Chemicals of Cigarette Smoke

Researchers have isolated more than 4,000 different chemicals in tobacco smoke. Many of them are hazardous and at least 50 are classified as carcinogens. Most of these compounds are not present in the tobacco plant but are formed when the cigarette burns. Some of the raw materials that are converted during combustion occur naturally in the tobacco while others are added during the manufacturing process.

Nicotine

• Nicotine is the chemical that is commonly associated with smoking. It is one of the most addictive drugs known and it is the ingredient in cigarette smoke that causes dependence. Even without the other smoke components, nicotine alone is known to cause cardiovascular disease. It has also been used commercially as an insecticide.

Carbon Monoxide

• Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is formed wherever there is less than complete combustion of carbon compounds. CO is a major pollutant from car exhaust and it is fatal if ingested in large enough doses.

Tar

• Tar is a composite of many compounds and is the term used for the general class of particulates that condense as the smoke cools. It collects in a smoker's lungs and prevents the cilia from keeping the lungs clean. Tar also collects on the skin and clothing as well as furniture and gives the smoke its characteristic taste and smell, according to the Lung Association of Saskatchewan.

Hydrocarbons

• There are a number of aromatic hydrocarbons in cigarette smoke including benzene, formaldehyde, and acetone. Benzene is used as an additive in motor fuel and is a known carcinogen. Formaldehyde also causes cancer as well as irritating tissue. It is used as a preservative and in embalming fluid. Acetone is a strong solvent and is used to remove paint and fingernail polish.

Other Ingredients

• Other commonly recognized chemicals in cigarette smoke include ammonia that is added to tobacco as a flavoring agent and to promote the release of nicotine when it is burned. Arsenic is well known as a rat poison and hydrogen cyanide was once used in gas chambers.

Healthier Cigarettes

• Beginning in the 1950s when the adverse effects of smoking first began to be known, manufacturers changed the composition of cigarettes. They reduced the levels of tar and nicotine in particular by a factor of three over a period of 40 years. This was accomplished with different blends of tobacco, increased use and new designs of filters, development of more porous cigarette papers, and new additives to increase the degree of combustion.