contact with the chemical acrylonitrile. There are roughly 1 to 2 mg of acrylonitrile in every 100 cigarettes. If only 10 percent is absorbed through smoking, it would still equal 20 to 40 μg or 20/1,000 to 40/1,000 of a mg.

Chemistry

• The Health Protection Agency says that acrylonitrile is not found in nature. Acrylonitrile is made through an industrial process in which propylene is mixed with ammonia and oxygen with the help of a catalyst. Plastics and resins commonly use acrylonitrile as an ingredient in the development process.

Effects

• The Environmental Protection Agency has listed acrylonitrile as a group B1 cancer-causing agent. Group B1 means there is sufficient and probable evidence that a material will cause cancer in humans at the amount absorbed.