SMOKING STATISTICS

Cigarette Substance and Chemical Statistics

Many of the ingredients in cigarettes are poisonous and the two given most attention are nicotine and tar. This two are looked at most often because they are leading causes of addiction and cancer with tar being the ingredient that causes lung cancer.

When a cigarette is lit, substances are released and enter the lungs. The Federal Trade Commission When tested 5,000 chemicals were found in smoke from cigarettes. Over 40 of these are known to be human carcinogens. Nicotine is the drug in cigarettes that is addictive. Nicotine is a very poisonous drug that can kill. Carbon monoxide is a chemical effect of cigarette smoke. This can cause damage to the lungs being that it works against oxygen.

There are many chemicals that are seen as safe when used in food, but all produce chemicals when burned. Not one of these is more deadly than nicotine is. Some of these are sugars, prune juice, vinegar and vanilla extract.

It has been found in the United States that about 26.2 million men are smokers and 20.9 million are women.

These are some of the astounding estimates for people over the age of 18.

• 23.5% of men and 18.8% of women smoke among whites
• 20.1 % of men and 10.1% of women smoke among Hispanics
• 26.1% of men and 18.5 women smoke among blacks
• 16.8% of men and 4.6% women smoke among non-Hispanic Asians