Cigarette might be one of the most popular products that are consumed by people these days. There are so many brands of cigarette that you can find on the market that came in so many variants. Even though cigarette is consumed by so many people all over the world, this product is actually not good for your health. In fact, cigarette might cause various health issues, and some of them are quite serious, if you consume it excessively for long term. This is because in a cigarette, there are so many dangerous chemicals that can enter your body when you inhale the smoke.
Some of these chemicals are considered toxic and might cause serious damage on your health. To understand the danger of cigarette, you might need to learn about what chemicals that can be found in a cigarette. Below are the short description of each chemicals in cigarette and the impact that can be caused by it.
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1. Chromium
The first chemical element that can be found in a cigarette is chromium. Chromium is categorized as metal and it has hard structure. Chromium has grey color and it’s hard to be oxidized even though it’s oxidized in high temperature. Chromium is also categorized as the type of metal that is durable to corrosion.
This type of metal also can be polished to make its surface looks shinier. With these properties, chromium is usually used in industries as coating for elements in building or components of vehicles such as muffler in car or motorcycle. Chromium is not only used in industries as coating but it’s also used as ingredient in the process of making color or paint.
Meanwhile, chromium also can be found in cigarette as well. Yes, you can find this metal in a cigarette and this metal can enter your body when you inhale smoke from a cigarette. Chromium is considered as carcinogen since it can attach to your DNA and damage the DNA. Due to its carcinogen property, Chromium might cause cancer in long term.
2. Cadmium
Other chemical element that can be found in a cigarette is cadmium. Just like chromium, cadmium is also categorized as metal. This chemical element came with white color with some hints of blue and silver. The physical characteristic of this metal is soft and can be molded easily. In nature, cadmium is usually found with zinc, copper, and lead.
Meanwhile, cadmium also has anti-corrosive properties as well. That’s why this element is used as coating for other metals. In solid form, cadmium will not dissolved in water and can’t burn easily. However, in powder form, cadmium can be dissolved easily and can burn easily.
Cadmium is usually used in industries for various purposes. This chemical element is used in battery, electro plating, nuclear system controlling, CRT tube, TV tube, photocopy machine, laser printer, color pigment in paint, and in toner ink. This chemical element also can be found in a cigarette. The cigarette smoke that you inhale contains cadmium and it might cause cancer since this chemical element is considered as carcinogen. Cadmium also can cause damage to your kidney as well. It also can clog the blood stream in your artery.
3. Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is a chemical compound that came in a form of gas or solution. Even though formaldehyde has characteristics like aldehyde in general, this chemical compound is more reactive compared to other types of aldehyde. Formaldehyde is electrophile and it can be used in reaction of electrophilic aromatic substitution and aromatic compound.
Formaldehyde in liquid form came as clear liquid. It doesn’t have color. This chemical compound has very strong odor. Formaldehyde can be used for various purposes. The most common use of formaldehyde is for preserving corpse and killed microbes in corpse. Formaldehyde is considered as toxin and might cause various health issues. The most common issues that can occur when you are exposed to formaldehyde are that you will get sore eyes and you will cough.
Formaldehyde also can be found in a cigarette as well. When your eyes are exposed to smoke from cigarette, you will get sore eyes since cigarette’s smoke contains formaldehyde. Cigarette’s smoke also can cause cough as well since it contains formaldehyde.
4. Benzene
Benzene is one of the chemical compounds that can be found in crude oil. This chemical compound is also one of the basic ingredients that are used in petrochemical. Benzene is also used in industries as emulsifier as well. In everyday life, benzene can be found in products such as pesticide and also fuel for vehicles.
Benzene is an organic chemical compound that came in liquid form. Benzene has sweet scent, doesn’t have color, and can burn easily. This chemical compound is used widely in industries for various purposes. Benzene can be used as additive in synthesizing of other chemical compounds. This chemical compound also can be used for making styrene that can be used for polymer and plastic. Benzene also can be used to make nylon, detergent, and also explosive.
The shocking part is that benzene is also found in cigarette as well. Benzene is a chemical compound that is carcinogen and can cause cancer. Benzene is also considered as dangerous chemical compound that might cause leukemia as well. If you are exposed to benzene in long term, you might have risk of anemia, genetic damage, and excessive bleeding.
