Chemicals in a cigarette
Encyclopedia
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the following are known human carcinogens found in cigarette
smoke
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Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
smoke
Smoke
Smoke is a collection of airborne solid and liquid particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwanted by-product of fires , but may also be used for pest...
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| Chemical | Amount (per cigarette) |
|---|---|
| Acetaldehyde Acetaldehyde Acetaldehyde is an organic chemical compound with the formula CH3CHO or MeCHO. It is one of the most important aldehydes, occurring widely in nature and being produced on a large scale industrially. Acetaldehyde occurs naturally in coffee, bread, and ripe fruit, and is produced by plants as part... |
980 micrograms to 1.37 milligrams |
| Acrylonitrile Acrylonitrile Acrylonitrile is the chemical compound with the formula C3H3N. This pungent-smelling colorless liquid often appears yellow due to impurities. It is an important monomer for the manufacture of useful plastics. In terms of its molecular structure, it consists of a vinyl group linked to a nitrile... |
formerly 1 to 2 milligrams. This product was used as a fumigant in tobacco. Its use has since been discontinued. |
| 4-Aminobiphenyl 4-Aminobiphenyl 4-Aminobiphenyl is an amine derivative of biphenyl. It is used to manufacture azo dyes. It is a known human carcinogen and so it has been largely replaced by less toxic compounds. It is similar to benzidine.... |
0.2 to 23 nanograms per cigarette |
| o-Anisidine O-Anisidine o-Anisidine is a yellow liquid with melting point -1 to 5 °C and density 1.09 g/cm³. The vapor pressure is 0.05 mbar at 20 °C but increases greatly with temperature. It has an aromatic smell and is well absorbed by inhalation, oral ingestion and skin contact. 2-Anisidine is a very toxic agent that... hydrochloride Hydrochloride In chemistry, hydrochlorides are salts resulting, or regarded as resulting, from the reaction of hydrochloric acid with an organic base . This is also known as muriate, derived from hydrochloric acid's other name: muriatic acid.... |
unknown |
| Arsenic Arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid... |
unknown |
| Benzene Benzene Benzene is an organic chemical compound. It is composed of 6 carbon atoms in a ring, with 1 hydrogen atom attached to each carbon atom, with the molecular formula C6H6.... |
5.9 to 75 micrograms |
| Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium is the chemical element with the symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is a divalent element which occurs naturally only in combination with other elements in minerals. Notable gemstones which contain beryllium include beryl and chrysoberyl... |
0.5 nanograms |
| 1,3-Butadiene 1,3-Butadiene 1,3-Butadiene is a simple conjugated diene with the formula C4H6. It is an important industrial chemical used as a monomer in the production of synthetic rubber. When the word butadiene is used, most of the time it refers to 1,3-butadiene.... |
152 to 400 micrograms |
| Cadmium Cadmium Cadmium is a chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. This soft, bluish-white metal is chemically similar to the two other stable metals in group 12, zinc and mercury. Similar to zinc, it prefers oxidation state +2 in most of its compounds and similar to mercury it shows a low... |
1.7 micograms |
| 1,1-Dimethylhydrazine | unknown |
| Ethylene oxide Ethylene oxide Ethylene oxide, also called oxirane, is the organic compound with the formula . It is a cyclic ether. This means that it is composed of two alkyl groups attached to an oxygen atom in a cyclic shape . This colorless flammable gas with a faintly sweet odor is the simplest epoxide, a three-membered... |
unknown |
| Formaldehyde Formaldehyde Formaldehyde is an organic compound with the formula CH2O. It is the simplest aldehyde, hence its systematic name methanal.Formaldehyde is a colorless gas with a characteristic pungent odor. It is an important precursor to many other chemical compounds, especially for polymers... |
unknown |
| Furan Furan Furan is a heterocyclic organic compound, consisting of a five-membered aromatic ring with four carbon atoms and one oxygen. The class of compounds containing such rings are also referred to as furans.... |
unknown |
| Heterocyclic amines | unknown |
| Hydrazine Hydrazine Hydrazine is an inorganic compound with the formula N2H4. It is a colourless flammable liquid with an ammonia-like odor. Hydrazine is highly toxic and dangerously unstable unless handled in solution. Approximately 260,000 tons are manufactured annually... |
32 micrograms |
| Isoprene Isoprene Isoprene , or 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene, is a common organic compound with the formula CH2=CCH=CH2. Under standard conditions it is a colorless liquid... |
:3.1 milligrams |
| Lead Lead Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed... |
unknown |
| 2-Naphthylamine 2-Naphthylamine 2-Naphthylamine is an aromatic amine. It is used to make azo dyes. It is a known human carcinogen and has largely been replaced by less toxic compounds. 2-Naphthylamine is prepared by heating 2-naphthol with ammonium zinc chloride to 200-210 °C; or in the form of its acetyl derivative by heating... |
1.5 to 35 nanograms |
| Nitromethane Nitromethane Nitromethane is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a slightly viscous, highly polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent... |
unknown |
| N-Nitrosodi-n-butylamine | 3 nanograms |
| N-Nitrosodiethanolamine | 24 to 36 nanograms |
| N-Nitrosodiethylamine | up to 8.3 nanograms |
| N-Nitrosodimethylamine N-Nitrosodimethylamine N-Nitrosodimethylamine , also known as dimethylnitrosamine , is a semi-volatile organic chemical that is highly toxic and is a suspected human carcinogen. The US Environmental Protection Agency has determined that the maximum admissible concentration of NDMA in drinking water is 7 ng L−1... |
5.7 to 43 nanograms |
| N-Nitrosodi-n-propylamine | 1 nanogram |
| 4-(N-Nitrosomethylamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone NNK Nicotine-derived nitrosamine ketone , or 4-- 1--1-butanone, is a nitrosamine present in tobacco that is a potent procarcinogen. It is activated by CYP2A6. It is a biomarker of exposure to cigarette smoke. It is produced upon the curing of tobacco.-External links:*... |
up to 4.2 micrograms |
| N-Nitrosonornicotine N-Nitrosonornicotine N-Nitrosonornicotine is a nitrosamine found in tobacco that has been classified by the IARC as a Group 1 carcinogen.Although no adequate studies of the relationship between exposure to NNN and human cancer have been reported, there is sufficient evidence that NNN causes cancer in experimental... |
14 micrograms |
| N-Nitrosopiperidine | unknown |
| N-Nitrosopyrrolidine | 113 nanograms |
| N-Nitrososarcosine | 22 to 460 nanograms |
| Polonium-210 | variable, depending on soil and fertilizer used to grow tobacco |
| Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons | 28 to 100 milligrams |
| o-Toluidine | 32 nanograms |
| Vinyl chloride Vinyl chloride Vinyl chloride is the organochloride with the formula H2C:CHCl. It is also called vinyl chloride monomer, VCM or chloroethene. This colorless compound is an important industrial chemical chiefly used to produce the polymer polyvinyl chloride . At ambient pressure and temperature, vinyl chloride... |
5.6 to 27 nanograms |