Do You Know What is in Your Cigarette?
Most people will know that cigarettes contain nicotine and that this what makes them addictive and so hard to give up.
Within seven seconds of inhaling, it is absorbed in to the blood stream and this gives you the desired "hit" but at the same time it is pushing up your heart rate and blood pressure.
But as you take each inhalation what else is entering your body and how dangerous can it be? After all they are on sale openly with minimal restriction.
Yes, they do carry a health warning but if they were truly dangerous surely they would be banned? Read on.
Did you know that each cigarette smoked contains on average 4,000 chemicals and at least 60 of them are known to cause cancer? Benzene is better known as an industrial solvent and causes leukaemia.
Formaldehyde is a poisonous liquid used primarily to preserve dead bodies and other organic material - it is also carcinogenic and causes skin, respiratory and gastrointestinal problems.
Governments and pressure groups have worked hard to reduce lead poisoning from traffic pollution but those that smoke inhale lead with every cigarette leaving us (and them) at risk of brain, kidney, red blood cell and nervous system damage.
This risk is even higher in unborn babies and small children leaving them at risk of birth defects and learning difficulties from this passive smoking.
A highly toxic metal used in batteries is Cadmium.
It is also found in cigarettes and causes liver, brain and kidney damage.
It is highly dangerous if swallowed but much more so if breathed in.
Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that sticks to the red blood cells and interferes with their ability to carry oxygen, increasing heart rate and causing shortness of breath and even death.
Ammonia is used in fertilisers and dry cleaning but is added to cigarettes to enhance the flavour and to possibly make the nicotine more addictive.
These are but a few of the more recognisable chemicals found in cigarettes and they are assisted in getting directly in to your body by tar, that is deposited into your lungs from the cigarette smoke.
On average a person who smokes one pack a day will, in one year, deposit a full cup of tar into their lungs.
Tar blocks the air sacs in your lungs, clogs your arteries and causes clots that can lead to respiratory disease, strokes or heart attacks.
So now what do you think? Just how safe really is that cigarette you are about to smoke?
Within seven seconds of inhaling, it is absorbed in to the blood stream and this gives you the desired "hit" but at the same time it is pushing up your heart rate and blood pressure.
But as you take each inhalation what else is entering your body and how dangerous can it be? After all they are on sale openly with minimal restriction.
Yes, they do carry a health warning but if they were truly dangerous surely they would be banned? Read on.
Did you know that each cigarette smoked contains on average 4,000 chemicals and at least 60 of them are known to cause cancer? Benzene is better known as an industrial solvent and causes leukaemia.
Formaldehyde is a poisonous liquid used primarily to preserve dead bodies and other organic material - it is also carcinogenic and causes skin, respiratory and gastrointestinal problems.
Governments and pressure groups have worked hard to reduce lead poisoning from traffic pollution but those that smoke inhale lead with every cigarette leaving us (and them) at risk of brain, kidney, red blood cell and nervous system damage.
This risk is even higher in unborn babies and small children leaving them at risk of birth defects and learning difficulties from this passive smoking.
A highly toxic metal used in batteries is Cadmium.
It is also found in cigarettes and causes liver, brain and kidney damage.
It is highly dangerous if swallowed but much more so if breathed in.
Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that sticks to the red blood cells and interferes with their ability to carry oxygen, increasing heart rate and causing shortness of breath and even death.
Ammonia is used in fertilisers and dry cleaning but is added to cigarettes to enhance the flavour and to possibly make the nicotine more addictive.
These are but a few of the more recognisable chemicals found in cigarettes and they are assisted in getting directly in to your body by tar, that is deposited into your lungs from the cigarette smoke.
On average a person who smokes one pack a day will, in one year, deposit a full cup of tar into their lungs.
Tar blocks the air sacs in your lungs, clogs your arteries and causes clots that can lead to respiratory disease, strokes or heart attacks.
So now what do you think? Just how safe really is that cigarette you are about to smoke?
