Tobacco contains a chemical called nicotine that is very
addicting. Once you start smoking or chewing tobacco, it's very difficult to
stop.
Tobacco contains chemicals that can mutate the DNA in your
lung cells, causing them to become cancerous. In fact, smoking is the leading
cause of lung cancer, and it increases your risk of developing other cancers as
well.
Smoking affects more than just your lungs; your heart
suffers too. Nicotine narrows blood vessels and decreases the amount of
"good" cholesterol in the blood, leading to high blood pressure and
heart disease.
On average, adults who smoke cigarettes die 13-14 years earlier
than nonsmokers. Approximately 440,000 Americans die each year from diseases
directly related to tobacco use.
Known or Probable
Cancer Causing Chemicals in Cigarettes
4-Aminobiphenyl | 7H-Dibenz[c,g]carbazole |
Benzene | Dibenzo(a,i)pyrene |
Cadmium | Dibenzo(a,I)pyrene |
Chromium | 1,1-Dimethylhydrazine |
2-Naphthylamine Nickel | Hydrazine |
Polonium-210 (Radon) | Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene |
Vinyl Chloride | Lead |
Acrylonitrile | 5-Methylchrysene |
Benzo[a]anthracene | NNK |
Benzo[a]pyrene | 2-Nitropropane |
1,3-Butadiene | N-Nitrosodiethanolamine |
Dibenz(a,h)anthracene | N-Nitrosomethylethylamine |
Formaldehyde | N-Nitrosomorpholine |
N-Nitrosodiethylamine | N'-Nitrosonornicotine (NNN) |
N-Nitrosodimethylamine | N-Nitrosopyrrolidine |
Acetaldehyde | Quinolineiv |
Benzo[b]fluoranthene | ortho-Toluidine |
Benzo[j]fluoranthene | Urethane (Ethyl Carbamate) |
Benzo[k]fluoranthene | Chrysene Crotonaldehyde |
Dibenz[a,h]acridine | N'-Nitrosoanabasine (NAB) |
Dibenz[a,j]acridine | N'-Nitrosoanatabine (NAT) |
Researchers have identified more than 4,800 chemical compounds
in tobacco smoke; of these, at least 40 cause cancer in humans