How Bad Are The Carcinogens In Tobacco Cigarettes

Lung cancer has been a big problem for people all over the world. Most everyone can probably think of someone they know that has been affected in some way by some type of lung cancer, whether it be a loved one, friend, or coworker. Of the 13 most common types of cancer, lung cancer is number 2 on the list, taking a back seat only to skin cancer. Seeing as how skin cancer can be caused by simply too much sun exposure, this isn't too hard to imagine. However, of those 13 types of cancer, lung cancer is by far the most deadly. Of course, it's easy to say that smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer. Perhaps the second most common cause is exposure to secondhand smoke. What then is inside of cigarettes that make them so harmful.

Carcinogens are chemicals that are known to cause cancer. Of the 4000 or so chemicals that you can find it tobacco smoke, about 50 of them are carcinogens. These carcinogens are present not only in the smoke you inhale but also in the secondhand smoke that pollutes the air, forcing passersby to breathe it in. This makes smoking a deadly habit not only for the smoker but for those around them as well. It is estimated that 3000 lung cancer deaths each year can be traced to secondhand smoke exposure.

What are some of the carcinogens found in cigarettes? Well, there's arsenic, which is from the pesticide sprayed on the tobacco plants. Benzene is also present, which is used to make things like rubber, dyes, lubricating products, and other things. Beryllium, cobalt, and chloroform can also be found. If you ever dissected an animal in science or biology class, you probably remember the foul smell that saturated the entire room. The cause of that smell was formaldehyde, which is also present in cigarette smoke. Though not present is a vast quantity, lead is also present. Lead is however known to be very poisonous.

Doctors don't know for sure exactly how many carcinogens are in tobacco smoke. This is probably due to the huge number of chemicals found in cigarette smoke, but it's safe to say there are at least 50 of them. This means that every time you take a puff off a cigarette, 50 chemicals enter your body that could possibly cause cancerous effects.

Unfortunately, tobacco itself, when burned, gives off some chemicals naturally that are harmful to health, so it's not as simple as tobacco companies just not putting the chemicals in. Your best bet is to quit smoking using other forms of nicotine, such as patches, gum, or electronic cigarettes. The short term effects of nicotine just aren't worth the long term health problems associated with the habit.