Although most smokers are aware that tobacco cigarettes are bad for their health because they contain toxic chemicals, they might not know exactly what these chemicals are. If they did, they would be shocked. Here is a list of just some of the chemicals found in tobacco cigarettes and what they are commonly used for.
Acetone: Used as a nail polish remover.
Ammonia: Found in toilet cleaning products and dry cleaning fluids.
Arsenic: A common rat poison.
Butane: Cigarette lighter fluid.
Cadmium: Found in car batteries.
Carbon Monoxide: A highly toxic carcinogen, also found in car exhaust fumes.
Cyanide: A deadly poison.
DDT: An insecticide.
Formaldehyde: Used to preserve dead bodies, it causes cancer as well as respiratory, skin and gastrointestinal problems.
Freon: Damages the Earth’s ozone layer, as well as your health.
Geranic Acid: Smells nice, but isn’t nice for your body.
Hydrogen Cyanide: An extremely poisonous substance. Used by the Nazis during the Second World War.
Methoprene: A pesticide.
Sulfuric Acid: Also found in car batteries.
Mind you, this is only a very short list of the many poisonous chemicals that are found in tobacco cigarettes. So far, some 5000 chemicals have been identified in tobacco smoke, and researchers have estimated that there are at least another 50,000 that they have not yet discovered. It is fair to assume that more toxic chemicals will be discovered over time. Even on the basis of what is known, it can be stated with absolute certainty that cigarettes are highly harmful to a person’s health. This is why it is important for smokers to quit smoking cigarettes immediately. This, however, is not always easy as most smokers will tell you.
There are many quit smoking products available on the market to help people quit smoking, and one of the most effective is the e-cigarette. The e-cigarette looks like a normal cigarette and contains a totally harmless vapour that is inhaled and exhaled like the smoke of a normal cigarette. You can actually keep smoking and quit smoking at the same time.