What is in the smoke?
Cigarette smoke is toxic soup of more than 4,000 known chemical
compounds.
Cigarette smoke is made up of “sidestream” smoke from the burning tip
of the cigarette and “mainstream” smoke from the filter or mouth end.
Tobacco smoke
contains thousands of different chemicals that are released into the air as particles
and gases. The particulate phase of cigarette smoke includes nicotine, "tar" (itself
composed of many chemicals), benzene and benzo(a)pyrene. The gas phase includes
carbon monoxide, ammonia, dimethylnitrosamine, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide and
acrolein.
According to a November 2001 report issued by the National Cancer Institute,
there are 69 known or probable carcinogens in cigarette smoke. The complete list
of these carcinogens appears below.
LIST OF KNOWN, PROBABLE, AND POSSIBLE CANCER CAUSING CHEMICALS IN
SECONDHAND SMOKE
- Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
- Benz(a)anthracene
-
Benzo(b)fluoranthene
- Benzo(j)fluoranthene
- Benzo(k)fluoranthene
- Benzo(a)pyrene
- Dibenz(a,h)anthracene
-
Dibenzo(a,l)pyrene
- Dibenzo(a,e)pyrene
- Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene
- 5-Methylchrysene
- Miscellaneous Organic Compounds
- Acetamide
- Acrylamide
- Acrylonitrile
- Vinyl chloride
- DDT DDE
- Catechol Caffeic acid
- 1,1-Dimethylhydrazine
Nitromethane
- 2-Nitropropane Nitrobenzene
- Ethyl carbamate
Ethylene oxide
- Propylene oxide
- Methyleugenol
- MeAaC (2-amino-3-methyl-9-H-pyrido[2,3-b]indole
-
N-Nitrosamines
- N-Nitrosodimethylamine
- N-Nitrosoethylmethylamine
- N-Nitrosodiethylamine
- N-Nitrosodi-n-propylamine
- N-Nitroso-di-n-butylamine
- N-Nitrosopyrrolidine
- N-Nitrosopiperidine
- N-Nitrosodiethanolamine
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- N-Nitrosonornicotine
- 4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3pyridyl)-1-butanone
-
Inorganic Compounds
- Hydrazine
- Arsenic
- Beryllium
- Nickel
- Chromium (only hexavalent)
-
Cadmium
- Cobalt
- Lead
- Polonium-210
N-Heterocyblic Amines
- AaC IQ
- Trp-P-1 Trp-P-2
- Glu-P-1
Glu-P-2
- PhlP
- Aldehydes
- Formaldehyde
- Acetaldhehyde
- Volatile Hyrocarbons
- 1,3-Butadeine
-
Isoprene
- Benzene
- Styrene
- Heterocyclic Compounds
- Quinoline Dibenz(a,h)acridine
- Dibenz(a,j)acridine
-
Dibenzo(c,g)carbazole
- Benzo(b)furan Furan
- Aromatic Amines
- 2-Toluidine 2,6-Dimethylaniline
-
2-Naphthylamine 4-Aminobiphenyl
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