5. Arsenic
Other chemical element that can be found in a cigarette is arsenic. Arsenic has three allotropic forms. These forms are yellow, black, and grey. The stabile form of this chemical element is silver with some hints of grey. Arsenic can be oxidized easily by air. In high temperature, this chemical element can burn easily and form white cloud that is known as trioxide arsenic.
Arsenic is also a chemical element that can be easily forming compounds with other elements. In non-metal form, arsenic is less reactive. However, it will be dissolved when it’s heated suing strong acid or strong alkali. Arsenic can be found in small concentrate naturally. Arsenic in atmosphere came from various sources such as volcanoes and microorganisms.
This chemical element is also found in cigarette as well and it’s considered as chemical element that can cause cancer. Arsenic also can cause damage to your heart and veins as well. If you smoke cigarette for long term, arsenic will be accumulated in your body and might cause serious health issues. Arsenic also can worsen the effects that are caused by other chemical elements that are found in cigarette as well. If there are too many arsenic in your body, your body will have difficulties in repairing the DNA that is damaged due to toxin from cigarette.
6. Hydrogen cyanide
Hydrogen cyanide is one of the forms of cyanide that is found in cigarette. Generally, cyanide is a chemical compound that can react quickly and can be combined with other chemical elements easily. When cyanide is combined with hydrogen, it will form hydrogen cyanide. Cyanide is the chemical compound that has bitter taste and has specific scent. However, cyanide not always produces scent. That’s why sometimes this chemical compound is hard to be detected.
Cyanide can be found naturally in certain types of foods or plants such as cassava, almond, and the seeds of apple. In industries, cyanide is used for making paper, textile, and plastic. Cyanide is also used in chemicals that are used for developing photos as well. cyanide in gas form also can be used for pesticide.
Hydrogen cyanide is dangerous chemical compound that came in gas form. This chemical compound has very serious effect to your body and it’s considered as one of the dangerous chemical compounds that can be found in cigarette. Hydrogen cyanide can cause serious damage on your heart and veins. Even though hydrogen cyanide will not cause cancer directly, the high level of hydrogen cyanide in your body can increase the risk of cancer by attacking cilia (small size hairs that filter air that you breathe).
7. Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide is basically a type of gas that consists of one atom of carbon and one atom of oxygen. This gas is odorless and colorless. This gas is also doesn’t have taste and will not irritate your eyes as well. However, carbon monoxide can burn easily and it’s also considered very toxic as well. If you inhale this gas and this gas enters your veins, it can cause serious health issues.
Carbon monoxide is formed due to imperfect burning process. Imperfect burning process can occur due to the lack of oxygen. This type of burning process is usually occurred on vehicles, heaters, wood stove, and even on cigarette. When you burn your cigarette, the carbon monoxide will be formed. And when you smoke the cigarette, you will inhale carbon monoxide and this gas will enter to your body.
Smoke that came from cigarette contains about three to five percents of carbon monoxide. If you inhale carbon monoxide, this dangerous compound will stick to your red blood cells. Carbon monoxide will replace the oxygen that should stick to red blood cells. When carbon monoxide sticks to red blood cells, it will disturb the oxygen distribution in your body. As the result, your body will have lack of oxygen that might cause very serious health issues.
8. Ammonia
The next chemical compound that can be found in cigarette is ammonia. Ammonia is basically a chemical compound that is formed by nitrogen and hydrogen. Ammonia appears as gas that is colorless and it has specific scent that is very strong. Even though this chemical compound is used widely in industries, ammonia is actually considered as dangerous chemical compound.
Ammonia can be found naturally in atmosphere that came from the residual of decomposition process of animals and plants. Ammonia also can be found naturally in rain as well. This chemical compound also can be found in volcanoes in the form of ammonium chloride and ammonium sulfate. Ammonia is also produced by your kidney as well and it’s used to neutralize the excessive acids in your body.
This gas is considered as corrosive. Ammonia can be dissolved in water. If it’s used properly, ammonia can be used as material for toilet cleaning. In cigarette, ammonia is added in order to increase additive effect of nicotine. The amount of ammonia in cigarette will change nicotine into gas so that nicotine can be absorbed easier by lungs and veins. Just like carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide, ammonia also can cause damage to cilia.
