The Anatomy of a Cigarette

When you dissect a smoke, here’s what you find

A cigarette is like a hazardous waste dump held between two fingers. At first glance, it may not look dangerous— but on closer examination, you’ll discover that a cigarette contains many ingredients you’d be better off avoiding than consuming.

“Some of these ingredients are found naturally in tobacco, others are byproducts when it’s burned,” says Suzanne Smith, manager of the Tobacco Treatment Program at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. “Still other ingredients are added to make the cigarette better-tasting or more addictive.” Nearly 50 of these substances are known to cause cancer.

To find out what you’re ingesting when you put a cigarette to your lips, take a look at the photo below.

Formaldehyde—This water-soluble gas is used to preserve dead specimens. When large doses are inhaled, it may damage DNA and cause nose, throat or lung cancer.

Ammonia—You use it to clean. When it’s added to tobacco, your body absorbs more nicotine, making cigarettes more addictive.

Perforated filter—Filters on “light” cigarettes dilute smoke with air. But smokers may unknowingly block the filtering holes with their fingers. If not, they may take more frequent drags to satisfy their nicotine addiction.

Benzene—This known cancercauser is found in pesticides, gasoline—and cigarette smoke. When inhaled, it travels to various organs in the body. In the lungs, it causes irreversible damage.

Carbon monoxide—This poisonous gas prevents the blood from bringing oxygen to cells, tissues and organs.

Titanium oxide—It keeps the cigarette burning, making it responsible for many smoking-related home fires.

Want to Know More about how to quit smoking for good? To sign up for Lehigh Valley Hospital’s Tobacco Treatment Program, call 610-402-CARE.

Published from Healthy You Magazine, January-February 2008

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