Cigarettes Are Hazardous to Your Health

Cigarettes Are Hazardous to Your Health Addiction Nicotine Use The Inside of Cigarettes Print Cigarettes and Your Health By Terry Martin facebook twitter Terry Martin quit smoking after 26 years and is now an advocate for those seeking freedom from nicotine addiction. Learn about our editorial policy Terry Martin Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Sanja Jelic, MD on February 29, 2016 Sanja Jelic, MD, is board-certified in sleep medicine, critical care medicine, pulmonary disease, and internal medicine.   Learn about our Medical Review Board Sanja Jelic, MD Updated on January 07, 2020 Peter Dazeley / Getty Images More in Addiction Nicotine Use The Inside of Cigarettes After You Quit How to Quit Smoking Nicotine Withdrawal Smoking-Related Diseases Alcohol Use Addictive Behaviors Drug Use Coping and Recovery A cigarette is a cylindrical roll of shredded or ground tobacco that is wrapped in paper or another substance that does not contain tobacco. Many manufactured cigarettes also have filters on one end that are intended to trap some of the toxic chemicals contained in cigarette smoke. Whats in a Cigarette? Depending on the type of cigarette, the ingredients will vary somewhat. Commercially produced cigarettes manufactured by one of the Big Tobacco companies can and do contain hundreds of additives on top of the tobacco thats in the cigarettes. Some additives are used as flavoring agents, but others, like  ammonia, are added to boost the effect that nicotine has on the smoker. Additives are also used to do things like keep the tobacco moist and extend shelf life. In April of 1994, five of the big tobacco companies in the United States provided the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services with a list of 599 potential additives used in manufacturing their cigarettes. They were required to do this because of a Federal court ruling. In June of 2009, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act was passed, placing requirements on tobacco companies to report all ingredients used in cigarettes and other tobacco products.  This includes amounts used in individual recipes.  New products must be submitted for approval before going to market. Hand-rolled or roll your own cigarettes  use loose tobacco. They dont contain all of the additives that traditional cigarettes do, but they are hazardous to health, as well. The Sneaky Reasons Behind Some Cigarette Additives Cigarette Smoke Cigarette smoke is a complex mix of more than 7,000 chemicals.  Some are produced by the additives listed above, some from pesticides that are used in the tobacco farming process, some are formed when those additives are heated and/or burned, and some are formed when burning chemicals combine, producing yet more unique chemicals. To date, 250 poisonous chemicals have been identified in cigarette smoke, and 70 carcinogens. How Long Have Cigarettes Been Around? Mayan Indians may have been the first people to smoke tobacco in the Americas. Images of tobacco use have been found carved into stone that date to 600 to 900 A.D. North American Indians have long smoked pipes filled with tobacco as part of religious ceremonies and medical purposes. Smoking was not a daily activity, rather, it was filled with special meaning. Cigarette smoking became a popular activity with men in the early 1900s, but it wasnt until World War I and World War II that it really took off.  Cigarette companies gave soldiers free cigarettes  and marketed them to women back home as well. By 1944, cigarette manufacturing was a 300 billion dollar industry. At that time, servicemen consumed approximately 75% of the cigarettes produced. By 1964 however, concerns over the health effects of smoking were surfacing. The U.S. Surgeons General published a report about the dangers of smoking and not long after, Congress passed the  Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act. It said that every cigarette pack must have a warning label on its side stating Cigarettes may be hazardous to your health. Today, cigarette smoking is on the wane in many parts of the world, but plenty of cultures still smoke with few, if any legislative restrictions on them. As of Dec. 20, 2019, the new legal age limit is 21 years old for purchasing cigarettes, cigars, or any other tobacco products in the U.S. Its likely that cigarette consumption will continue to decrease as more and more people understand the tremendous health hazards they pose. The 599 Ingredients and Additives in Cigarettes