What's in a Cigarette anyway?
 = carcinogen
When you smoke you're saying yes to:
Tar
Wonder why smokers' fingers have those yellowish brown stains? One word: tar. This is the black, sticky stuff that carries the many toxic chemicals to your lungs. Tar not only leaves stains on smoker's teeth, fingers and lung tissue, it's also the main cause of throat and lung cancer.
Nicotine
Nicotine is the drug responsible for making cigarettes so addictive. It makes
your body crave more cigarettes and that means inhaling all
those gross chemicals. Studies have shown that the nicotine habit
can be as hard to break as heroin or cocaine addiction.
Within seven seconds of inhaling on a cigarette, the nicotine reaches your brain, stimulating the nervous system, increasing heart rate, raising blood pressure and constricting small blood vessels under the skin, (which can cause wrinkles, by the way).
Benzene
Benzene was once used in industry to manufacture inks, rubber, lacquers and paint remover and is highly toxic. As a chemical, benzene is confirmed to cause cancer/leukemia in humans and is therefore not suitable for industrial applications let alone your body!
Carbon Monoxide
Let's make one thing clear -- experts say there is NO safe amount of carbon monoxide. That's why many new houses come equipped with carbon monoxide detectors. What does carbon monoxide do to you? This poisonous gas reduces the amount of oxygen taken up by your red blood cells. This means less oxygen for your organs, like your heart and lungs. Ever notice how smokers get winded going up a flight of stairs?
Hydrogen Cyanide
Consider this: hydrogen cyanide is the poison used in gas chambers -- it's an efficient killer. In smaller doses like those found in cigarettes, it damages tiny hairs in your body that are part of your natural lung cleaning mechanism. As a result, toxic substances can build up in your lungs.
Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is used in -- get this -- embalming fluid used to preserve dead bodies. If that doesn't turn you off smoking, what will? Then there's the matter of health. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen (cancer causing substance).
...and more!
(© Health Canada, 2002)
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