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What’s in a cigarette?

Find out what chemicals a person is breathing into their body as they have a smoke.

 

There are around 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, with over 70 that have been found to cause cancer. 

Many of the main chemicals in a cigarette are poisonous and can be found in items we're familiar with. Use this tool to find out more about what they are. It may put you off smoking for good. 

Try the tool

 

 

Sewer gas Methane

Methane is a main component of natural gas and is a leading contributor to global warming. High levels of methane gas can be toxic to humans.

Toilet cleaner Ammonia

Ammonia compounds are commonly used in cleaning products and fertilisers. It is also a poison used in pesticides. It can boost the impact of nicotine, the addictive chemical in cigarettes.

Rat poison Arsenic

Several heavy metals are found in cigarettes, including lead, mercury, cadmium, beryllium, chromium, nickel and arsenic, which is used in rat poison. Arsenic is caustic and hazardous. Exposure to high levels of these heavy metals is linked to different types of cancers and birth defects.

Paint thinner Toluene

Toluene is a common industrial solvent used to dissolve paints, rubber, printing ink, glues, lacquers, leather tanners and disinfectants. It causes neurotoxicity at high levels and can lead to birth defects.

Road paving Tar

Tar is found in roads and is used to seal roofing shingles and hulls of ships. It is a thick black liquid mainly produced from coal. When a cigarette is smoked, the amount of tar inhaled increases. The last puff can contain more than twice as much tar as the first. When inhaled, it is deposited in the lungs and transports chemicals into the body.

Lighter Fluid Butane

Butane gas is sold as a fuel for cooking and camping. It is also used in petrol, as fuel for cigarette lighters and in aerosol sprays. It is one of the harmful chemicals that can be found in cigarette smoke.

Nail polish remover Acetone

Acetone is a colourless, flammable liquid used to make plastics, fibres, drugs, and other chemicals. It is known to cause birth defects.

Nuclear chemicals Beryllium

Beryllium is a chemical that may be inhaled from cigarette smoke. It is used in nuclear weapons and it is present in a variety of materials, such as coal, oil, soil and volcanic dust.

Insecticide DDT

DDT/Dieldrin is one of the most common synthetic pesticides. DDT builds up in the body over time. Long-term exposure to moderate levels causes headaches, dizziness, irritability, vomiting and uncontrollable muscle movements.

Embalming fluid Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is used as an embalming fluid, in building materials and a range of household products. People with asthma, bronchitis, or other breathing conditions are especially sensitive to formaldehyde. It can contribute to upper respiratory illnesses, such as colds/flu and seasonal allergies. Formaldehyde also causes cancers, primarily of the nose and throat.

Car exhaust Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odourless, colourless gas that can kill you. It is found in car exhaust fumes and in the production of bulk chemicals. Breathing in CO in a cigarette makes it harder for the body to oxygenate the blood.  It is known to cause fatigue, headaches, dizziness and can lead to birth defects through secondhand smoke.

Batteries Cadmium

Cadmium is a toxic chemical often found in industrial workplaces and is largely used in batteries and plastic products. It is known to cause cancer and birth defects as identified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

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