In a Puff of Smoke:
What Gets in Your Lungs
The computer chip maker Intel recently ran a series of TV commercials that said something like "If you can't do it in real life, do it online." In the simulation below, we want you to do something here in cyberspace that we hope you won't do in real life. We want you to learn more about the substances in tobacco smoke that are harmful to human health by taking a puff of the virtual cigarette below.
There have been between 3500 and 4000 separate compounds identified in tobacco or tobacco smoke. Approximately 30 of them are known carcinogens. Among the 4000 compounds are many that you would never otherwise swallow or inhale willingly. For example:
| Compound | Molecular Formula | Where It's Found | |
|
acetone |
| paint stripper | |
| acetic acid |
| vinegar | |
| acrolein |
| tear gas | |
| ammonia |
| floor cleaner | |
| formaldehyde |
| biological tissue preserver | |
| hexamine |
| barbecue lighter | |
| hydrogen sulfide |
| sewer gas, rotten eggs | |
| methanol |
| antifreeze, racing fuel | |
| pyrene |
| coal tar | |
Whether or not a compound is directly related to cancer, its presence in the body may cause sickness and disease. And while many individual compounds may have no harmful effects, the combined effect of several together may be lethal.
For more information, at other Web sites...
-
9th Report on Carcinogens
2000 — from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Service National
Toxicology Program.
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