Carcinogenic Ingredients in Cigarettes
The Smoking Facts About Cancer Causing Cigarette Chemicals

There are carcinogenic ingredients in cigarettes.

The smoking facts reveal that all chemicals contained in a cigarette are distributed to the entire body so the carcinogenic smoking effects on the body are not limited just to the airways and respiratory tract.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is part of the World Health Organization.

Over the years of conducting research on cancer mechanisms and causes in humans they have developed a classification system of carcinogens.

Tobacco smoke is classified as a group one carcinogen based on the following classification system.

Group 1	The agent is carcinogenic to humans.
Group 2A	The agent is probably carcinogenic to humans.
Group 2B	The agent is possibly carcinogenic to humans.
Group 3	The agent is not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans.
Group 4	The agent is probably not carcinogenic to humans.

Smoking Facts about the Carcinogenic Ingredients in Cigarettes

Depending on the source you will find numbers that state anywhere from 40 - 60 known carcinogenic ingredients in cigarettes.

There probably isn't a single known substance used by humans in everyday life that would contain such a wide variety of carcinogens.

It would be impossible to list all of the 40-60 carcinogenic chemicals but here is a sampling of some that you might recognize.

arsenic	group 1	in small cumulative doses it has been shown to cause cancer of the skin and the lungs.
benzene	group 1	known to cause cancer of the blood. There is even a special type of leukemia called benzene leukemia named for the profound effect this chemical has on the blood forming organs of the body.
ethylene	group 1	It is used as a fumigant to remove pests and microorganisms from foodstuffs and tobacco. Also used as a sterilizing agent in hospitals and medical facilities.
formaldehyde	group 1	Has been shown to cause nasopharyngeal cancer in humans. The IARC lists tobacco smoke as one of the major sources of human exposure to formaldehyde along with building materials, paints and varnishes and adhesives.

Chemicals in cigarettes have been isolated in the urine, digestive juices, and even the cervical mucus of female smokers so they are transported throughout the body and can do damage anywhere.

More Carcinogenic Ingredients in Cigarettes
TSN's or Tobacco Specific Nitrosamines

Nicotine and related compounds found in the tobacco leaf are transformed during the process of curing and processing of tobacco. This creates chemicals in cigarettes called nitrosamines.

They are carcinogens found only in cigarette smoke that is why they are labelled "tobacco specific".

TSNAs consist of many chemical compounds. Those that are identified as carcinogenic are:

• N-nitrosonornicotine (NNN)- Group 2B
• 4-methyl-N-nitrosamino-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) - Group 2B
• 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol NNAL - Group 2B

Read more about these tobacco specific carcinogenic ingredients in cigarettes.

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