WHAT IS IN TOBACCO SMOKE ?

NICOTINE:

Nicotine is a poison. Swallowing two or three drops of pure nicotine can kill an adult. When used as a concentrated insect spray, nicotine is 10 times more toxic than DDT. Voluntary agreements with the tobacco industry ensure that the amount of nicotine in Australian made cigarettes is limited to 1.4 mg. It takes 7.5 seconds for nicotine to act on the brain after inhaling cigarette smoke.

The initial effect is stimulation followed by a relaxed feeling about half an hour later. The absorption of nicotine and its distribution to the brain and other body organs and tissues is very rapid.

Regular intake is needed to maintain a certain level of nicotine in the body. Nicotine causes the narrowing of blood vessels, in turn, affecting circulation and causing blood pressure to rise. Just one or two cigarettes will cause a significant increase in heart rate, a rise in blood pressure and a decrease in circulation to body extremities like fingers and toes. This is why regular absorption of nicotine through smoking cigarettes may increase the possibility of heart attack in people with chronic heart problems and can initially contribute to these problems. The negative health effects of smoking tobacco vary greatly depending on a number of factors, including how much tar it contains, how much nicotine it contains and how the tobacco is smoked.

TAR:

When a cigarette burns tar is released in the form of tiny particles in the smoke. It is the main cause of lung and throatcancer in smokers and also aggravates bronchial and respiratory disease. Smokers cough, wheezing and shortness of breath are all caused by tar and other elements in tobacco smoke reducing the flexibility of the small air sacs in the lungs. Yellow staining found on the teeth and fingers of a smoker is also caused by tar.A person who smokes one packet of cigarettes a day will inhale more than half a cup of tar each year. Smokers who switch to low tar brands tend to smoke more cigarettes or inhale the smoke more deeply, so the benefit of switching to low tar cigarettes is limited when compared to quitting.

CARBON MONOXIDE:

Carbon monoxide is an extremely toxic gas that is totally odourless and colourless.Smoking cigarettes causes a greater concentration of carbon monoxide in the lungs than breathing in polluted air.Carbon monoxide can be found in car exhaust, fires as well as tobacco smoke.When you breath your lungs take on oxygen and give off carbon dioxide, When blood reaches your lungs an exchange of gases takes place - the body gets rid of carbon dioxide and takes in more oxygen. Because the blood absorbs carbon monoxide more easily than oxygen, in a person who smokes this means that the blood leaves the heart with less oxygen than it should be carrying, resulting in a lack of oxygen supply to the cells of the body.People who smoke have higher levels of carbon monoxide in the blood than a non-smoker. The risk of developing circulation problems, such as coronary heart disease and/or hardening of the arteries is greatly increased in a smoker.

OTHER CHEMICALS:

Small amounts of more than 4,000 chemicals including tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide, radioactive compounds, irritant substances such as ammonia, cyanide, acetone, hydrogen, naphthalene, arsenic and phenol are found in cigarette smoke.The main problem causing chemicals are tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide. Other dangerous compounds and substances can be found in cigarette smoke including some which are toxic, including 43 which have been identified as being carcinogenic (causing cancer).