Cigarette tobacco

The smoke produced by the combustion of tobacco is an extremely complex mixture containing over 7,000 known chemical substances. Among them, hundreds are harmful, and at least 70 are known carcinogens.
These harmful substances can be broadly classified into the following categories:
☠️ Key harmful substances
Nicotine: This is the main substance that leads to smoking addiction. Its addictive nature is considered second only to heroin. It stimulates the nervous system, causing an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and damaging blood vessels.
Tar: A black, viscous substance produced when tobacco is burned, containing various carcinogenic and cancer-promoting substances. It is the main cause of lung cancer and throat cancer. Each cigarette typically contains 5-15 milligrams of tar.
Carbon monoxide: A colorless and odorless toxic gas. It strongly combines with hemoglobin in the blood, reducing the ability of the blood to transport oxygen. Each cigarette can produce 20-30 milliliters.
⚗️ Other toxic compounds
Carcinogens: Tobacco smoke contains at least 70 known carcinogens such as benzo[a]pyrene, nitrosamines, formaldehyde, and benzene.
Heavy metals: such as cadmium, mercury, lead, arsenic, nickel, etc. Cadmium is a strong carcinogen and can also damage the bones and reproductive system.
Radioactive substances: During the cultivation process, tobacco absorbs radioactive elements such as polonium-210. Long-term smokers are exposed to a relatively high radiation dose in their lungs.
Other lethal components: Also include potassium cyanide, formaldehyde, acrolein, ammonia, arsenic, etc.
The devastating impact on health
Smoking is a major risk factor for a variety of serious diseases and causes damage to multiple systems throughout the body:
Cancer: Smoking is the cause of 90% of lung cancer cases, and it is also closely related to various other cancers such as throat cancer, oral cancer, esophageal cancer, and bladder cancer.
Cardiovascular diseases: Smoking significantly increases the risks of coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, stroke and atherosclerosis.
Respiratory system diseases: Substances such as tar can severely damage the respiratory tract, leading to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, asthma, etc.
Other hazards: Increase the risks of osteoporosis, male infertility, premature aging, and seriously affect the development of the fetus and the infant, as well as increase the risks of miscarriage, premature birth and sudden infant death syndrome.
Comparison with E-cigarettes
Many people often ask whether e-cigarettes are safer. The available evidence indicates:
The potential harm of e-cigarettes may be less: According to current research, the harm caused by using e-cigarettes is likely to be smaller than that of smoking traditional cigarettes, as the types and quantities of toxic chemicals contained in e-cigarettes are usually fewer.
Not equivalent to "safe": This by no means implies that e-cigarettes are safe. E-cigarettes also contain addictive and harmful substances such as nicotine, and have negative effects on the cardiovascular system and lungs.
The risk of dual use is even higher: Using both cigarettes and e-cigarettes simultaneously (dual use) exposes people to a wider range of toxins, and the risk of related diseases may be 20-40% higher than that of smoking alone.