Cigarette smoking is the single-most preventable cause of lung cancer and heart disease in the United States. It is directly responsible for emphysema, chronic bronchitis, stroke, cataracts, cancer of the larynx and bladder. It causes 87 percent of all lung cancer deaths and more than 400,000 deaths from heart disease a year.
Chemicals in Cigarette Smoke
Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 toxic chemicals. They include benzene, formaldehyde, acetone, tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide and arsenic. Many of these chemicals are found in commercial manufacturing where exposure to them is minimized by wearing special protective equipment.
Poisons in Cigarettes
Benzene is made from coal and petroleum and is a strong solvent used for commercial applications. Formaldehyde is a strong poison that is used to preserve bodies during the embalming process. Acetone is a solvent used in nail polish remover and dry cleaning fluid. Tar is made up of particulate matter that gets deposited into the lungs after inhaling cigarette smoke. Nicotine is a fast-acting poison that is responsible for addiction to cigarettes. Carbon monoxide is a tasteless, odorless gas that is present in automobile exhaust and is fatal in large amounts. Arsenic is a toxic gas found in rat poisons.
Secondhand Smoke
Secondhand smoke is smoke that is involuntarily inhaled by people who frequent places like bars, restaurants, cars and public places where cigarette smokers smoke. The risks involved with secondhand smoke begin with passive smoke. Passive smoke affects other people in the form of sidestream and mainstream smoke. Sidestream smoke is the smoke given off of the end of a burning cigarette. Mainstream smoke is the smoke exhaled by a cigarette smoker. Secondhand smoke is responsible for over 3,000 deaths a year in the United States and can lead to breast cancer, leukemia and brain tumors in children.
