Chemicals in Cigarettes

As smokers, we knew the chemicals and poisons were there in our cigarettes, but we avoided thinking too much about it if possible.Facing the facts head-on about what we were inhaling though is a necessary step in the recovery process from nicotine addiction.Develop a disgust for what cigarettes are and it will help you refuse them welcome in your life any longer.Tar in CigarettesIn solid form,stop smoking, tar is the brown, tacky substance that is left behind on the end of the cigarette filter. It stains a smoker's teeth and fingers brown and coats everything it touches with a brownish-yellow film.Hydrogen Cyanide in Cigarette SmokeOne of the toxic byproducts present in cigarette smoke is hydrogen cyanide. Of course no one would willingly inhale this chemical which, under the name of Zyklon B, was used as a genocidal agent during World War II, but smokers do it multiple times with every cigarette they light.Carbon Monoxide in Cigarette SmokeCarbon monoxide(CO)is a colorless, odorless gas that is produced as a result of incomplete burning of carbon-containing fuels. Exposure to CO reduces the blood's ability to carry oxygen. Cigarette smoke can contain high levels of CO, as well as 200 other known poisons.Photo by Graham Savage