Cigarettes are perfect little backstabbers—you will fall in love with it for the momentary comfort it gives but it will kill you in the end. Most smokers don’t realize or maybe don’t want to realize the ill effects of smoking. Nicotine in itself is a harmless chemical, but its friends present in a cigarette are the real killers. Here is the list of 12 hazardous chemicals you inhale with every drag.
Benzene
A by-product of crude oil that is used in industrial solvents—this dreadful substance is a known cancer promoter.
Arsenic
A chemical known to cause blood poisoning—and to aggravate various forms of cancer.
Tar
Lung cancer, emphysema and bronchitis are few gifts that this substance gives a cigarette user.
Formaldehyde
Remember the specimen in a biology lab stored in a glass container filled with a transparent liquid? That’s formaldehyde and is present in every drag that you take.
Acetone
An organic compound that is often used as a solvent in the manufacture of plastic—although the effects of the substance are limited on the human body it causes irritation of the throat.
Carbon Monoxide
A colourless, odourless gas but deadly to humans and animals alike—CO is the silent killer! It reacts with the hemoglobin in the blood, suppressing its oxygen-carrying capability. This, in turn, directly impacts all your vital organs. There are already enough vehicles on the street that produce ample amount carbon monoxide—do you really need cigarettes to compliment them?
Amonia
This pungent gas is used to make fertilizers and toilet cleaners. Amonia is the reason for nicotine addiction as it intensifies nicotine’s effect while in the system.
Cadmium
This metal is used to manufacture batteries and is present in high quantity in a cigarette. Long-term exposure to cadmium can damage your lungs, heart, kidneys, liver or blood.
Nitrogen Oxide
Shortness of breath, inflammation of the lungs and throat are some of the ill effects of the gas.
Chromium
A cancer causing and DNA damaging metal—welcoming this substance into your body is stupidity we say.
Hydrogen Cyanide
A gas that was used as a chemical weapon in World War II that smokers willingly take in—the irony!
Lead
Cardiovascular problems, blood poisoning and lung cancer are just few treats lead can give you!