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9. Nitrogen Oxide
Nitrogen oxide is a gas that came in two form, nitrogen monoxide and nitrogen dioxide. Both of these gases have different characteristics. Even though they have different characteristics, both of them are considered dangerous for human.
Nitrogen oxide is usually found in large amount as emission gas from vehicle’s disposal. As you might know, the emission gas from vehicles is considered as the main cause of air pollution. Nitrogen oxide is also produced by smoke from cigarette as well. When you inhale smoke from cigarette, the nitrogen oxide will cause lungs problem such as pneumonia.
Basically, your body also produces nitrogen oxide but it only came in very small amount. The nitrogen oxide that is produced by your body is used for helping the air distribution in your body by expand your lungs. However, the level of nitrogen oxide from cigarette can cause your lungs to expand larger which makes the lungs absorb nicotine and other toxic from cigarette in easier way.
10. Tar
Tar is other chemical that can be found in cigarette. This chemical is also considered as one of the most dangerous chemicals that can be found in cigarette. Tar is the particle that can cause stains on your teeth, fingers, or even your lungs if you smoke cigarette excessively.
Even though these days cigarette companies try to produce cigarette with low amount of tar, but it still not change the fact that this chemical is dangerous for your health, especially if you smoke cigarette for long term. Tar is a dangerous particle that will become active when you light up your cigarette. This material is commonly used as the ingredient that is added to asphalt for road construction.
11. Nicotine
Nicotine is basically an alkaloid or chemical that contains nitrogen. This component is also considered as the most popular chemical component in a cigarette. Nicotine is also considered as the most dangerous component that can be found in cigarette as well. Basically, nicotine can be produced by several types of plant, including tobacco plant that became one of the main ingredients in cigarette.
There are so many health issues that can be caused by nicotine. One of the most popular effects of nicotine is that it can make you became more addicted to cigarette. Nicotine is considered as addictive material that will only make you smoke more. Besides make you became addicted to cigarette, nicotine also can increase the risk of lung cancer as well.
Other health issue that can be caused if you smoke too much nicotine from cigarette is that you will have higher risk of high blood pressure. Nicotine can also increase the risk of heart disease as well. Other health issue that can be caused by nicotine is diabetes.
12. Acetaldehyde
Other organic chemical compound that can be found in a cigarette is acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde can come in form of liquid or gas. This chemical compound is colorless. Acetaldehyde has fruity scent and it tastes like green leaves.
Acetaldehyde is used in industries for various purposes. This chemical compound is used in the making of paraldehyde, acetic acid, butanol, perfume, plastic, synthetic rubber, and gelatin fiber amplifier. This chemical compound is also used in pesticide and as material for chemicals that are used in developing photos.
Acetaldehyde is also found in cigarette as well. This chemical compound is known as carcinogen. It means that acetaldehyde can cause cancer. Acetaldehyde also can cause irritation on eyes, skin, and respiratory duct.
13. Acrolein
Acrolein is aldehyde compound that can be found in cigarette. This compound came in liquid form. Acrolein can be colorless or came in yellowish color. This chemical compound can burn easily.
Acrolein is considered as dangerous chemical compound that can cause various health issues. This compound is considered as carcinogen and might cause cancer in human. Acrolein also can cause irritation on lungs, respiratory ducts, and also can cause hard top breathe as well.
This chemical compound also can cause eyes irritation as well. Since it is carcinogen, Acrolein might cause lung cancer. If your body gets more than 10ppm of Acrolein, you can die.
14. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon is chemical compound that came from imperfect burning process of carbon materials such as wood burning, coal burning, oil burning, and garbage burning.
This chemicals in cigarette mostly came from vehicle’s emission. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon might also come from industrial chimneys as well that can be found in many factories these days. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon might also come from cigarette as well when cigarette is lightened up.
Just like benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon is also considered as carcinogen and might cause cancer. The type of cancer that might be caused by this chemical compound is lung cancer. This chemical compound might also attack your reproductive organs as well and cause reproductive issues. As a result, chemicals in cigarette is bad for health. Thus, let’s try a healthy life now without cigarette.
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