Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsChemicals in CigarettesSecondhand SmokeE-CigarettesIf You’re Still SmokingFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Chemicals in Cigarettes
Secondhand Smoke
E-Cigarettes
If You’re Still Smoking
Frequently Asked Questions
The legal age limit is 21 forpurchasing cigarettes, cigars, or any other tobacco productsin the U.S.
If you smokecigarettesor e-cigarettes, every puff puts poisons, toxic metals, and carcinogens into your bloodstream.In fact, of the more than 7,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke, at least 250 are dangerous to your health, and at least 69 of those can cause cancer.Whether you smoke cigarettes, use e-cigarettes (vape pens), or inhale secondhand smoke, those chemicals affect everything from your blood pressure and pulse rate to your organs and immune system.
Air tainted with cigarette smoke is dangerous for anyone who breathes it. These are the chemicals that you are exposed to in cigarette smoke.
Carcinogens
A carcinogen is defined as any substance that can cause or aggravate cancer. Approximately 70 of the chemicals in cigarettes are known to cause cancer. These include:
Toxic Metals
Toxic (heavy) metals are metals and metal compounds that have the potential to harm health when absorbed or inhaled. They’re present in the soil and fertilizer used in growing tobacco. In very small amounts, some of these metals support life, but when inhaled in large amounts, they can become toxic. These include:
What Is Cadmium Poisoning?
Radioactive Toxic Metals
A couple of toxic metals in cigarette smoke carry extra danger for anyone breathing it in: They are radioactive. Lead-210 (Pb-210) and polonium-210 (Po-210) are poisonous, radioactive heavy metals present in cigarette smoke.
Poisons
Poison is defined as any substance that, when introduced to a living organism, causes severe physical distress or death. Science has discovered approximately 250 poisonous gases in cigarette smoke. Here are a few you might recognize:
The National Toxicology Program estimates that secondhand smoke contains at least 250 poisonous chemicals and another 70 cancer-causing chemicals.
According to the U.S. Surgeon General, there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.If you can smell cigarette smoke, it could be harming your health.
E-cigarettes (aka vapes) contain many of the same chemicals as their combustible counterparts, and then some.
In a CDC study, 99% of the tested e-cigarettes contained nicotine.And not in small amounts: According to e-cigarette maker Juul, just one of its cartridges contains as much nicotine as a pack of 20 cigarettes.
In a 2021 study, Johns Hopkins University researchers uncovered almost 2,000 undisclosed chemicals in vaping aerosols, including six potentially harmful compounds—among them, a pesticide.
Furthermore, the liquid used in e-cigarettes, commonly known as “e-juice,” contains many other flavorings and chemicals such as:
Beginning in January 2020, the U.S. FDA banned the sale of prefilled cartridge e-cigarettes in any flavor other than tobacco or menthol, unless officially authorized.
It’s never too late to start your journey to a smoke-free life. You’ll be rewarded with benefits beyond what you can probably imagine—and they’ll start to occur in as little as 20 minutes of your last cigarette, when your body begins healing.
How Your Body Heals After You Quit Smoking
Frequently Asked QuestionsCigarette smoke contains at least 700 chemicals—at least 250 of them harmful, and at least 69 carcinogenic.In a 2021 study, Johns Hopkins University researchers uncovered almost 2,000 undisclosed chemicals in vaping aerosols, including six potentially harmful compounds—among them, a pesticide.Cigarette smoke contains at least 69 carcinogenic compounds, including arsenic, benzene, and polyvinyl chloride. They make up the more than 250 harmful chemicals in cigarettes.A tobacco plant absorbs many substances, such as cadmium and lead, from the soil it’s grown in. Other chemicals known as tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) form as tobacco leaves dry. Still more chemicals are added during the cigarette-manufacturing process to improve flavor and nicotine absorption.
Cigarette smoke contains at least 700 chemicals—at least 250 of them harmful, and at least 69 carcinogenic.
Cigarette smoke contains at least 69 carcinogenic compounds, including arsenic, benzene, and polyvinyl chloride. They make up the more than 250 harmful chemicals in cigarettes.
A tobacco plant absorbs many substances, such as cadmium and lead, from the soil it’s grown in. Other chemicals known as tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) form as tobacco leaves dry. Still more chemicals are added during the cigarette-manufacturing process to improve flavor and nicotine absorption.
8 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Chemistry and Toxicology of Cigarette Smoke and Biomarkers of Exposure and Harm. In:How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease: A Report of the Surgeon General.Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US); 2010.
Warren GW, Alberg AJ, Kraft AS, Cummings KM. The 2014 surgeon general’s report: “The health consequences of smoking-50 Years of progress”: A paradigm shift in cancer care: Surgeon general’s report and cancer care.Cancer. 2014;120(13):1914-1916. doi:10.1002/cncr.28695
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.How tobacco smoke causes disease: The biology and behavioral basis for smoking-attributable disease: A report of the Surgeon General. 2010.
Jaishankar M, Tseten T, Anbalagan N, Mathew BB, Beeregowda KN.Toxicity, mechanism and health effects of some heavy metals.Interdiscip Toxicol. 2014;7(2):60-72. doi:10.2478/intox-2014-0009
Seiler RL, Wiemels JL.Occurrence of ²¹⁰Po and biological effects of low-level exposure: the need for research.Environ Health Perspect. 2012;120(9):1230-1237. doi:10.1289/ehp.1104607
Tsai J, Homa DM, Gentzke AS, et al.Exposure to Secondhand Smoke Among Nonsmokers - United States, 1988-2014.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2018;67(48):1342-1346. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6748a3
Marynak KL, Gammon DG, Rogers T, Coats EM, Singh T, King BA.Sales of nicotine-containing electronic cigarette products: United States, 2015.Am J Public Health. 2017;107(5):702-705. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.303660
Health Risks of Secondhand Smoke. American Cancer Society.Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS): General Information and Health Effects. Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety.Radiation in Tobacco. United States Enviromental Protection Agency.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US); 2010.
Meet Our Review Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit
What is your feedback?
