Chemicals that are being inhaled with cigarette smoke have many different effects. Some cause several respiratory diseases, others take influence on the cardiovascular system and some can cause cancer. Those are the categories we divide those chemicals in. We divide the chemicals contained in cigarettes in four main categories:
Irritating chemicals
An example for irritating chemicals contained in cigarettes is ammoniac. It is contained in the aerosol that is being inhaled with the tobacco smoke. The chronic bronchitis, also known as the smoker's cough is one direct result of the lungs being polluted with ammoniac. Even if smoking is being given up, the cough can stay for months and even years after the smoking cessation due to the ammoniac and the tar that has been inhaled for years and decades.
Blood-toxic chemicals
The number one blood-toxic chemical that is being inhaled with cigarette smoke is carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide can also be found in exhaust fumes and in higher doses it causes a deadly intoxication in form of suffocation. Though a deadly intoxication with carbon monoxide is not possible by smoking cigarettes, it has significant effects on the body. Carbon monoxide is being accumulated in the red blood cells. It replaces oxygen that is being transported through the body to grant a 100% oxygen supply. When carbon monoxide gets into the blood, the body is no longer able to accumulate oxygen anymore. The result of this effect is a disability to do physical efforts in form of a shortness of breath. Long term results of this exposure to toxic chemicals can be cardiovascular diseases.
Neuro-toxic chemicals
Nicotine is the one neuro-toxic chemical that everyone on earth knows. It takes direct influence on the brain by releasing dopamine and serotonin. For being able to accumulate abnormally high amounts of nicotine the brain builds up additional nicotine receptors. Those receptors result in the brain needing even more nicotine. This vicious circle goes on and on. Usually the maximum amount has been reached when a smoker needs to smoke a cigarette every 45 - 60 minutes. When the brain is no longer being provided with nicotine the brain starts to send out signals that make a smoker feel the urge to smoke a cigarette - Those are the mental withdrawal symptoms.
Carcinogen chemicals
Examples of carcinogen chemicals contained in cigarettes are for example benzol and the highly carcinogen benzopyrene. Benzopyrene is not a part of the tobacco plant. It is being added to cigarettes manually to make the smoke taste smoother. This way the smoker is able to inhale the smoke deeper into the lungs, which strengthens the addiction to nicotine.
There are more than 12.000 chemicals in each and every cigarette. Hundreds of them are toxic and more than 40 of them cause cancer. The chemicals mentioned above are only a very small part of the picture, just to give you an overview of what you inhale every day.
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